Atlanta has joined a growing list of cities and states considering a “Tenant’s Bill of Rights.” Contrary to the claims of the proponents of such laws the proposed law is more accurately a bill of wrongs. The councilman who introduced the bill said, “We all know that Georgia is a property owner’s safe place, but…
Nearly everyone lusts for power. In and of itself, the lust for power is morally neutral. The type of power that one seeks determines whether it is good or bad, moral or evil. When we think of examples of power lusters, dictators, gang leaders, and bullies often come to mind. Such individuals seek power over…
Gresham’s Law is an economic principle that states, “Bad money drives out good money.” Wikipedia explains the principle as it applies to money: For example, if there are two forms of commodity money in circulation, which are accepted by law as having similar face value, the more valuable commodity will gradually disappear from circulation As…
State legislators in Ohio may become the latest to wage war with local governments. Last week, an Ohio House committee passed a bill that would prohibit local government from banning or directly regulating short-term rentals. Not surprisingly, local governments oppose the bill, arguing that it usurps local control and sets the stage for a battle…
When government expands its powers beyond its legitimate purpose of protecting individual rights, unintended consequences are unleashed. When various levels of government use those powers for different goals, the individual is invariably caught in the crossfire. Government’s response to the pandemic is one example. Early in the pandemic, states and localities across the nation ordered…
Tomorrow, April 21, Texans will celebrate San Jacinto Day to commemorate the battle that culminated the Texas Revolution. While that victory secured Texas’s independence from Mexico, the revolution’s animating principle was protecting the individual’s independence from the State. The Texas Revolution liberated the individual. When Texas delegates adopted a Declaration of Independence in early March…
It is increasingly common to hear someone state that the rights of individuals are in conflict. The use of phrases such as “tenants’ rights” or “housing is a right” are two examples. The confusion about the nature of rights gives rise to the view that rights conflict. Rights pertain to freedom of action. Rights protect…
Other people do not always act the way that we would prefer. Rational people accept that fact and resort to persuasion in an attempt to change the offending behavior. Sadly, a growing number of people are rejecting persuasion and embracing the coercive “solution.” The essence of the coercive “solution” is: Do as I say, or…
If you examine nearly any debate regarding government policy, almost all of the discussion revolves around government imposing more restrictions and controls on businesses and individuals. It might seem that proposals to eliminate single-family zoning (SFZ) are an exception and a move towards greater respect for individual rights. But that appearance is a mirage. Most…
In November, a “Right to Food” referendum will be on the ballot in Maine. If approved, the Declaration of Rights in Maine’s constitution would be amended: All individuals have a natural, inherent and unalienable right to food, including the right to save and exchange seeds and the right to grow, raise, harvest, produce and consume…
Libertarians believe that individual liberty is compatible with virtually any moral code. However, politics is the application of morality into a social context. To separate the two is to place liberty on a foundation that cannot support freedom. In a piece titled, “Native Americans Had a Lot More Private Property Than You Think,” Daniella Bassi,…
The pandemic has exposed how widely misunderstood concepts like freedom and rights are. Many claim that rights conflict, and policy must balance there rights. For example, in a piece titled “COVID brings front and center the tug between individual rights and the public good,” the author writes: Why should anyone be allowed to spread a…