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Experiments in Freedom
Virtually every proposal to address the housing crisis starts with the same flawed premise, namely, the solution must come from government. The city of Boise illustrates this flawed premise. The city is currently testing three different ideas to address the housing shortage: incentives and assistance for homeowners to build an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), allowing…
A “Mineral Rights” Controversy
An interesting controversy has erupted in Mississippi. Two private companies claim that they own the rights to minerals under certain parcels of land in Simpson County. Property owners have denied the companies access to their land to explore for oil and gas. A Simpson County judge has ordered the land owners to provide access. A…
A Private Beach is Threatened
ByjbpThis was originally posted on Live Oaks on July 23, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. While the Texas Open Beaches Act (TOBA) made land along the shore “public property”, a small section of beach in Galveston has remained private property since the enactment of TOBA in 1959. According to the Chronicle: The Legislature approved…
The Evil of Accepting a “Necessary Evil”
Atascosa County Farm Bureau President Pete Pawelek has called for reform of Texas’s eminent domain laws. He claims that current law “favors for-profit companies, giving landowners few options in a fight for their property.” Pawelek went on to say, Eminent domain is a necessary evil, but it should always be used as a last resort….
The Rule of Capture
In Texas, ownership of subsurface resources, such as oil and water, is governed by the “rule of capture.” If an individual or business can “capture” the resource–bring it to the surface–it becomes his property. The rule of capture has often been called the “law of the biggest pump.” As the website for Texas A&M explains,…
Justice and Intellectual Property Rights
Libertarians have long expressed disdain for intellectual property rights. As an example, Jeffrey A Tucker writes that “ownership is impossible as regards ideas, and no one has a right to profit as such.” Tucker is correct that nobody can own an idea. He is grossly wrong when he claims that no one has a right…