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The CodeNext Debate: Economics
For the past five years, the city of Austin has been working on a revised land-use ordinance called CodeNext. The ordinance has grown to 1,500 pages and is attracting a great deal of controversy. Opponents have organized a petition drive to submit the plan to voters. One group opposed to the the new ordinance, Community…
An Open Letter to Texas Central Partners
I love the idea of a privately funded, high-speed train between the two largest cities in Texas. This project epitomizes everything great about America and Texas. It is an example of individuals having an audacious dream and then working to make that dream come true. That is something worth celebrating, supporting, and admiring. However, while…
A Room with a View
The owner of a Miami Beach hotel—Setai Hotel Acquisition LLC–is suing the city over a zoning change. Zoning officials approved a change that would allow BHI Miami Limited to make additions to a building it recently purchased. Setai claims that the additions will block ocean views in many of its rooms, those views are a…
Killing Innovation in Electric Retailing
ByjbpThis was originally posted on Live Oaks on April 6, 2010. Comments have not been migrated. In his Sunday column, Loren Steffy does something I have yet to see an elected official do: He admits that the “deregulated” electric market in Texas is heavily regulated. And, though unintentionally, he demonstrates how regulations directly harm producers,…
Private Letter Carriers
ByjbpThis was originally posted on Live Oaks on October 28, 2010. Comments have not been migrated. We are often told that government must provide certain vital services, such as education, roads, and mail delivery. If such services were left in the hands of private companies, service would be poor or nonexistent. But history provides a…
Picking Winners and Losers: The Trump Version
The Trump Administration recently unveiled a proposal that will require utilities to buy power from plants scheduled to be retired. The purported goal of this mandate is to allow coal-fired plants to remain in operation. This comes just a decade after then-candidate Obama vowed to bankrupt coal-fired plants. Through a combination of environmental regulations on…