Similar Posts
Principles and the Courts
A recent article on Texas Public Radio illustrates what happens when the courts abandon one of their primary responsibilities: defining legal principles. Referring to a recent case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution’s prohibition on excessive fines applies to the states, the article notes: “It’s a landmark ruling because it made…
The Pen is Mightier than the Storm Surge
ByjbpThis was originally posted on Live Oaks on September 20, 2008. Comments have not been migrated. If you have seen photos of the Texas coast after Hurricane Ike, you are aware of the the destruction caused by the storm. Thousands of homes were seriously damaged or destroyed, and many will be prohibited from rebuilding. And…
Property Rights in Space: Property Rights
A truly moral justification for property rights in space must include an identification of the nature of property and property rights. If we aren’t clear about what it is that we are defending, then our arguments will lack clarity and be unconvincing. Property rights, whether in space or on Earth, must be grounded in reality….
Principles for Unprincipled Times
Democrats and “Progressives” are not known for their defense of property rights. Indeed, most of their proposals involve the violation of the right to property. Yet, many Texans on the political Left have recently invoked property rights in their opposition to Republicans. On the other hand, Republicans have cited property rights in their opposition to…
Sell the Damn Dams
In August, the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) announced plans to drain four lakes beginning September 16. GBRA said dewatering was necessary to avert potential failure of spillgates on the dams creating the lakes. Two other lakes have already been drained. GBRA says that it doesn’t have the funds to repair the spillgates. Property owners along…
Common Errors in Defending Property Rights, Part 2
In Part 1 of this series, we examined why the claim that a proposal will violate property rights often falls on deaf ears. In this post, we will examine a similar error in defending property rights. Often, when a proposal is made that will violate property rights, the victims state that they support the general…