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Who Owns Dinosaur Fossils?
In late November, a federal judge in Fort Worth ruled that a Wichita Falls anesthesiologist and fossil enthusiast could keep the Tyrannosaurus bataar skull in his possession. The federal government had brought the lawsuit in an effort to return the skull to Mongolia, which claims ownership of the fossil. Admittedly, this is a very esoteric…
Principles and Property Rights
With the exception of those who have taken a vow of poverty, human beings desire “stuff.” We want more than the basic necessities that life requires. We want a safe place to live and dependable transportation. We want to attend concerts, movies, and sporting events. We want gadgets, such as smart phones, computers, and flat…
A Landmark Property Rights Case
In early February, a Florida judge upheld an a provision in the Destin city charter that limits buildings to a height of six stories. The city had been sued by the Destin Fishing Fleet Inc. which claimed that the value of its property value had been diminished. The city called the ruling “a landmark private…
Property Rights and Natural Monopolies, Part 1
The following is an excerpt from The Innovator Versus the Collective. For seventy years, Americans were told that the AT&T monopoly was good for consumers, and as a result, competition in the telephone industry was prohibited. Yet, within a few years of legalized competition, consumers had far more choices and lower priced telephone service and…
Calling the Kettle Black
A recent story in the Texas Tribune details the difficulties that the holders of Section 8 vouchers have in locating landlords who will accept the federal housing subsidies. (The federal government pays a portion of the monthly rent for those with a Section 8 voucher.) Under Texas law, landlords are not required to accept the…
Capitalists on the Moon
At Jacobin Magazine, Luke Savage argues that against capitalists on the moon. He isn’t happy that billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are working to make space travel commercially viable. Space, he argues, should not be a playground exclusively for the wealthy: What is presently called “private space exploration,” after all, is in practice…