More Fiddling While Forests Burn

November 8, 2019

What if someone said they planned to burn down your house, but it’s for your own good? They need to study how houses burn, so they can build better computer models to predict future home fires. In the future, therefore, that might help you. Asinine as that sounds, it is precisely what the U.S. Forest […]

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I Promise to Change Washington

November 1, 2019

Following the Earth-shattering upheaval of the election, one of the great observers of political trends wrote that, “The new American majority wants change. It especially wants leaders who will change the way Washington, D.C., conducts the public’s business.” That simple statement captured with pinpoint accuracy the mood of public opinion. But it was not written […]

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Guitar Music is On The Way Out

October 18, 2019

A Decca record executive famously declined to sign the Beatles in 1962, saying “We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.” A 1955 Variety Magazine article about the rock-and-roll craze predicted, “It’ll be gone by June.” Many now-famous predictions turned out to be spectacularly wrong. An 1876 internal memo at […]

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The Grinch Won’t Steal His Own Christmas

October 11, 2019

In the 1957 Dr. Seuss classic, when the Grinch steals everything needed for the Who-ville Christmas celebration, the final insult is the tree. “And he stuffed all the food up the chimney with glee, and now, grinned the Grinch, I’ll stuff up the tree!” This year’s Grinch may be a federal district judge named Raner […]

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Not As Depressing As You Might Think

October 4, 2019

A Manhattan Institute report has caused a re-examination of the greatest challenge in the move toward renewable energy. Author Mark Mills asks a simple question: what do we do when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine? Most westerners give it little thought. After all, the Sun itself is the iconic logo of […]

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It Means What It Says

September 29, 2019

Leaders are often advised to be straightforward. “Say what you mean, and mean what you say.” The quote is often attributed to General George Patton, or sometimes to President Harry Truman. There is no evidence either of them ever said it, but they both certainly believed it. And both would be appalled when Congress passes […]

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Not For Sale – At Any Price

September 20, 2019

I recently had a fascinating discussion about economics with a nephew, which was perhaps more enlightening for me than for him. He just became a teenager, so it is understandable that he hasn’t given a lot of thought to various economic systems, especially those with names that begin with macro, micro, pseudo, or quasi. But […]

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What Will They Promise California?

September 13, 2019

The ballot initiative regarding the National Popular Vote Compact is officially on the 2020 ballot, so the campaign begins, both sides preparing to spend a small fortune to convince voters to change – or not change – the Electoral College. Colorado’s initiative process provides citizens the power to veto acts of the legislature, and there […]

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Wolves and the Politics of Sound Science

September 6, 2019

The Union of Concerned Scientists, a powerful environmental industry group, says the Interior Department is conducting a “siege on science.” The Sierra Club calls it a “war on science,” accusing various officials of putting politics ahead of sound science in environmental management. American Scientist magazine, not surprisingly, insists that “Science should be the basis of […]

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Little Minds Finally Defeat Hobgoblins

August 30, 2019

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous essay on self-reliance is often quoted to explain away inconsistent policies, or inconsistent law enforcement. “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,” Emerson wrote. “With consistency, a great soul has simply nothing to do.” Today’s politicians have plenty to do. Advocates of the Emerson view follow his advice – […]

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