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…
The owners of short-term rentals (STRs) in Grapevine have filed suit challenging the city’s ban on STRs. Grapevine City Attorney Matthew Boyle responded to the suit in an emailed statement saying, Plaintiffs seek a ruling that their illegal activity should be grandfathered for a period to allow them to recoup their investments in spite of…
Earlier this year, President Trump signed legislation a “right-to-try” bill, which allows those with life-threatening illnesses to bypass FDA regulations and take experimental treatments. At the time, CNBC reported that, “Critics say the legislation undermines the FDA’s authority to regulate drugs and could leave patients vulnerable to medicines that might not work or may even…
Rent control has long been presented as a way to keep housing affordable. By forcing landlords to charge below market rates, rental housing is supposedly more affordable. But like any form of price cap, rent control ultimately leads to a lower supply of housing. However, this fact is irrelevant to many. Indeed, next week voters…
Eminent domain is known as a taking—property is taken by the government for “public use.” According to the Constitution, “just compensation” is due the owner when such a taking occurs. However, the value of property can be diminished through other government actions, such as regulations, while the owner retains title to the property. This has…
Virtually everyone, no matter their political persuasion, denounces cronyism–dispensing political favors for political support. Yet, cronyism continues to dominate political issues in Texas and across America. As a few examples, we see evidence in attacks on Uber, ordinances to protect trees, and attempts to regulate, restrict, or ban short-term rentals (STRs). In each of these…
In early October, the Houston City Council amended the city’s sexually oriented business (SOB) ordinance. The updated ordinance prohibits businesses from allowing customers to rent and try out sex dolls at the business’s store. This move was in response to the construction of a KinkySdollS store in the Galleria area. Councilman Greg Travis said that…
In recent years, the “living wage” movement has made great strides in raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour in many locales. According to Wikipedia, A living wage is the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet their basic needs. This is not the same as subsistence which refers to a biological minimum….
If we examine virtually any controversial political issue, we often find that we are presented with false alternatives. This fallacy consists of asserting that we must choose between a limited number of alternatives when other, unmentioned alternatives exist. As an example, when a Christian baker refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding, and…
The latest crusade by Leftists is a movement to rid the nation of plastic straws. The seemingly innocuous straw is, according to a growing number of people, a weapon of mass destruction. The movement began in 2011, when then 9-year-old Milo Cress “found” that Americans use 500 million plastic straws each and every day. Since…
Since Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the creation of religious freedom task force, members of the political Left have been voicing concerns that this is an attempt to impose certain religious beliefs on the nation. For example, an editorial in the Houston Chronicle stated: Make no mistake. The Religious Liberty Task Force — a name…
For some time, 13-year-old Jaequan Faulkner has operated a hotdog stand in front of his house in Minneapolis. Recently, someone called the authorities to complain that he was operating without a permit. Rather than cite the teenager for violating city regulations, officials decided to help the entrepreneur through the process. Indeed, health inspectors donated the…