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An Orwellian View of Freedom
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced a proposal for a state law to permanently prohibit vaccine passports, forbid businesses from requiring masks, and prohibit “employers from hiring or firing based mRNA stabs.” In making the announcement, DeSantis said that during the pandemic Florida has served “strongly as freedom’s linchpin.” DeSantis has an Orwellian view of…
The Businessman as Politician
ByjbpThis was originally posted on Live Oaks on January 9, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. Bill White has been Mayor of Houston since 2004. His biography page on the City of Houston web site states: He uses business practices every day at City Hall to improve service and get things done. When he first…
The Evil of Accepting a “Necessary Evil”
Atascosa County Farm Bureau President Pete Pawelek has called for reform of Texas’s eminent domain laws. He claims that current law “favors for-profit companies, giving landowners few options in a fight for their property.” Pawelek went on to say, Eminent domain is a necessary evil, but it should always be used as a last resort….
Principles vs. the Mob
In September, the Austin American-Statesman published a three-part series on the growing conflict between the owners of some short-term rentals (STRs) and their neighbors. While the series was intended to demonstrate the need for more stringent enforcement of Austin’s STR regulations, it unwittingly demonstrated a more fundamental issue: the lack of principles underlying the entire…
The Tragedy of the “Commons,” Part 2
In Part 1, we examined the tragedy of the “commons.” In that post, the argument for government regulation was presented. In this post, we will examine how property rights can be applied to air and water. The following is an excerpt from my book, The Innovator Versus the Collective. Just as you cannot damage the…
A Giant Leap Towards Dictatorship
To stop the spread of the coronavirus, governments across the nation have closed businesses and ordered citizens to stay at home except for “essential” business or activities. Gatherings of more than ten people or being within six feet of another person in public is now illegal in many jurisdictions. Freedom of trade, freedom of movement,…