Laws Even the Government Can’t Change

September 30, 2016

When bad things happen, Americans often look to government for solutions. “There ought to be a law.” Conversely, we often bristle at overzealous laws and demand that government “stay out of our business.” We elect representatives who promise to pass laws, or repeal laws. But some laws are simply beyond their reach. We place too […]

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How Will the Other Half Live?

September 26, 2016

A solar energy salesman recently went to Washington with a couple professional environmental activists to advocate a new economic future for the North Fork Valley, a future based on replacing coal with solar energy. People lobbying for their own self-interest have every right to do so – absolutely nothing wrong with that. The specifics of […]

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Gathering Momentum, or Gathering Dust

September 17, 2016

Robert Burns famously wrote that “the best laid plans of mice and men, oft go awry.” Even well-crafted plans don’t always turn out as intended. But that isn’t the problem with most strategic plans in government these days. Rather, the problem is that so many “best laid plans” don’t go anywhere at all – awry […]

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History, Like Beauty, is in the Eye of the Beholder

September 9, 2016

No government agency can escape the clutches of political correctness these days, even the National Park Service (NPS), which celebrated its 100th birthday this month. The agency sent a blast email to thousands of friends of the national parks. The email mentioned the anniversary, and invited recipients to visit a special website highlighting some of […]

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All The Knowledge That Matters

September 8, 2016

A Nobel Prize-winning economist named Daniel Kahneman has spent years studying the psychology of decision-making. He published a summary of his research called “Thinking, Fast and Slow” about five years ago, in which he demonstrated that people simplify their thought process by applying various biases. In other words, our biases help us make judgments. My […]

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So What’s This Really About?

August 26, 2016

I’m often amazed how we get wrapped up in the mind-numbing details of government processes, while completely missing the “big picture.” We can’t see the forest for the trees, as they say, because we’re so caught up in arguing the nuances of legal language that we forget to ask, “Why are we doing this?” What […]

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A Handshake Beats Legislation

August 7, 2016

Arizona Senator Jeff Flake recently embroiled water officials throughout the West in another controversy over the Colorado River. He tried to add language to a drought relief bill, which would have upset a delicate agreement affecting management of the river, substituting Congressional mischief for long-standing agreements among all seven States dependent upon Colorado River water. […]

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Water is the New Gold

July 29, 2016

A Denver newspaper this summer highlighted the apparently-shocking new discovery by some investors that in Colorado, “water is the new gold.” As the article explained, water rights may be as valuable to modern developers and town builders as the mother lode was during the gold rush that settled Colorado. This particular story involved the pending […]

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Too Complicated for the EPA?

July 22, 2016

Congress is famous for passing laws so large and cumbersome that they are hard to interpret. Remember Nancy Pelosi’s infamous line, “We have to pass the bill so you can find out what’s in it.” That was said of a 2,000-page bill. The Declaration of Independence was one page and the Constitution only six. The […]

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A Role Model for Generations

July 14, 2016

A few days ago in Denver, I attended a remarkable event — a simple reunion of people who once worked for U.S. Sen. William L. Armstrong. There were dozens of people there, sharing fond memories and funny stories of what most still consider the best years of their lives. I spent 10 unforgettable years on […]

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