Housing advocates are promoting two bills introduced in the Texas Legislature that would give tenants more choices and reduce choices for landlords. The bills would prohibit landlords from using source of income as a consideration when renting a property. The purpose of the bills is to force landlords to accept housing vouchers. Advocates defend the…
One of the primary complaints about gentrification is the displacement of the existing residents in a neighborhood. To reduce displacement, a growing number of cities are requiring developers to include affordable housing in exchange for permission to build a new housing project. These mandates violate the property rights of developers by interfering with their freedom…
When government officials mandated the wearing of face masks in public, they implied that we are too stupid to make rational decisions. They implied that, even if we were presented with the facts, we would refuse to make wise choices. They implied that, without public officials issuing orders, we are helpless. Sen. Ted Cruz received…
When the lock down was first forced upon Americans, public officials told us that they were following the science. While it is completely proper to follow the science, we must select the proper science to follow. In responding to the pandemic, government officials followed the wrong science. In responding to the pandemic, the government should…
I have written a great deal about the government’s response to the COVID pandemic and little, if any, has been positive. This post is about a positive experience relating to COVID. On Saturday, March 6, I received my first COVID vaccine shot. That isn’t particularly remarkable, other than it provides me a little relief to…
On March 2, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lifted his mandatory face mask order. Beginning March 10, Texans will be free to choose to wear a mask or not while in public. Some business owners were not happy with the governor’s announcement. Danette Wicker, the owner of a boutique shop in Fort Worth, said, As a…
When deciding on a course of action, we must consider all of the known and relevant facts. We mustn’t consider the issue in isolation. We must consider the full context. This is true for an individual and it is true for a society. Considering the full context includes looking beyond the immediate moment. It means…
On March 2, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lifted his mandatory face mask order and said that businesses could begin operating at full capacity. His announcement met with quick criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, including President Biden, who said, Texas—I think it’s a big mistake. We are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally…
In 2011, I purchased a boarded up home in the Sunnyside community of Houston. This low-income neighborhood was filled with similar homes. Many of these homes were in disrepair and hadn’t seen a fresh coat of paint in decades. To call the area economically depressed would be an understatement. Yet, I took a risk and…
On Thursday, a federal judge in Texas declared the eviction moratorium imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unconstitutional. “Although the Covid-19 pandemic persists, so does the Constitution,” the judge wrote in his ruling. The Department of Justice has announced that it will appeal. Diane Yentel, president and chief executive of the National…
Many Americans, including President Biden, believe that wearing a mask in public should be mandated by law. Violators should be subject to criminal prosecution. Wearing a mask, the argument goes, will protect the wearer, as well as those around him. If this is true, and there is substantial evidence supporting it, then why aren’t we…