The fact that you are reading this publication means that yet another scare was overblown. Some pundits predicted a recession. More alarmist prognosticators advised that we head for the hills, away from the riots and the collapse of civilization that were sure to come. We're still standing, but, unfortunately, so is the tradition of fear-mongering.
Scary possibilities make for more interesting headlines, after all.
They also make it easier for those seeking government power to restrict business and personal conduct to justify their plans. Romanticists longing for an earlier age appeal to a fear that the world will be subsumed to corporate giants. Guest contributor Martin Zelder explains why fears of GM foods are overblown, offering suggestions on how public policy should respond to these concerns. Jonathan Adler, meanwhile, reports that the news about the environment is actually quite good when compared with the dire predictions of groups and individuals who still, after being discredited time and again, are given entirely too much credibility. Focus One major contributor to America's continuing prosperity is the information technology sector, where computing power, telephone service, television, and commerce are mixing together to provide new avenues for business, education, and creativity in ways that we can't yet imagine.