I’d like to help reduce the frustration of folks who care about national politics and public policy. It’s my observation that a simple truth drives the major political parties. Here it is. When a national government goes beyond its most fundamental functions, e.g., enforcing the rule of law and providing national defense, it becomes a […]
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Protesters were drawn to Miami last week as negotiators worked on the Free Trade Area of the Americas pact. One of the protestors’ concerns is that free trade is creating a “race to the bottom” in which developing countries lower their environmental standards to attract international business. But their fears are misplaced. Here’s why. At […]
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All modern societies are critically dependant upon bureaucracies. These organizations, be they for-profit, nonprofit, or governmental, are central to our well-being. Hospitals, schools, courts, and supermarket chains are all bureaucracies. They constitute our institutional environment. The natural tendency of a bureaucracy is to defend and perpetuate itself and to resist change. Private bureaucracies, however, differ […]
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Last Fourth of July weekend I hiked up Mt. Baldy, a low summit in the small yet lovely Bridger Mountain Range just north of Bozeman, Montana. I started the hike from the “M” trailhead, surely the most traveled trail in Gallatin County. Mt. Baldy too is a popular local destination. One expects company out on […]
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I recently returned from a seminar sponsored by the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment (FREE), and cosponsored by Montana State University. Since these programs have been much maligned by the media, Congress, and interest groups, I’d like to encourage a more balanced discussion by offering my experiences and impressions. FREE hosts a […]
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I recently visited the National Conservation Training Center near Shepherdstown, WV. My goal was to find an eastern site for our seminar series for federal judges. It is an excellent facility run by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the U.S. Department of Interior. (Its creation and operation exemplify political entrepreneurship, but that’s another column.) […]
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Commerce spreads culture — the arts, entertainment, ideas, religious beliefs, etc. — and I’m grateful it does. Exposure to other cultures enriches our lives, broadens our perspectives, and demonstrates the rich variety of humanity. But we often hear complaints about America’s so-called “cultural imperialism.” McDonald’s, Levi’s, and Hollywood peddle degenerate American culture to gullible international […]
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It’s great to be back in Montana after three weeks in DC and the Southeast. Working on joint FREE/MSU programs for federal judges, I met with distinguished foundation officers, wildlife and health scientists, judges, and professors. They all appreciated offers to join us in Montana. It’s far more comfortable and constructive to deal with optimists […]
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Some of the best observers of America were not born here. Alexis de Tocqueville is the classic example. His 1832 book, Democracy in America, is considered one of the most insightful accounts ever written about American society and our political institutions. Fareed Zakaria, born in India with degrees from Yale and Harvard, is in this […]
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I serve on the board of trustees for a local fire department whose members volunteer to serve our community. We’re working hard to recruit and retain people with high human capital. So is every employer in Gallatin County. A generation ago our fire district was a tight community of farmers and ranchers who prized self-sufficiency. […]
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