In 2019, Mark Shirley left his job managing an auto dealership to pursue his dream of owning a restaurant. After doing research, he concluded that a food truck was the best way to start. Costs would be lower than a brick-and-mortar location and he could slowly build his clientele while working out the kinks every…
Last week, a judge ordered New York State to reopen its portal for rental assistance. The portal was shut down in November. On one hand, the state is dawdling in its efforts to provide relief to tenants (and by extension landlords) impacted by the pandemic. On the other hand, with its eviction moratorium and other…
Producers have long been under attack around the world. The pandemic has intensified those attacks. Perhaps the most notable target are housing producers and vaccine producers. We must not, the attackers declare, put profits before people. But the fact is, attacking producers is an attack on human life. Producers have enabled mankind to rise from…
In mid-2021, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a plan for the state to build a border wall. To date, the program has raised a little more than $55 million in donations and completed 900 feet of wall. The state has committed $1 billion to the project. According to the Texas Tribune, as of December 31,…
The Cecil County Council in Maryland is considering an ordinance that would allow property owners to keep up to eight chickens in their backyard, so long as they have a minimum lot size of 20,000 square feet. One of the provisions of the bill is that chicken owners must obtain an annual license from the…
Last week, I received a fund-raising letter from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. In the letter, Paxton repeatedly proclaimed his support for liberty. Yet, his track record belies this claim. For example, Paxton defended the Trump administration’s use of eminent domain to seize private land along the state’s southern border to build a wall. He…
Those who can’t and don’t produce values are quick to tell actual producers how they should operate their businesses. The latest example comes from Sen. Bernie Sanders, who sent a letter to Warren Buffett imploring the latter to intervene in a labor dispute at a company owned by Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett is one of…
Cities across Texas are struggling with a severe shortage of low- and moderate-income housing. One of the primary causes is exclusionary zoning, i.e., single-family zoning, which makes duplexes, accessory dwelling units, and similar types of housing illegal. Fundamentally, the state’s housing shortage is being caused by violations of property rights—restrictions on how property owners can…
While President Biden and Texas Gov. Abbott are taking very different approaches to vaccine mandates, they are in agreement on the fundamental issue. When it comes to vaccines, both believe that individuals should not be free to choose. Biden wants to require anyone working at a company with more than 100 employees to be vaccinated….
In an executive order, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has prohibited private businesses from requiring a “vaccine passport” for employees and customers. Abbott is wrong to issue such an order. When government—at any level—prohibits private businesses from issuing a vaccine mandate, it is requiring them to disregard their own judgment. In this context, that means that…
Biden wants to force businesses with more than 100 employees to require vaccines. Biden is wrong to issue such and order. When government—at any level—issues a vaccine mandate, it is requiring individuals to get vaccinated or else. In this context, or else means being prohibited from working for any business with 100 or more employees….
Sometimes, a guy just wants to have fun. In a move that both stunned and amused political pundits, this week Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order prohibiting private businesses from establishing attire mandates. When signing the order, Abbott remarked, “If we aren’t going to allow businesses to discriminate on the basis of vaccination…