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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…
Government vs. Government
The upcoming legislative Texas legislative session promises to include another battle between the state and local governments. Lawmakers have already introduced or plan to introduce bills to reign in local ordinances regarding mandated sick pay, regulations on short-term rentals, and local increases in property taxes. Municipal governments claim that such actions on the part of…
Hypocrisy Times Two
A recent editorial in the Austin American-Statesman called for legislators to enact “common-sense” reforms of the state’s civil asset forfeiture laws. The editorial correctly notes that Gov. Greg Abbott and many Republican lawmakers have trumpeted the cause of private property rights when it comes to annexation, fracking bans or local tree ordinances, yet they have…
Fighting Zoning in Hobbs
This post is the fourth in a series. About twelve years after zoning was defeated in Houston, I was contacted by two businessmen in Hobbs, New Mexico. The city council was considering a zoning ordinance, and they wanted me to help defeat the proposal. They had found the pamphlet that my friend and I had…
Property Rights in Space: A New Framework
The new framework presented here rejects the premises that dominate the discussion of property rights in space. It rejects the premise that the “celestial commons” belongs to all of mankind. The “celestial commons” is unowned. It is a vast resource that is open to every human being to explore and exploit if they are able…
Property Rights in Space: Introduction
Last July, both Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson launched private rockets into space carrying human passengers. In September, Elon Musk’s SpaceX sent four civilians into space to orbit the Earth for three days. Musk has talked of colonizing Mars, and several companies are looking at mining asteroids and other celestial bodies. These efforts have provoked…