The Justice Department has announced that it is investigating instances of “digital redlining”—the use of algorithms to determine which loans to approve and which to reject. The department also announced that it has settled a case against Trustmark Bank for its treatment of blacks and Hispanics in Memphis. The bank will “contribute” $3.85 million to…
In an opinion piece on Politico, housing advocates Cea Weaver and Paul Williams argue that “democrats would be fools to slash Biden’s housing plan.” At a proposed cost of $327 billion, that housing plan, along with other entitlements proposed by Biden, are part of “long-overdue expansions of the welfare state.” Not surprisingly, the authors do…
Sometimes, a guy just wants to have fun. This past week, President Biden announced that after a two-year sabbatical because of the pandemic, Burning Man will officially return in 2022. The nine-day event will be held on the White House lawn beginning August 28. When asked how 70,000 people were going to fit onto the…
The Biden Administration has announced plans to build or restore 2 million homes to address the housing shortage. This is a very grand plan, and it is receiving praise from many advocates for low-income housing. However, it is more than likely that the number of homes built or restored will fall far short of the…
In May, a federal district court ruled that the eviction moratorium imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is unconstitutional. The judge stayed her injunction, which would have ended the moratorium, pending appeal. The case reached the Supreme Court in June. In late June, four justices voted to vacate the stay. Justice…
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…
Given my vehement opposition to zoning, one might think that I would be cheering a plan from the Biden Administration aimed at reducing single-family zoning. But there is little reason to cheer this plan. Biden has not suddenly become an advocate of property rights. The stated goal of Biden’s plan is to allow greater housing…
For years, housing advocates have been clamoring for more affordable housing. After the Biden Administration announced a plan that would ostensibly increase the supply of affordable housing by eliminating single-family zoning, also known as exclusionary zoning, many advocates have denounced the plan. Exclusionary zoning isn’t the problem, they say. The problem is the gang that…
With the election of Joe Biden, many are expecting a dramatic change in the policies emanating from the White House. But the fact is, Biden will simply continue the trend that began with Franklin Roosevelt and has been embraced by every President since. Biden will expand the power of the federal government. Many pundits speak…