Writing in The Federalist, David Larsen makes a compelling case for eliminating single-family zoning. And he takes his fellow conservatives to task for opposing the Biden administration’s call to relax zoning laws: Are conservatives only against impositions on freedom and property rights from the federal government, while local governments should have absolute power over the…
Barry Fagin, a Senior Fellow at the Independence Institute in Denver, correctly notes that conservatives are very confused about the meaning of property rights. As examples, he cites Florida Gov. Rick DeSantis’ ban of “vaccine passports” and conservative calls to regulate social media companies like Facebook and Twitter. Fagin concludes that property rights have fallen…
While individuals from across the political spectrum generally pay lip service to individual rights, property rights suffer from widespread hostility. Virtually everyone is willing to sacrifice property rights for some “higher cause.” As the 2020 election unfolds, those on the political Left are stumbling over themselves to offer free values in exchange for votes. They…
In recent years, individuals from across the political spectrum have condemned cronyism. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, once remarked that she felt sad “for the American people, who have had their lives affected by the culture of cronyism and corruption that exists in Washington.” Former Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, similarly denounced cronyism:…
The Austin Statesman recently published an opinion piece about President Trump’s border wall that states, Trump has said he is ready to take land from uncooperative property owners through eminent domain [to build the wall]. That creates a dilemma for Trump’s conservative supporters. Which do they want more: A border wall? Or private property rights?…
We are frequently confronted with claims that LGBT rights are under attack by conservatives. There is a problem with this claim, and the problem is: There is no such thing as LGBT rights. There are only individual rights, and they apply to all individuals, including lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, and heterosexuals. The problem with any…
In fighting the Trump Administration’s land grab for the purpose of building the border wall, Texas Democrats are calling for Texas Republicans to show some consistency. For example, Rep. Veronica Escobar, who represents El Paso in the House, notes that Texas Senator John Cornyn supported a recent bill that protect property rights of land owners…
Both “progressives” and conservatives speak about the freedom to choose. Yet, they do so very selectively. They adamantly support an individual’s freedom to choose in regard to some issues, and then are equally adamant in opposing an individual’s freedom to choose in regard to other issues. For example, “progressives” support an individual’s freedom to choose…
Democrats and “Progressives” are not known for their defense of property rights. Indeed, most of their proposals involve the violation of the right to property. Yet, many Texans on the political Left have recently invoked property rights in their opposition to Republicans. On the other hand, Republicans have cited property rights in their opposition to…
Immigration and the Welfare State Immigration is a complex and emotional topic. But often the discussion gets sidetracked. A few recent threads on Facebook among my friends illustrates this. Many expressed no problem with individuals coming to America to make a better life. They just don’t want them mooching off of productive citizens by using…
On Monday, Georgia Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle threatened to revoke a sales tax exemption on jet fuel for airlines after Delta and United withdrew discounts for members of the National Rifle Association (NRA). Cagle tweeted: I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship…