Structural engineers never bitch about the force of gravity nor aeronautical engineers about air friction. These are merely forces with which they contend. These observations come from a casual, but substantial survey conducted during recent travels. Whenever I met an aeronautical or structural engineer I’d simply inquire, “Have you or any of your colleagues ever […]
Read More
My wife and I got new computers for Christmas, hers a tangerine, mine a blueberry iMac. Our only real decisions involved color. Thanks to Microsoft, we are sure to buy Macs-even though we’re not fond of their maker, Apple Computer, Inc. What explains this irony? First, unlike tractors, trucks, and chainsaws, I really don’t like […]
Read More
When I unpack the complaints of most environmentalists, I find a common theme. In their view, most people want the “wrong” things. Many enviros fault people who prefer snowmobiles to cross-country skies, Humvees over Hondas, or T-bones instead of tofu. SUVs are subject to especially intense criticism. They see the production and consumption of these […]
Read More
Last week wholesale gasoline prices hit a historic low (Alas, not at the pump in Montana however.) and crude oil is just over $11.00 per barrel. But it wasn’t supposed to turn out this way. On the first Earth Day, ecologist Kenneth Watt stated: “By the year 2000, …there won’t be any crude oil”. And […]
Read More
Markets economize on love, that most precious of values. They encourage cooperation and civility among disparate people. This was one of the great lessons of Kenneth Boulding, a Quaker economist who was founding editor of The Journal of Conflict Resolution. Boulding developed the concept of “Spaceship Earth” with the understanding that we’re all in this […]
Read More
WHAT is a hero? In literary epics such as “Gilgamesh,” the “Illiad,” or “Beowulf,” heroes are those who defy pain and death to live out a personal code of unqualified honor. In economists’ parlance, heroes risk significant personal costs to help others. Heroism continues today, though it is, as always, in short supply. The familiar […]
Read More
LAST week, the Mont Pelerin Society met in Cannes, France, to celebrate the work of its founder, Nobel Prize winning economist Friedrich Hayek. The Mont Pelerin Society is the world’s foremost group of classical liberal academic, business and governmental leaders. Six of its 500 members, including Milton Friedman, Gary Becker and George Stigler, a Seattle […]
Read More
GOLD mining on federal lands, raising sugar cane near the Everglades, and irrigating Western deserts all illustrate the critical differences between being pro-free market and pro-business. It is easy to see why many people confuse the two. Wise Use groups and others, out of duplicity or ignorance, posture as defenders of the free market. But […]
Read More
IT is clear from the argument of protectionists in Congress that many are pessimistic about the future of U.S. manufacturing. But recent events suggest prudent optimism, if not unconstrained joy. While not all good things go together, some do. Economic understanding can help us find such unions. Environmental leaders show this improved understanding of economics. […]
Read More
THE RECENT forest conference in Portland was, as expected, both well-attended and highly publicized. The scene, however, was more impressive than was the substance. Virtually nothing was resolved. Unfortunately, this is a predictable consequence of political decision-making. And the conference’s politicking and posturing overshadowed that week’s true environmental milestone: the inaugural sale of pollution rights […]
Read More