Progressives are particularly adept at presenting proposals with lofty goals. And those proposals almost never work out as promised. To Progressives, good intentions are more important than good results. A recent article on CNN’s website illustrates this point. The article notes that the nation has a severe shortage of housing for low-income families. This, the…
Politicians can sometimes be rather creative in finding new ways to coerce individuals to act as the politicians’ desire. And they can be equally creative in how they present their schemes to the public. Several Canadian cities provide an interesting example of this. Following the lead of Vancouver, both Hamilton and Ottawa are considering a…
In 2016, government officials in Dorchester County, South Carolina, were concerned about mosquitoes spreading the Zika virus. They ordered aerial spraying for the mosquitoes. Millions of honey bees on the bee farm of Juanita Stanley and Mitch Yawn were killed by the spraying. Stanley and Yawn sued, claiming that the government had taken their property…
In the twelve years that I have owned rental property, I have evicted eight tenants. All eight—100 percent—of those I evicted were black. This fact might lead one to conclude that I am a racist. But reaching a conclusion on the basis of out of context statistics can easily lead one to incorrect conclusions. Yet,…
A lawsuit against the city of Chicago illustrates the adage, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” In the early 2000s, Bloomer Chocolate wanted to expand its factory. The company offered the owner of an adjacent property $824,980 for the land. When the owner declined the offer, the city of Chicago seized the…
New York City is considering a law that will require “racial equity studies”—akin to environmental impact statements—for zoning changes. The law would require “a study that would analyze the area’s demographic conditions, quality of life, housing security and displacement risk index.” One supporter of the law acknowledges that rezoning has provided great benefits, but only…
A political controversy between housing advocates and construction labor unions has been brewing in California. These two groups generally agree on many political principles, and their disagreement over a proposed bill might confuse some. But the fact is, the very nature of those political principles makes such disagreements inevitable. Both housing advocates and labor unions…
Many are hailing the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid as a victory for property rights. While the ruling is certainly worthy of celebration, there are aspects of the majority opinion that could turn this case into a Pyrrhic victory. The case centered on a California law that allows union organizers…
In her epic novel, Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand dramatizes a world in which producers go on strike. Rand once commented that part of her motivation for writing the novel was so that it wouldn’t come true. Sadly, it is coming true and often in ways that few will notice. In the novel, government enacted a…
Progressives can easily find themselves facing a conflict of values. On the one hand, they support efforts to build affordable housing for low-income families. On the other hand, they don’t want that housing near their own home. It’s a classic example of NIMBYism (Not in My Back Yard). This conflict results from altruism. Altruism holds…
In June, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a plan for the state to build a wall along its border with Mexico. Trump’s plan to make Mexico pay for his border wall had a very loose relationship with reality from the beginning, and the same can be said about Abbott’s plan. In making his announcement, Abbott…
Throughout the pandemic, government officials have made policy decisions founded on short-term thinking. They have made decisions to solve an immediate problem while failing to consider the full context. It was inevitable that eventually the chickens would come home to roost. For example, when government forced businesses to close, tens of millions lost their jobs…