Learning From the Children

August 5, 2018

Educating children is a responsibility we all share. That’s why schools are public, to make sure we pass along to the next generation our system of self-government based on individual freedom, personal responsibility, and the rule of law. It is our job to educate children, not the other way around. That doesn’t mean there aren’t […]

Read the full article →

A Panacea or a Death Sentence?

August 3, 2018

In July, the Administration published its much-anticipated plan to modify enforcement of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The most powerful environmental law ever enacted, it was signed into law 45 years ago, and has steadily become more powerful and intrusive. Decades of controversy have ensued about whether limiting human activity is justified, and there have […]

Read the full article →

Who’s In Charge Here?

July 26, 2018

Restaurant owners may know that open-faced sandwiches are regulated by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), part of the Department of Health and Human Services. But if a second piece of bread is added on top, it is regulated by the Department of Agriculture (USDA). That’s because the USDA has a very specific definition […]

Read the full article →

Whose Fault is it, Anyway?

July 20, 2018

A woman in Austin, Texas tripped over a toddler running inside a store, and broke her ankle. She sued the store owners, claiming they maintained an unsafe environment. The store had to pay $80,000 in damages. Everyone watching the case was shocked by the outcome, because the toddler was her own son! A Philadelphia woman, […]

Read the full article →

A Pat on the Back, or a Shove

July 13, 2018

My friend Bill Imbergamo runs a highly effective national association for what’s left of America’s forest products industry. Last week he called attention to a new glossy two-page paper from the U.S. Forest Service, claiming credit for a forest management project that helped control a fire on Wyoming’s Medicine Bow National Forest. The agency says […]

Read the full article →

Does Club 20 Still Matter?

July 6, 2018

Is the Western Slope paranoid? During the decade I served as President of Club 20, I was often confronted by Front Range leaders accusing us of unfounded distrust. “No one here is ignoring the Western Slope,” they assured us. We encountered the same charge in Washington, D.C., when a top federal official said, “you always […]

Read the full article →

How Soon We Forget

June 22, 2018

Both of my parents have taken time to write their childhood memories in the form of books they can pass along to future generations. As we get older, we tend to become more interested in family history, so genealogy is more popular than ever. Ancestry.com generates over $1 billion a year in revenue. “Roots” author […]

Read the full article →

We Have Met the Enemy – or Have We?

June 15, 2018

My friend Howard Propst is an inspiring speaker, who has made frequent presentations about American exceptionalism, pointing out how we fail to credit the astonishing achievements of a free society. We are introspective, always seeking to improve, but generally looking critically at our own shortcomings. Sometimes it’s all we see. Howard had great graphics to […]

Read the full article →

The Energy Debate Cloaked in Many Colors

June 8, 2018

One of the most instructive Old Testament stories recounts the wisdom of Joseph in Egypt, after his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams, predicting years of drought and famine. Around 1490 BC, Joseph was made Regent (chief administrator) and ordered grain stored for the coming seven-year drought. He thus turned a bountiful harvest that might otherwise have […]

Read the full article →

My Kingdom for a Razorback Sucker

June 1, 2018

On the classic game show, “Let’s Make a Deal,” the host Monte Hall walked down the aisle offering ridiculous amounts of cash for people to produce obscure items from their pockets – $500 for a skeleton key, for example. Cash is a powerful incentive, so people always showed up with pockets full of obscure items. […]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →