Two weeks ago, the Texas Senate passed HB 2730, an action that many are proclaiming as a victory for property rights. However, the bill is a non-victory because it does absolutely nothing to protect property rights. The Texas Farm Bureau, which supported the bill, reports two positive aspects of the bill: [A]n entity [using eminent…
A movement is underway to pressure the Biden Administration to waive global intellectual property (IP) rights to COVID vaccines developed in the United States. Such a waiver, the argument goes, would allow facilities around the world to begin making vaccines and saving lives. According to one commentator on the issue, “The only argument against lifting…
The Seattle City Council recently passed a law that provides legal representation for tenants facing eviction. According to the Seattle Times, advocates claim that the law “is a small investment that will help people stay in their homes and forestall the ruinous, and more expensive, consequences of homelessness.” Whether that claim is true or not…
Many attempts to defend property rights are founded on the wrong premises. The result, unfortunately, is ultimately destructive to the cause. Consider an essay titled “A primer of private property” by Eric Schansberg, a professor of economics at Indiana University Southeast. The essay begins reasonably well, noting that property rights are important to all individuals….
In 2015, The Texas Legislature passed a bill that prohibits local governments from forcing landlords to accept housing vouchers. Sen. Royce West has submitted a bill that would repeal that prohibition and make it illegal to refuse to rent to an individual on the basis of his source of income. West’s proposal would apply across…
The law of supply and demand is a fundamental economic truth. One of its tenets is that when the demand for a value exceeds its supply, prices will rise. Conversely, when the supply of a value exceeds the demand, prices will fall. The willingness of producers to manufacture a value for a particular price constitutes…
In the early nineteenth century, textile workers in Britain burned mills and destroyed equipment to protest the increasing use of machinery. The machines were displacing them, allowing lower skilled workers to produce textiles more efficiently than previous methods. The Luddites, as the protesters were called, were opposed to the progress that technology was making possible….
A growing movement across the nation claims that housing is a human right. Indeed, in March 2020, Representative Pramila Jayapal introduced the Housing is a Human Right Act of 2020. The bill aims to “address and end root causes of homelessness; transition communities towards providing housing for all; and ensure full democratic participation of persons…
Housing advocates are increasingly calling for laws to protect the rights of tenants. But the fact is, tenants have always had rights. New laws protecting “tenants’ rights” will ultimately lead to the destruction of the rights of all individuals, including tenants. The Declaration of Independence declares that all individuals are endowed with certain rights, namely,…
In recent years, it has grown increasingly popular to attack real estate investors. Whether they are flippers, landlords, or developers, a coalition consisting of property owners, organizations like Black Lives Matter, and housing advocates denounce investors as villains who destroy neighborhoods and place profit before people. Unfortunately, many investors offer apologies for their actions, rather…
Across the country, a coalition of property owners and political activists are trying to stop economic development in certain neighborhoods. They believe that investment in their community will do more harm than good. In many cities, neighborhoods close to downtown are being transformed from being economically depressed to vibrant hubs of commerce. New homes and…
When cases of COVID-19 began to rise in March, governments responded to the crisis by ordering businesses to close. When millions lost their job and were unable to pay the rent, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) responded to that crisis by imposing a moratorium on evictions for non-payment of rent. But the…