Gallatin County is undergoing rapid economic and social change. We are home to increasing numbers of high-tech and biotech start-ups. Our population grew 50 percent from 1990 to 2004, far outpacing national growth of 18 percent. This is not the case in all rural areas; many regions face diminishing opportunities and populations. And those fortunate […]
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Will water move uphill toward money? Last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision, Kelo v. City of New London, makes it more likely. Here’s how. The Kelo case is the latest challenge to the 5th Amendment’s constraints on governmental seizure of private property. In a 5-4 decision, the Court held that the government can transfer property […]
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This year I can’t ski with Ramona for I was just liberated from a cast. Now while she skis, I sit in the Saddle Peak Lodge with my unactivated season pass and my PowerBook. I read and write. Occasionally I run across a great proposal. Here’s a winner being developed by Prof. Richard Wolff of […]
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America is the most successful and prosperous nation in history. Personal tragedies aside, our afflictions are trivial. But not all good things go together. With wealth well distributed among our friends, we face the problem of finding gifts for those who want for little. The parents of my generation suffered through the Great Depression and […]
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Rural communities all over America are shrinking. Consolidation of farms and agribusinesses reduces the number of local jobs. Those residents who remain must bear ever more of the tax base. As individual tax burdens grow, the towns no longer can support their schools, hospitals, and other amenities. As amenities disappear, fewer young people return. The […]
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The dreaded mad cow disease has finally arrived. How worried should we be? Do I need to avoid the range cattle I come across on my hikes in Montana or skip that steak when I visit Bozeman? This issue is complicated by scientific complexity and strong emotions — ingredients for error. Given their limited resources, […]
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FREE’s seminar series for federal judges and law professors is in its 12th year. I’ve heard many excellent presentations from some of the nation’s leading scholars and last week I heard two of the best. Bob Thompson is the former Dean of Agriculture at Purdue University and recently retired as Director of Agriculture and Rural […]
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A question for the reader: Does the development of land inherently degrade our shared social and environmental values? If you answer yes, I would agree that it typically does. But, does it have to? I believe not. It is possible to harness development as a tool to serve and protect those same values. This question […]
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Animals and Christmas go together. Sheep around the manger, turkey or Hutterite goose for dinner. My message builds upon holiday trips to my grandfather Baden’s farm and the comments of a friend, Bob Cindrich, a federal judge in Pittsburgh. They would agree on many important things including treatment of animals. My family’s heritage in America […]
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I admire George McGovern’s good cheer — but not his understanding of political economy. Clearly, government has an important role in preventing harm, e.g., protecting human rights and the environment. It’s far more difficult to identify government investments that improve well-being. It’s not a null set but it is a relatively small set. Investments in […]
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