Preface

Historic, Archive Document
Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.
Graduate School, USD A
Ideas Confront Reality:
An Analysis of Critical Issues in the Reagan Era
Critical Issues and Decisions, Series V
Charles L. Schultze Robert A. Goldwin Donald Paarlberg Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr. William Branson
Edited by Donald J. Senese
Graduate School Press
U.S. Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250
4DNIS rnmk&w&t) (i-«l
NATIONAL
O-E? 74 , J~ 3
dof'Sr- 3
Graduate School, USDA
Ideas Confront Reality:
An Analysis of Critical Issues in the Reagan Era
Critical Issues and Decisions, Series V
Charles L. Schultze Robert A. Goldwin Donald Paarlberg Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr. William Branson
Edited by Donald J. Senese
Copyright 1981 by the Graduate School Press, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
Printed in the United States of America.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form with¬ out permission of the publishers.
This book is published and sold by the Graduate School Press, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Paper bound (ISBN 0-87771-024-4) $7.00; Cloth bound (ISBN 0-87771-025-2) $10.00.
//
Critical Issues & Decisions
PREFACE
The Graduate School, USDA, is a dynamic, nonprofit government organization whose mission is to provide continuing education to government employees. Although originally founded to give post¬ graduate education to agricultural research scientists, the Graduate School has since broadened its programs to serve the government overall. Since 1921, the School has served hundreds of thousands of government workers, their agencies and ultimately the public served by government. The School takes pride in its relevance to rapidly changing times.
For management and executive leadership, relevance has a broad meaning. Executives must make decisions based on theories— under¬ lying assumptions about how and why things operate the way they do. Especially in the 1980s, the analysis of economic theory is funda¬ mental for executive development.
This volume, Ideas Confront Reality: An Analysis of Critical Issues in the Reagan Era, is an outgrowth of the Critical Issues and Decisions Series, which dates back to 1961. Twenty years ago the Graduate School launched a seminar series in which select leading thinkers focused on timeless issues of current importance. Their purpose was to search for truths that might be applied to con¬ temporary problems. The same purpose animates the current series. The principal issues in these papers deal with economic theory, foreign policy, and the Constitution. These are timeless subjects with topical relevance. The seminar series provided an opportunity for a group of federal government executives to hear these ideas, read about them, and discuss them with the five guest resource persons. Their comments are included at the close of each chapter.
I hope this volume has captured the essence of those ideas and the dialectical flavor of that dialogue.
As in any effort of this type, there are many who make significant contributions. Dr. John Holden, Director Emeritus of the Graduate School, deserves credit for providing overall leadership to the series. Dr. Clark Edwards, of the Department of Agriculture, provided able direction to the discussions and to program planning. Dr. Donald J. Senese, of the Department of Education, edited this publication and
///
Critical Issues & Decisions
provided his valuable advice during the entire process. In addition to the above, Dr. Leonard Oliver, of the National Endowment for the Humanities; Chuck Heatherly, of The Heritage Foundation; and