Few Americans would claim that the nation’s school systems do not need improvement. However, there is little agreement on how to offer all students a high-quality education. Some argue that government schools need more funding. Others argue that school choice is the solution. Both of these arguments miss the fundamental issue. To improve our nation’s…
Many great innovations begin with an idea that others dismiss as absurd. The electric light bulb is one example. When Thomas Edison announced that he was working to invent an electric light bulb, he was mocked as a fool with no understanding of electricity. But he trusted his own judgment, and when he succeeded, he…
Freedom enables innovators to find new values to create and new ways to create values. Airbnb found a new way to provide vacation housing. Uber found a new way to provide transportation. And PadSplit is attempting to bring innovation to affordable housing. Founded in 2017, PadSplit acts as a broker between property owners and individuals…
In 2019 during her campaign to become the Democrat nominee for President, Sen. Elizabeth Warren promised to use the antitrust laws to reverse “illegal and anti-competitive tech mergers.” As examples, she cited Amazon’s merger with Whole Foods, Facebook’s merger with Instagram, and Google’s merger with DoubleClick. “To restore the balance of power in our democracy,”…
For more than six weeks, Americans have endured the hardship and uncertainty of a lock down. Millions of businesses have been forced to close, and many will never reopen. Tens of millions have lost their job, and with the closure of so many businesses, it will be difficult for many to find work. This unprecedented…
Once again, eminent domain has erupted into a political controversy in Texas. In its latest manifestation, Kinder Morgan proposes to build a 430-mile pipeline from West Texas to a suburb of Houston. As a “common carrier,” Kinder Morgan can use eminent domain to acquire access to the land needed to build the pipeline. Certainly, pipelines…
Last week, the Houston Chronicle asked, “Where should Houston’s innovation district be?” The question implies that this is an issue for all Houstonians, or at least their elected representatives, to answer. Indeed, the article states: Two city task forces, one put together by city government, the other by the business community, recommended that the city…
My second book, The Innovator Versus the Collective, is now available in paperback and Kindle. The Introduction to the book is posted below. At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain, many textile workers rebelled against the labor-saving machines being introduced. The Luddites—as they were called—believed that this new technology would mean the…
Throughout history, innovators have been criticized and mocked by their contemporaries. They have been accused of insanity and fraud. They have been scorned and ostracized. But when they have been free, they have been able to demonstrate the truth of their vision. When they have been free, they have been able to prove their critics…
We are often told that private companies won’t invest money into certain technologies, such as “green” energy, because it isn’t economically feasible. Government, the argument goes, must “invest” money for the research that will allow these technologies to become profitable. And as evidence, the advocates of subsidies to “green” energy companies point to the Internet….
The regulator and the innovator are two very different people. The regulator enforces standards. The innovator questions standards. The regulator protects the status quo. The innovator challenges the status quo. The regulator erects barriers to innovation and progress. The innovator is the source of innovation and progress. Regulation is about seeking permission. It is about…