Many government regulatory agencies allegedly have the mission of protecting us from unscrupulous businesses, unsafe products, and various other potential ills. In truth, these agencies prevent us from using reason. A recent example can be found in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In January, agents of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture seized thirty-seven items of food from…
Fox News reports that the International Code Council, an organization that develops model building code policies, is finalizing its codes for 2024. Critics correctly argue that the new codes are a “backdoor climate initiative” and will add to the cost of new housing. As I explain in my book, The Affordable Housing Crisis: Causes and…
While conducting research for a new novel, I recently read the current Comprehensive Plan for Missouri City, Texas. In discussing development in the city’s four main commercial areas, the plan states that the “general intent” is to “allow future land uses to be more responsive to market realities.” If this is truly the intention, then…
On the social media website formerly known as Twitter, a user posted a receipt for $24 for a hamburger, fries, and drink at a Five Guys restaurant. One user responded by saying that five dollars for a small order of fries is “highway robbery.” While users debated whether Five Guys was overcharging, nobody seemed interested…
Virginia Democrats are backing a bill that would extend taxpayer-paid healthcare to illegal immigrants. Not surprisingly, Republicans are objecting to the bill, but they won’t challenge the morality that underlies it–altruism. One state Senator said, They want to grant illegal immigrants driver’s licenses that are valid for up to eight years. Now, they’re also working…
After my recent talk to Houston Oasis, an audience member expressed his disgust with developers who cut down trees to develop the land. There should be a law, he said, to stop them from doing so. In other words, he didn’t like the actions that others are taking, and he advocated using brute force to…
A recent survey found that 44 percent of Generation Z and 46 percent of Millennials are “obsessed with the idea of being rich.” While there is nothing wrong with the desire to be wealthy, obsessing over it can lead to some bad choices. That appears to be happening with younger adults, and not surprisingly, some…
Shortly after taking office, Argentina President Javier Milei issued an executive decree that repealed the country’s rent control laws along with a host of other economic regulations. The results were predictable and almost immediate. The supply of rental housing soared, and prices significantly declined. Protecting property rights is moral and practical. Introduced in 2020, Argentina’s…
Progressives Regresssives are renowned for making claims and not providing evidence. Propogandist Patrick Range McDonald provides an example in an article titled “Corporate landlords’ misinformation campaign to stop rent control.” Including the headline, on eight occasions McDonald claims that opponents of rent control are engaged in lies, disinformation, or misinformation. Despite the repetitive claims, he…