The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a growing number of cities in the bay area are passing rent control laws. Those laws, the headline states, could be a “turning point for the housing crisis.” However, the housing crisis is a supply shortage, and rent control doesn’t build housing. Housing activists believe that more controls and…
In 2018, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that homeowners with property on Lake Michigan do not own the beach. The ruling was upheld by a federal appeals court in May 2022. Three property owners are now fighting back. They hope to have their case heard by the United States Supreme Court and the highest court…
As has been previously noted on this site, the city of St. Paul has amended its draconian rent control law. In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal notes that “according to data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, there have been only two hundred (200) residential building permits in Saint Paul through April…
In her essay “The Anatomy of Compromise,” Ayn Rand wrote that when basic principles are involved, compromise is surrender: When opposite basic principles are clearly and openly defined, it works to the advantage of the rational side; when they are not clearly defined, but are hidden or evaded, it works to the advantage of the…
St. Paul recently amended its draconian rent control law to exempt new construction for twenty years. One of the largest developers of multi-family housing in the city, Ryan Cos., said that a twenty-year exemption wasn’t enough to incentivize construction of new housing. City officials responded that the exemption was made “in consultation with developers—including Ryan.”…
Housing activists frequently decry the growing corporate presence in rental housing. The activists fail to realize that the policies they advocate are a significant reason why. Housing activists call for rent control, “right to counsel,” eviction moratoriums, “ban the box,” and numerous other restrictions and mandates that shackle landlords. Activists and tenants are making the…
In 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered Chantell and Mike Sackett to halt construction of a new home in Priest Lake, Idaho. The agency claimed that the couple was building on a wetland. Adding insult to injury, the EPA ordered the couple to restore the land to its original condition or face fines as…
In September, the South Carolina Supreme Court upheld the state’s civil forfeiture laws, which allow police to confiscate money, cars, and homes without ever filing criminal charges. The ruling allows law enforcement officers to engage in legalized theft. This “policing for profits” is often used to provide additional funds for police departments strapped by budget…
In September, the Heritage Foundation released its Education Freedom Report Card. Florida received the top rating for educational freedom, followed by Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, and South Dakota. The District of Columbia was ranked last for educational freedom, with New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Massachusetts joining D.C. at the bottom of the rankings. Heritage used…
On September 27, 2022, the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) announced that it is suing the Biden administration in an effort to halt the President’s cancellation of student loan debt. The plaintiff in the lawsuit is Frank Garrison, a public interest lawyer in Indiana. He has been making payments on his student loans for six years….
On October 1, the largest rent increase in ten years went into effect in New York City. In June, the city’s Rent Guidelines Board voted to allow increases of 3.25 percent for one-year leases and 5 percent for two-year leases. Tenants were unhappy, as many had called for a rent freeze. In a written statement,…
Republicans have long professed support for private property rights and the free market. Increasingly, they are abandoning both principles and are becoming a gang of traitors and hypocrites. Rep. Ken Buck, a Republican from Colorado, provides a recent example. The Congressman has introduced three bills that will “reform” antitrust laws. Big Tech is among the…