Most folks care about their less fortunate neighbors. Americans have long formed voluntary associations and civic groups to address such problems. Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army are two successful examples. But since FDR’s New Deal and LBJ’s Great Society, which harnessed government to cure social problems, the federal government has claimed the dominant […]
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Dear Max and Denny: Thanks so much for giving Montana such good highways. Céline and I enjoy taking road trips to explore and photograph the state. The drive up Routes 287 and 89 along the Rocky Mountain Front is beautiful. We really appreciate the fine condition of Montana’s roads. I, particularly, am grateful since I […]
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Here’s my proposed New Year’s resolution for well-fed Greens in wealthy countries: Quit starving or condemning people to malnutrition. Let me explain. I don’t fault those who choose to die for their religion…provided they harm no one else in the process. Thomas Moore, Joan of Arc, and others who preferred death to deviation from their […]
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Sunday, NPR awakened me with this wonderful news: Saddam Captured While Hiding in Hole Near Hometown. And I immediately thought, another monster finally came down. Let’s be joyful and proud of America’s good work. On the Wall Street Journal’s web site Peggy Noonan wrote: “He can’t kill anybody now. He cannot gas women and children […]
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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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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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Government transfers resources, money, and opportunities from the poorly organized to the well organized. That’s the way the world works. One form is corporate welfare. The Continental Pit copper mine in Butte, Montana, exemplifies this sorry process. In 2000, due to high electricity prices and low copper prices, Montana Resources, Inc. suspended operations at its […]
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Does economic growth come at the expense of environmental quality? Democratic Presidential candidate Howard Dean thinks not. He’s right. Here’s why. Economic progress is a prerequisite for improving environmental quality. The real enemy of the environment is poverty, not affluence. Consider U.S. air quality. The EPA reports that between 1976 and 1997 ozone levels — […]
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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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The emptying of the Great Plains brings hardship to those holding on to a disappearing way of life. But it also brings opportunities for those who see the signs and adapt. But, however well-intentioned, 13 U.S. senators are providing false hope. Through a serpents’ nest of tax breaks, credits, debt forgiveness, loan guarantees, and federal […]
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