Since early in the pandemic, we have heard countless stories of the hardships faced by renters due to the lockdowns. Thrown out of work, many tenants were unable to pay their rent. In response, the federal government, along with many state and local governments, imposed eviction moratoriums. We heard virtually nothing about the hardships that…
In 2018, Austin adopted a “preference policy” to sell homes to families displaced by gentrification. Six months ago, the city finally got around to actually putting a house on the market. It remains unsold, despite the fact that the house is selling for about 40 percent of Austin’s median sales price. The program is just…
In my previous post, I wrote about a ruling by the rent-guidelines board in Kingston New, York. That ruling reduced rents for 1,200 units in controlled by the city’s rent control ordinance. Another ruling allows tenants to protect rent increases between January 2019 and August 2022. If allowed to stand, these ruling sets a very…
The school choice movement is gaining momentum across the nation. The American Federation for Children (AFC) is one of the nation’s leading advocates for school choice. According to the organization’s website, AFC seeks to empower families, especially lower-income families, with the freedom to choose the best K-12 education for their children. We believe all parents…
Most people want the freedom to choose how they will live their lives. Yet, many of those same people advocate policies that eliminates freedom of choice for others. They support freedom of choice, so long as they agree with the choices. Sadly, we see this among both Republicans and Democrats. Republicans don’t like the choices…
The political actors change, but the script remains essentially the same. Over time, different individuals occupy the stage, but the principles upon which they act remain consistent. Consider the policies supported by Obama, Trump, and Biden. Obama imposed controls and restrictions on energy producers in an attempt to foster “renewable” energy. He did not hesitate…
As previously noted on this blog, construction of new housing in St. Paul has been greatly reduced compared to the years before voters passed a rent control law last November. Many developers argue that they are having difficulty attracting capital because of the law. Despite a recent amendment to the law that exempts new construction…
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a growing number of cities in the bay area are passing rent control laws. Those laws, the headline states, could be a “turning point for the housing crisis.” However, the housing crisis is a supply shortage, and rent control doesn’t build housing. Housing activists believe that more controls and…
In 2018, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that homeowners with property on Lake Michigan do not own the beach. The ruling was upheld by a federal appeals court in May 2022. Three property owners are now fighting back. They hope to have their case heard by the United States Supreme Court and the highest court…
As has been previously noted on this site, the city of St. Paul has amended its draconian rent control law. In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal notes that “according to data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, there have been only two hundred (200) residential building permits in Saint Paul through April…
In her essay “The Anatomy of Compromise,” Ayn Rand wrote that when basic principles are involved, compromise is surrender: When opposite basic principles are clearly and openly defined, it works to the advantage of the rational side; when they are not clearly defined, but are hidden or evaded, it works to the advantage of the…