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A Compromise in San Antonio
San Antonio has become the latest Texas city to regulate short-term rentals (STRs). The city’s new regulations limit the number of STRs on a block, require owners to register with the city, and require owners to pay the city’s hotel occupancy test. Many opponents of STRs wanted a complete ban on the activity. While opponents…
Texas’ War on Free Speech
In May, a federal appeals court upheld a Texas law that prohibits social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube from discriminating against users based on their ideas. In prohibiting such actions, Texas has declared war on free speech. Proponents of the law claim that social media companies are guilty of censorship when they block,…
Why Theft may be Legalized in Seattle
For the past several months, public officials in Seattle have been considering an ordinance that would legalize theft, assault, and nearly one hundred other misdemeanors. While critics have argued that the law would invite a dramatic increase in crime, they are failing to address the fundamental issue—the premise that individuals have a right to a…
The “Bundle” Theory of Property
The dominant view of property today is the “bundle” theory. According to this view, property consists of a number of separate rights, such as the rights to use, disposal, and trade. Metaphorically, property consists of a “bundle of sticks.” One of those sticks can be removed, but a bundle remains. Similarly, one of rights of…
Landlords: The Latest Victims of the Pandemic
On September 4, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order halting residential evictions until the end of the year for the purpose of slowing the spread of SARS-CoV-2. In practical terms, this order will be economically devastating to countless landlords and property owners. In moral terms, it represents an attack on…
Conservatives Abandon Property Rights
Conservatives have long professed support for gun rights and property rights. However, in recent years conservatives have shown an increasing proclivity to abandon property rights, sometimes in the name of “gun rights.”. Political expediency, not principles, is guiding this trend. As an example, when Big Tech prohibits the expression of certain ideas, conservatives have responded…