Housing activists frequently proclaim that a household earning the minimum wage cannot afford a two-bedroom apartment. This is the elephant in the room that housing activists refuse to address. As an example, the executive director of the Capital Area Housing Partnership in Michigan writes, The fair market rent for a modest two-bedroom apartment in the…
The beginning of the headline was intriguing: “New law protects Hoosier property rights…” The second clause of the headline—”…makes it harder for HOAs to say no to solar”—set the stage for a grand disappointment. The law does not protect property rights. What the law does do is nullify contractual agreements between neighbors. Homeowner associations (HOAs)…
Tomorrow, April 21, Texans will celebrate San Jacinto Day to commemorate the battle that culminated the Texas Revolution. While that victory secured Texas’s independence from Mexico, the revolution’s animating principle was protecting the individual’s independence from the State. The Texas Revolution liberated the individual. When Texas delegates adopted a Declaration of Independence in early March…
Austin has become the latest city to implement a “right to return” policy. Though such policies vary, they give households an opportunity to return to a neighborhood after being displaced by gentrification. Austin will sell twenty-eight homes owned by the city to low-income households. Each property will be operated as a community land trust (CLT)….
It is increasingly common to hear someone state that the rights of individuals are in conflict. The use of phrases such as “tenants’ rights” or “housing is a right” are two examples. The confusion about the nature of rights gives rise to the view that rights conflict. Rights pertain to freedom of action. Rights protect…
In late March, the Montclair (New Jersey) Property Owners Association reached a compromise with city officials over a rent control ordinance the city passed in 2020. Landlords had petitioned for a referendum on the ordinance. As a part of the compromise, landlords agreed to withdraw their petition. Landlords may think that the compromise serves their…
Conservatives have long professed support for gun rights and property rights. However, in recent years conservatives have shown an increasing proclivity to abandon property rights, sometimes in the name of “gun rights.”. Political expediency, not principles, is guiding this trend. As an example, when Big Tech prohibits the expression of certain ideas, conservatives have responded…
Contrary to the claims of most individuals who comment on property rights in space, an international agreement is not necessary to establish those rights. Neither a treaty nor an international body to oversee space is appropriate. What is needed is a unilateral declaration regarding property rights in space. What is needed is a statement that…
The new framework presented here rejects the premises that dominate the discussion of property rights in space. It rejects the premise that the “celestial commons” belongs to all of mankind. The “celestial commons” is unowned. It is a vast resource that is open to every human being to explore and exploit if they are able…
Every human being has the moral right to take the actions necessary to create material values. Of course, many governments do not recognize this right, and individuals can be restricted in their freedom to create values and sustain their lives. The discussion of property rights in space is dominated by the premise that individuals should…
A truly moral justification for property rights in space must include an identification of the nature of property and property rights. If we aren’t clear about what it is that we are defending, then our arguments will lack clarity and be unconvincing. Property rights, whether in space or on Earth, must be grounded in reality….
While purporting to offer the foundation for “morally-justified property rights in space,” Lowe’s proposal actually is an abrogation of property rights. In terms of essentials, her paper is founded on premises shared with the Left. First, Lowe accepts the Left’s claim that space is a “celestial commons.” This gives rise to her plan to allow…