The Texas Monthly has an excellent article on the hypocrisy of Texas politicians who proclaim their support for property rights. In the article, the magazine notes that many prominent conservatives–Ted Cruz, John Cornyn, Gregg Abbott, and Ken Paxton–fought the federal government when it sought to use eminent domain to seize property along the Red River…
In most political debates, we hear lots of claims about the alleged benefits of a particular program or policy. Those benefits invariably address some current problem (whether real or imagined) with little consideration of the long-term consequences. However, today’s policy decisions have implications and applications that extend far beyond the short-term. The decisions that we…
In 2015, Texas Central Partners announced that it had secured funding to move forward with a proposed high-speed railroad between Houston and Dallas. The project, which according to the company’s website will be funded by private investors, has attracted many opponents and generated great controversy, particularly among rural land owners along the proposed route. Opponents…
In the 1970s, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) developed a program to allow students to transfer to a school outside of their neighborhood. The goal was to integrate the district’s schools. A recent article in the Houston Chronicle provides an interesting lesson about school choice and the motives of the media. According to the…
Anytime the government intervenes in economic affairs, it is picking winners and losers. Consider the tariffs recently imposed by the Trump Administration as an example. Those in certain industries, such as steel and aluminum, have been picked to win. The tariffs give domestic companies a competitive advantage over foreign companies. That advantage was achieved, not…
To “celebrate” Tax Day 2018, I am offering a free download of “Government Without Taxation” from my book Individual Rights and Government Wrongs. In this chapter, I examine why it is both moral and practical to finance government through voluntary means. While many believe that government can only be financed through coercive taxation–by forcing individuals…
A Washington state court recently struck down a Seattle ordinance that forced landlords to rent to the next tenant in line if that individual met the landlord’s minimum standards. In short, once the landlord set minimum standards, he could not discriminate on the basis of anything else. The Washington court ruled that this constituted a…
In typical leftist fashion, Houston Chronicle columnist Chris Tomlinson once again endorses regulations intended to protect us from our own decisions. His latest diatribe is in support of new regulations in Houston that requires that new homes be built two feet above the projected water level in a 500-year flood. The paternalistic columnist claims that,…
Homeowners in a neighborhood in Dripping Springs are engaged a controversy over deed restrictions. In 2016, Greg George began building his dream home in a neighborhood that was protected by deed restrictions that prohibited business operations in the neighborhood. A short time later, a neighbor began operating a wedding venue. George filed a lawsuit to…
Too often, political debates fail to consider all of the alternatives. But if we are going to make rational and informed decisions, then we must consider all of the alternatives, as well as the pros and cons of each. We must consider the full context. Eminent domain serves as an example. We are often told…