The Texas Public Policy Foundation has an excellent article on “green” energy initiatives in Texas. Such initiatives have been pursued in Austin, Georgetown, and San Antonio, all of which have a municipal electricity provider. The article notes that these initiatives are a triple whammy to consumers. First, consumers are forced to purchase their electricity from…
Environmental regulations are intended to minimize human impact on nature. But we must transform nature into the values that sustain and enhance our lives. Minimizing our impact on nature means minimizing our pursuit of values, our quality of life, and individual flourishing. It means reducing our ability to live. Nature has value, but only in…
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…
This is an excerpt from Individual Rights and Government Wrongs. To meet budget shortfalls, a growing number of municipalities and state governments are considering some form of privatization for their parks. These proposals are usually met with indignant opposition. Private companies, it is claimed, would despoil the parks by building condos on the rim of…
It would be an gross understatement to say that I am not a fan of environmentalists. I think that environmentalists are among the most nihilistic human beings who have ever existed. But they have a mantra–think globally and act locally–that is interesting, informative, and worth emulating. In essence, the mantra means: apply a principle to…
Far too often, victims of government regulations concede the moral principles involved. They simply disagree with how the principle is applied. Take rancher Gary Stone as an example. Federal officials have determined that the New Mexico jumping mouse is an endangered species. To protect the rodent’s habitat, the government has closed access to some waterways…
Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Texas hornshell mussel as an endangered species. The action threatens access to water sources for ranchers in southeast New Mexico and west Texas. Landowners and businesses in the region are being asked to sign a “contract” that requires them to engage in conservation practices to…
John Yearwood, a rancher in Williamson County, is fighting the federal government over the Endangered Species Act. His ranch is home to the Bone Cave Harvestman spider, which has been listed as an endangered species since 1988. Yearwood is concerned that, if he disturbs the spider’s habitat, he will incur the wrath of the U.S….
In Part 1, we examined the tragedy of the “commons.” In that post, the argument for government regulation was presented. In this post, we will examine how property rights can be applied to air and water. The following is an excerpt from my book, The Innovator Versus the Collective. Just as you cannot damage the…
In 1968, Garrett Hardin wrote a highly influential article titled “The Tragedy of the Commons,” in which he examined the problems that inherently arise when property is owned “in common.” Hardin tells the story of a pasture shared by a number of herdsmen: As a rational being, each herdsman seeks to maximize his gain. Explicitly…
In Part 1, we examined the “tragedy of the commons.” In Part 2, we examined how property rights can be applied to water. In Part 3, we will examine how property rights can be applied to air. The following is an excerpt from The Innovator Versus the Collective. In the case of air, nuisance laws provide…
In Part 1, we examined the “tragedy of the commons.” In Part 2, we will examine how property rights can be applied to water. The following is an excerpt from The Innovator Versus the Collective. In some ways, water presents more complexity than air. Not only does water exist in oceans, lakes, rivers, and other…