In early September Grapevine became the latest Texas city to outlaw short-term rentals (STRs), such as Airbnb. The city’s mayor defended the prohibition, saying, It’s just not appropriate. We spent hours zoning this town, protecting single family homes and putting businesses along the highways. We’ve got a well-planned town. If you love this town, we…
A friend describes herself as liberal–she supports gay marriage, is pro-choice, and hates Donald Trump. She generally votes for Democrats, though she admits that she would have voted for John McCain if he hadn’t selected Sarah Palin as his running partner. Often, when we are discussing an issue, one of us will take a stance…
For decades, various politicians, activists, and organizations have been pushing for Houston to develop and adopt a general plan. In September 2015, City Council did so. When the city officially began the process in 2014, Mayor Annise Parker said that “planning does not mean zoning.” In the most literal sense, this is true. However, Parker…
In Part 1 of this series, we examined why the claim that a proposal will violate property rights often falls on deaf ears. In this post, we will examine a similar error in defending property rights. Often, when a proposal is made that will violate property rights, the victims state that they support the general…
The Houston Chronicle reports that local politicians, educators, philanthropists, and business organizations have been discussing a plan for a new non-profit organization to take over several struggling schools in the Houston Independent School District (HISD). The effort is an attempt to stave off state sanctions over the chronic low performance at four HISD schools. According…
Often, when a regulation or law is proposed, the would-be victims argue that their property rights would be violated if the regulation is enacted. While this is far too often true, it just as frequently falls on deaf ears. And the reason is quite simple: Most people think that property rights are not sacrosanct. They…
The very nature of zoning makes it a magnet for controversy and divisiveness. The latest example has erupted in College Station, where some homeowners want more restrictive land-use regulations to combat gentrification and the growth of student housing. But other homeowners don’t want the restrictions. The dispute is pitting neighbor against neighbor. This is an…
A recent “debate” on San Angelo Live! provides an illuminating example of focusing on non-essential issues when discussing property rights issues. On August 6, Brian McLaughlin, a director at the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, wrote a piece that claimed: Unfortunately, landowners facing the threat of eminent domain stand little chance of being treated…
“Avarice,” states a recent editorial in the Houston Chronicle, “is just a politer way of describing greed, which seems to be the fuel behind President Trump’s idea to bypass Congress to give yet another tax break to wealthy investors like himself.” And taxation is just a politer way of describing legalized theft. The editorial goes…