Introduction by John Baden

A retired minister whom I like and respect recently sent me comments from Black Panther founder Bobby Seale:  "We have a spiritual and moral problem in America. Our problem is not economic or political, it is that we do not care about each other." This sorry condition of not caring for others has political economy antecedents and causes. Let's consider them.

Nearly every profession has a written code of ethics. These codes are crafted to guide work and relations with readers, customers, and the general public. The codes stress honesty and integrity. They tell the public what principles and standards to expect, and they influence the professionals’ behavior by stating their ideals.

I've known Charles Murray for some twenty years. A Senior Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, Charles is one of America's most productive and compassionate scholars.  I've hosted him in Montana and reviewed four of his books. I greatly admire his courage and intellect and believe he deserves great respect, especially at colleges and universities.

Forward by John Baden

The federal government owns over one quarter of America’s land, some 28%. West of the Mississippi the proportion increases to roughly one half. In Utah it’s 70%, Nevada 85%, and California over 45%. In marked contrast federal holdings in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa average one percent. That’s 1.0%.

There are two overlapping fields of environmental policy, sludge and romance.  Most Americans elect to live in large metro areas, places where controlling sludge is essential.  They pay little heed to the management of our federal and state romance lands; wildlife habitat, parks, wilderness, and range.   The majority prefers Manhattan, NY (population 1.6 million) to Manhattan, MT (population 16 hundred).  

Thanksgiving is America's original and most traditional holiday. The one we just celebrated brought special blessings. I have renewed appreciation for living in a community where trust is the norm.

This FREE Insight is the first of a three part series honoring former Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Robert Barbee. FREE enjoyed preparing this e-publication by working with Dan Smith* of Oolite Media and Professor Jerry Johnson of Montana State University. Please go to yellowstonesuite.com for further publications.

FREE's mission, and my vocation, is to foster the conjunction of responsible liberty, sustainable ecology, and modest prosperity.  In the policy arena this implies reliance upon the rule of law, strong and clear property rights, economic coordination via the market process not governments, and laws and regulations that preclude predation of the weak by the strong.  Ecology aside, for they did not address the topic, this was the vision of America's founders.