In the early 2000s, Florida officials cut down about 18,000 backyard citrus trees in an effort to eradicate citrus-canker disease. At the time, the state offered a $100 gift certificate to Walmart as compensation. Many property owners sued, and the case was recently settled with the plaintiffs receiving an award of $43.9 million. The state’s…
Last December, an Illinois representative introduced a bill to require unvaccinated individuals to pay the full cost of their health care if they contract COVID. The bill, which was quickly withdrawn when the sponsor was threatened with violence, would have applied even to those with insurance. One critic of the bill said, Let’s say that…
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…
When Joe Biden proposed withholding federal funds from municipalities that did not relax exclusionary zoning laws (aka single-family zoning), conservatives were quick to criticize the plan. Betsy McCaughey, former Lieutenant Governor of New York and one-time economic advisor to Donald Trump, called the proposal a “disastrous plan for America’s suburbs.” She went on to write,…
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…
In mid-2021, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a plan for the state to build a border wall. To date, the program has raised a little more than $55 million in donations and completed 900 feet of wall. The state has committed $1 billion to the project. According to the Texas Tribune, as of December 31,…
The Cecil County Council in Maryland is considering an ordinance that would allow property owners to keep up to eight chickens in their backyard, so long as they have a minimum lot size of 20,000 square feet. One of the provisions of the bill is that chicken owners must obtain an annual license from the…
Last week, I received a fund-raising letter from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. In the letter, Paxton repeatedly proclaimed his support for liberty. Yet, his track record belies this claim. For example, Paxton defended the Trump administration’s use of eminent domain to seize private land along the state’s southern border to build a wall. He…
Cities across Texas are struggling with a severe shortage of low- and moderate-income housing. One of the primary causes is exclusionary zoning, i.e., single-family zoning, which makes duplexes, accessory dwelling units, and similar types of housing illegal. Fundamentally, the state’s housing shortage is being caused by violations of property rights—restrictions on how property owners can…
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….