Both leftists and conservatives embrace the crony ideology. That they apply that ideology differently is merely a matter of detail. So, what is the crony ideology? The essence of the crony ideology is the belief that government force should be used to compel or prohibit certain actions. Every act of cronyism ultimately rests on this…
One of the most vile premises underlying the border wall (and there are many) is the the few should be sacrificed for the many. Self-interest should be sacrificed for the “public interest.” The government’s seizure of private land is just one example of this premise in action. Most of the land needed for the border…
While eminent domain reform is a priority for many legislators and interest groups, meaningful reform is not likely to occur in this session. The reason isn’t a lack of political support; the reason is a moral premise held by those legislators and interest groups. As an example, Gordon Sauer, director, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers…
One of the arguments against illegal immigration is that the “illegals” rape and pillage our social welfare system. “Illegals” take advantage of Social Security, government schools, hospitals, and countless other services provided by taxpayers. The critics seldom object to providing these services to American citizens. They believe that we are our brother’s keeper, and they…
The process of exercising eminent domain is called condemnation. According to the Texas Property Code, If an entity with eminent domain authority wants to acquire real property for public use but is unable to agree with the owner of the property on the amount of damages, the entity may begin a condemnation proceeding by filing…
No matter which party or politician backs a particular piece of legislation, its advocates nearly always proclaim that it serves the public interest. And opponents are just as quick to claim that the legislation is harmful to the public interest. The Keystone XL pipeline serves as an example. For years, the pipeline was a controversial…
This was originally posted on PoodleRose on August 30, 2013. Comments have not been migrated. Rational parents want what is best for their children. Such parents recognize that their primary responsibility is to raise their children to be independent, rational adults. A significant part of this responsibility is to provide the child with the necessary…
This was originally posted on PoodleRose on August 6, 2013. Comments have not been migrated. An editorial in the Chicago Sun-Times decries a proposal to cut food stamps, stating, It’s easy to attack the idea of people living off food stamps when they could get a job instead. But it’s not that simple. It is…
On a number of occasions, Rush Limbaugh has spoken of the “invisible hand” described by Adam Smith. It is not out of benevolence, Rush has said, that your grocer sells you food. It is the grocer’s self-interest—his desire to earn a profit—that motivates him. But, Rush has quickly added, self-interest is not the same as…
On a number of occasions, Rush Limbaugh has spoken of the “invisible hand” described by Adam Smith. It is not out of benevolence, Rush has said, that your grocer sells you food. It is the grocer’s self-interest—his desire to earn a profit—that motivates him. But, Rush has quickly added, self-interest is not the same as…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on September 16, 2010. Comments have not been migrated. Several weeks ago I wrote about an OpEd in the Chronicle that chastised HISD for the food it is serving at the district’s schools. The author of that article–Bettina Elias Siegel–has responded to my post on her own blog….
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on March 26, 2010. Comments have not been migrated. I generally try to avoid listening to Sean Hannity, but I happened to catch a portion of his program the other day. A caller was frustrated over the attitude of those who have argued that we cannot claim that…