Denver is considering a law that would require developers to include below-market rate housing in new projects in order to obtain city approval. Known as inclusionary zoning, the proposed law is being modeled after a similar ordinance in Atlanta. Both laws are providing an example of the poor decisions that are made when the context…
Many conservatives oppose vaccine mandates, regardless of its source. They see no difference between a government mandate and a mandate issued by a private employer. The failure to discriminate—to recognize the differences between two or more things—isn’t surprising. Many conservatives do the same when they claim Big Tech is engaged in censorship. Certainly, mandates issued…
While all occupational licensing infringes on our freedom to produce and trade, the licensing of some professions has a degree of plausibility. We don’t want an auto mechanic to perform surgery on us. Absent occupational licensing, the argument goes, auto mechanics could offer to perform surgery, and nobody would be the wiser. This argument implies…
Of the many schemes perpetrated by government, one of the most insidious is occupational licensing. Occupational licensing requires individuals to obtain the government’s permission to produce and earn a living. Defenders of occupational licensing claim that it protects “the public” from incompetent and unscrupulous professionals. The truth is, occupational licensing does nothing to protect the…
In an executive order last year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott prohibited private businesses from requiring a “vaccine passport” for employees and customers. President Joe Biden wants to force businesses with more than 100 employees to require vaccines. Despite these different approaches to vaccine mandates, Abbott and Biden are in agreement on the fundamental issue. When…
Lawmakers and political activists like to frame their policy proposals in terms that hide their real meaning. An example of this is a proposal in Colorado to impose “rent stabilization” on mobile home parks. Rent stabilization is nothing more than a euphemism for theft. The bill would require park owners to pay up to $30,000…
Writing for the socialist magazine, Jacobin, Luke Savage complains about what he calls “corporate tyranny over local governments.” Florida legislators are considering two bills that would allow businesses to sue local governments when they suffer economic damage from an ordinance. This is what Savage calls corporate tyranny. He admits, [I]t’s arguably quite hard to think…
In late December, Anthony Fauci said that “anything that could get people more vaccinated would be welcome.” He was responding to a question about requiring domestic air passengers to be fully vaccinated. Fauci went on to say, A vaccine requirement for a person getting on the plane is just another level of getting people to…
Demonstrating a lack of principles, in an interview last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that he regrets not speaking out “much louder” at the beginning of the pandemic. I never thought in February, early March, that (coronavirus) would lead to locking down the country. I just didn’t. I didn’t think that was on the…
In 2019, Mark Shirley left his job managing an auto dealership to pursue his dream of owning a restaurant. After doing research, he concluded that a food truck was the best way to start. Costs would be lower than a brick-and-mortar location and he could slowly build his clientele while working out the kinks every…
Producers have long been under attack around the world. The pandemic has intensified those attacks. Perhaps the most notable target are housing producers and vaccine producers. We must not, the attackers declare, put profits before people. But the fact is, attacking producers is an attack on human life. Producers have enabled mankind to rise from…
While President Biden and Texas Gov. Abbott are taking very different approaches to vaccine mandates, they are in agreement on the fundamental issue. When it comes to vaccines, both believe that individuals should not be free to choose. Biden wants to require anyone working at a company with more than 100 employees to be vaccinated….