An Urban's Rural View

We can still buy wonderful fruits, vegetables and meat at the Newport Farmer's Market in Newport, Oregon, but the coronavirus has closed down many of the things we love about it.

The idea that the purpose of a corporation is solely to generate profits for owners is being challenged again, and the challenge could affect farmers and ranchers.

Some pundits think a weakening dollar signals an end to America's overpowering influence in the world.

Those unrequested envelopes of seeds from China are the modern-day equivalent of the Trojan Horse.

The president is no longer interested in trade talks with China, and anti-Communist ideologues have become America's voice.

The controversy over industrial policy is no longer whether to have one but what kind. Abraham Lincoln's industrial policy offers some suggestions.

Geopolitical events are testing the ability of the U.S. and China to be both rivals and trading partners.

The country is polarized in a new way and the two poles are working at cross-purposes.

Washington is once again talking about a big rural-broadband buildout. To get the politicians to go beyond talk, proponents need to humanize their case.

COVID-19 is likely to hasten the decoupling of the U.S. and Chinese economies. Agriculture trade won't be exempt.

In a polarized age, we tend to stereotype people. The story of Giuseppe Verdi shows the problem with those stereotypes.

If the economy is to recover from the coronavirus shock, people must feel safe.

The U.S. government's debt was $23 trillion before COVID-19 struck. It's going to be a lot bigger now.

China is a focal point in this year's elections. What voters need is a substantive debate, not attack ads and sound bites.

To get back to normal, it will not be enough to just lift the social-distancing restrictions. Fear, too, must be lifted.

The coronavirus is giving the world a refresher course in the meaning of exponential growth.

The Black Death of the mid-14th century teaches some interesting lessons about the current pandemic.

The coronavirus may not be the end of the world, but it's changing the world dramatically, for people in both the city and the country.

Some people may be overreacting, but when a disease spreads rapidly and we don't really know the infection rate or the death rate, it's natural to assume the worst.

The EU's negotiators clearly want to reach a deal with the U.S., but politically their hands remain tied.