Rhetorical bluster and empty goals don’t substitute for concrete action. That is a lesson from the fall of communism that we need to remember as we formulate environmental policies. In the Soviet Union, leaders routinely announced dramatic goals. But their…
Category: Other
Fantasies won’t clean up the junk
Indulging romantic fantasies is a human inclination, but when legislators do so while shaping public policies, it can harm society. As the Minnesota Legislature tackles the problem of junked electronic equipment, both parties risk letting their particular fantasies about how…
Don’t repeat mistakes on Gulf Coast
When rebuilding after a flood, it is important to avoid repeating past mistakes. But that is easier said than done, politically as well as psychologically, as the recent news about post-Katrina reconstruction shows. One story described how increasing numbers of…
Let’s stop and think before regulating
There is not a lot of rhyme or reason about why we license certain businesses or professions and not others. Nor are we entirely coherent in how employers must or must not accommodate religious views that affect how people do…
Market drives excess cows and cubicles
A fourth of downtown St. Paul office space is vacant. That information, taken alone, might indicate a real estate cow market. That is not to be confused with a bull market, when all prices rise. It refers to the way…
Underlying ills intensify subprime peril
Subprime mortgages are the Balkans of the U.S. economy. Nineteenth-century German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck famously predicted that the next great European war would stem from “some damned silly thing in the Balkans.” Over 20 years later his prediction proved…
“Carry trade” carries risk for investors
You make money by buying low and selling high. That usually is easier said than done, but it hasn’t been difficult recently in international finance. That is changing, however, and this change may affect many who are unfamiliar with “the…
Taxing groceries overtaxes the poor
The state of Mississippi’s ongoing controversy about whether to lower its sales tax on groceries may be a local issue there, but it carries implications for many other states. It demonstrates a perennial quandary in sales-tax policy. Taxing a broad…
Want to cut government? OK, where?
Life would be better if we starved the beast of government, some say. But while the idea of minimal government beguiles many, deep cuts may render vital functions of government less effective. A recent Associated Press article points out that…
Occasional market storms inevitable
This week’s gyrations in world stock markets resembled a blizzard that comes up with little warning. Many of us relish a good blizzard once in a while: It gets the blood flowing and provides material for water-cooler discussions. Truth be…