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Property Rights and Pollution, Part 3
In Part 1, we examined the “tragedy of the commons.” In Part 2, we examined how property rights can be applied to water. In Part 3, we will examine how property rights can be applied to air. The following is an excerpt from The Innovator Versus the Collective. In the case of air, nuisance laws provide…
Plato’s War on Houston: From Zoning to “SmartCode”
ByjbpThis was originally posted as a series on Live Oaks in September 2009. Comments have not been migrated. That is what I mean when I say that “right” is the same thing in all states, namely the interest of the established government; and government is the strongest element in each state, and so if we…
Protecting the Weak by Shackling the Strong
Many critics of opening the economy claim that it means sacrificing the weak. The truth is, not opening the economy means sacrificing the strong–those who can and produce the values that all of us–weak and strong alike–want and need. Regardless of our risk level, we must consume values in order to live. And before values…
The Bathroom Bill Debate
One of the items on the agenda for the special session of the Texas Legislature is a “bathroom bill.” Hotly debated during the regular session, the bill would mandate that individuals use the public bathroom that corresponds with the gender on their birth certificate. The legislation is a response to local ordinances, such as the…
Shackling the Able
A Florida attorney says that he is on a crusade for people with disabilities. Since 2018, about 750 lawsuits have been filed against Texas businesses under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Douglas Shapiro has filed about half of those lawsuits. Shapiro and his group of activists have recently been targeting businesses in the Fort…
Fighting Zoning in Houston
This post is the third in a series. In early January 1990 (I think it was January 1) the local newspaper carried a story that a Houston City Councilman was going to introduce a zoning ordinance. A friend called me that day and suggested that we fight the ordinance. I immediately agreed. Over the next…