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Cornerstone of Liberty
Cornerstone of Liberty: Property Rights in 21st Century America, by Timothy Sandefur and Christina Sandefur, presents a compelling story about the importance of property rights. Private property rights are not just dry abstractions of political philosophy. Nor is property a mere economic concept. Like the freedoms of speech or religion, private property affects our everyday…
When the Chickens Come Home to Roost in Your Backyard
The Cecil County Council in Maryland is considering an ordinance that would allow property owners to keep up to eight chickens in their backyard, so long as they have a minimum lot size of 20,000 square feet. One of the provisions of the bill is that chicken owners must obtain an annual license from the…
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…
Signs and Printing Presses
ByjbpThis was originally posted on Live Oaks on July 12, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. In keeping with its unstated policy of supporting any idea or policy that increases government control, on Saturday the Chronicle editorial supported the city’s new restrictions on signs: Houston brings out the nagging mother in us: She’d be such…
Houston: The City I Love
ByjbpThis was originally posted as a series on Live Oaks in June 2009. Comments have not been migrated. Introduction Politicians love to listen to citizen complaints. Complaints give the politician both a purpose and a justification. Solving the problem is the purpose, and the fact that the complaint was voiced to a government official provides…
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…