The Trump Administration Wants Uranium Mining in Utah—but What About the Dinosaur Fossils?

The Real Value of National Parks and Monuments Isn't Just Dollars and Cents

The United States has an extensive system of amazing parks. From the Shenandoah National Park, close to where I grew up, to Sequoia National Park, where I am a trustee for Lost Soldier’s Cave, our national parks connect Americans to our remarkable landscapes and wilderness areas.

I have annual passes to both the U.S. and the California Parks and Recreational Areas. So when someone asks what we need in terms of parks, my visceral answer is always: More! But others view the National Monument and National Park systems differently. Right …

Why Building More Freeways Makes Traffic Worse, Not Better

To Ease L.A. Gridlock, We Need Improved Mass Transit and Smart Urban Planning

In 1865, British economist William Stanley Jevons wrote an influential essay entitled “The Coal Question.” Today his insights are interesting to me not as they relate to coal, but rather …

How Iceland’s Rugged Viking Heritage Helped Salvage Its Economy

The Nordic Nation Fought Back Against Its Creditors, Then Rebuilt Its Wrecked Banking System

What can we learn from the Vikings?

I usually write in this space about the economies of the Pacific Rim, and the lessons they hold for policymakers in the United States. …

Why the Housing Crisis Won’t Get Fixed by Building Cheaper Homes

The Conversation About Housing Costs, from Cleveland to Singapore, Is Missing the Realities of Economics and Place

This time of year, the swallows return to Capistrano, and I return to my birthplace, San Francisco, for the city’s annual pre-budget finance conference. For the last few years I …

Bad Math Can’t Close the U.S. Tr­­­ade Deficit

Why the Trump Administration’s Strategy Is Self-Defeating

Every American knows that if you want to spend more than you earn, you either must liquidate some of your assets or you must borrow. This is as true of …

Go West, Young Entrepreneur–The Left Coast Is Open for Business

Calternative, Not Calexit, May Be the Golden State's Future in the Trump Era

At 7:05 p.m. Pacific on November 8, 2016, the group known as YesCalifornia.org tweeted “California is a nation not a state” and the Calexit movement was in full swing.  …