In 1967, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union signed the Outer Space Treaty. While the treaty states that no country can claim sovereignty over outer space or any celestial body, it says nothing about what individuals may do. With a growing number of private companies making successful launches into space, pundits…
Beginning with its position that space is a part of the “celestial commons,” the Left argues that we need “democratic use of celestial resources for the benefit of all.” Property rights in space would allow “a few exorbitantly wealthy billionaires” to profit from space, while most of mankind is denied a share of the wealth….
Leftists regard space as a part of the “celestial commons.” Space, they claim, belongs to all of mankind and private interests should not benefit from what belongs to everyone. Any wealth generated from activities in space should be shared with all of mankind. The celestial commons should not be “enclosed” by establishing property rights in…
Last July, both Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson launched private rockets into space carrying human passengers. In September, Elon Musk’s SpaceX sent four civilians into space to orbit the Earth for three days. Musk has talked of colonizing Mars, and several companies are looking at mining asteroids and other celestial bodies. These efforts have provoked…
Defending the free market often puts one in the position of explaining how a particular product or service would be provided by private companies. It is understandable that others want concrete examples, and sometimes this is easy. For example, we can use UPS, FedEx, and similar companies as examples of what might occur if we…
Last November, voters in St. Paul approved the most stringent rent control law in the nation. This past week, a Minnesota Senator introduced a bill that would repeal that law and prohibit other municipalities from imposing rent control. This is an appropriate bill because rights, including property rights, are not subject to a vote. The…
Like many cities and states across the nation, New York City recently rescinded its order that patrons of restaurants provide proof of vaccination. Many restaurants, however, have established their own policy of no vaccine, no service. Some people don’t like this, and many showed up outside a restaurant to protest. The protesters don’t want to…
Knowledge is not a series of random, isolated ideas. Knowledge is, as Leonard Peikoff puts it, “an organization or integration of interconnected elements, each relevant to the others.” That integration is the context, and context matters. If we fail to consider all of the relevant facts we are guilty of dropping context. Important information does…
Denver is considering a law that would require developers to include below-market rate housing in new projects in order to obtain city approval. Known as inclusionary zoning, the proposed law is being modeled after a similar ordinance in Atlanta. Both laws are providing an example of the poor decisions that are made when the context…
Other people do not always act the way that we would prefer. Rational people accept that fact and resort to persuasion in an attempt to change the offending behavior. Sadly, a growing number of people are rejecting persuasion and embracing the coercive “solution.” The essence of the coercive “solution” is: Do as I say, or…
When politicians announce a new program or policy, they tell us of all the great benefits that will result. We are told that “green” energy mandates will generate jobs. They tell us that raising the minimum wage will benefit low-skilled workers. We are told that expanding the housing voucher program will allow tens of thousands…
Georgia lawmakers are considering a bill that would protect farmers from nuisance lawsuits after a farm has been operating for a year. Such a bill would be unnecessary if “coming to the nuisance” was understood and applied properly. Coming to the nuisance essentially means “first in time, first in rights.” A property owner has a…