In recent years, Texas cities (as well as those across the nation) have embarked on a campaign of “local control.” Companies like Uber and Airbnb have upset the traditional regulatory environment. Adding to the mix are energetic citizens calling for bans on plastic bags, regulations on trees, and protection for historic buildings. Local governments are…
In 2005, Dallas used a little-known process called amortization to rezone land along Ross Avenue. Suddenly, many businesses that had operated in the same location for decades became illegal and they were given a few years to come into compliance. One of those businesses was Hinga Mbogo’s auto repair shop, which the Kenyan immigrant had…
I love the idea of a privately funded, high-speed train between the two largest cities in Texas. This project epitomizes everything great about America and Texas. It is an example of individuals having an audacious dream and then working to make that dream come true. That is something worth celebrating, supporting, and admiring. However, while…
Texas Central Partners has threatened many Texas landowners with seizure of their property through eminent domain to build a proposed bullet train between Houston and Dallas. I share your concerns about the use of eminent domain. It is, as many of you have stated, a violation of your property rights. The right to property means…
When an individual takes property without the owner’s consent, it is called theft. When a group of individuals does this, it is called organized crime. When the government does this, it is called eminent domain. The destruction of your property to build the border wall is an example of government hypocrisy at its worse. We…
The Texas Republican Party biennial convention was held in San Antonio in mid-June. In the end, the delegates approved a platform that includes 331 planks! According to the Austin American-Statesman, the planks range from affirming the party’s belief in God to denial of climate change, from abolishing as many occupational licensing laws as is “reasonably…
A recent report by the Texas Public Policy Foundation suggests that property taxes for education could be cut in half in as little as eleven years. The proposal calls for a combination of reducing the growth in spending and increasing other taxes (such as the state sales tax). But increasing other taxes simply shifts the…
The Trump Administration recently unveiled a proposal that will require utilities to buy power from plants scheduled to be retired. The purported goal of this mandate is to allow coal-fired plants to remain in operation. This comes just a decade after then-candidate Obama vowed to bankrupt coal-fired plants. Through a combination of environmental regulations on…
This is an excerpt from Individual Rights and Government Wrongs. After passage of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Barack Obama’s first economic stimulus), which earmarked more than $100 billion for public education, the White House website listed President Obama’s goals for improving America’s government schools. “Providing a high-quality education for all children,” the site…
One of the rallying cries of the American Revolution was “taxation without representation.” While American colonialists took up arms against the world’s greatest military power in this cause, today’s Americans (and many others) often pay exorbitant taxes with nary a protest. If you stay in a hotel, you are subject to a hotel/hospitality tax that…
Each weekend this summer, thousands of Americans will host a backyard barbeque. They will invite friends, family, and co-workers to enjoy the weather, pleasant company, and grilled meat. Most of these gatherings will bother nobody. But a few may last late into the night, with music and loud talking disrupting the neighborhood. In many situations,…
Arlington has become the latest Texas city to consider regulating short-term rentals (STRs). In response to complaints about “party houses,” the city has been discussing what to do about the problem. The Forth Worth Star-Telegram reports: The city has already held town hall meetings where residents have complained that party houses pop up and cause…