A character in George Bernard Shaw’s play “Man and Superman” utters a sentence most of us have heard: “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” That statement, of course, is not true. However, an adaptation of that statement is perhaps much more accurate: Those who can produce values, do; those who can’t, become a…
If we truly want to solve the affordable housing crisis, then we cannot look at each issue in isolation. We must consider the full context. The affordability of housing involves more than simply the cost of housing. It also includes an individual’s income. And, just as there are many restrictions on housing producers to build…
A political controversy between housing advocates and construction labor unions has been brewing in California. These two groups generally agree on many political principles, and their disagreement over a proposed bill might confuse some. But the fact is, the very nature of those political principles makes such disagreements inevitable. Both housing advocates and labor unions…
In her epic novel, Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand dramatizes a world in which producers go on strike. Rand once commented that part of her motivation for writing the novel was so that it wouldn’t come true. Sadly, it is coming true and often in ways that few will notice. In the novel, government enacted a…
While proclaiming that the city has an affordable housing crisis, Seattle’s city council is doing everything imaginable—and a few things that are unimaginable—to make the crisis worse. In 2020, the city council passed a law that prohibits evictions from December 1 to March 1. But apparently that wasn’t enough to satisfy housing advocates, and Seattle’s…
Politicians are often exhorted to follow the “will of the people”—to take those actions that are supported by a majority of citizens. This is a very dangerous idea because it can justify virtually any kind of injustice. To illustrate this, consider a recent article in the Summit Daily in Colorado. The article states that “most…
Companies like Airbnb and Vrbo have captured a lot of business that would have previously gone to hotels and resorts. Unable to compete with short-term rental (STR) companies like Airbnb, hotels and resorts are using their political connections to ban, regulate, and/or tax STRs. Nevada is the latest state to consider regulating and taxing STRs….
The Seattle City Council recently passed a law that provides legal representation for tenants facing eviction. According to the Seattle Times, advocates claim that the law “is a small investment that will help people stay in their homes and forestall the ruinous, and more expensive, consequences of homelessness.” Whether that claim is true or not…
Many government policies are intended to protect the foolish, though few politicians or bureaucrats would admit as such. Instead, they tell us that their policies are promoting or protecting the “public interest.” In truth, there is no such as the “public interest.” There are only the interests of individuals, and individuals do not have monolithic…
Last week, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard announced that she is in favor of injustice and introduced the Pandemic Crisis Excess Profits Tax. In a press release, she said that the tax would be a limited-time tax on the excess profits of large corporations who profited beyond their average profits over the past several years due to…
A Florida attorney says that he is on a crusade for people with disabilities. Since 2018, about 750 lawsuits have been filed against Texas businesses under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Douglas Shapiro has filed about half of those lawsuits. Shapiro and his group of activists have recently been targeting businesses in the Fort…
Despite the claims of critics of Big Tech, the attacks on Facebook, Twitter, Google, and other technology companies are not about competition, innovation, or free speech. They are about power. The critics of Big Tech think that certain companies have too much power. But these critics are doing more than equating economic power with political…