This was originally posted on Live Oaks on July 23, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. While the Texas Open Beaches Act (TOBA) made land along the shore “public property”, a small section of beach in Galveston has remained private property since the enactment of TOBA in 1959. According to the Chronicle: The Legislature approved…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on July 15, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. Dear Mr. McIngvale, I recently read a story about the Greater Northside Management District (GNMD) suing you for back taxes. The Chronicle quotes you as saying, “To me, it’s taxation without representation. If they were doing something that was…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on July 12, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. In keeping with its unstated policy of supporting any idea or policy that increases government control, on Saturday the Chronicle editorial supported the city’s new restrictions on signs: Houston brings out the nagging mother in us: She’d be such…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on June 26, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. On Wednesday a federal judge declared Houston’s 1993 sign ordinance unconstitutional. The ruling concluded a trial in which Houston Balloons & Promotions sued the city. The company was awarded damages of $927,841 with an additional $187,000 for expenses and…
This was originally posted as a series on Live Oaks in June 2009. Comments have not been migrated. Introduction Politicians love to listen to citizen complaints. Complaints give the politician both a purpose and a justification. Solving the problem is the purpose, and the fact that the complaint was voiced to a government official provides…
This was originally posted as a series on Live Oaks in June 2009. Comments have not been migrated. This November, Texans will have an opportunity to express their support for property rights. An amendment to the Texas Constitution is on the ballot, and while the outcome is not likely to have any significant short-term impact,…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on April 15 and April 16, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. Since announcing my virtual candidacy for mayor of Houston, I have patiently waited for the media to interview me on the issues facing the city. Since that is not occurring, I will take it upon myself…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on January 30, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. Wednesday’s Chronicle had an interesting article on fish farms. A proposal to establish large mesh cages in the Gulf of Mexico is being considered by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, a federal agency that manages fisheries in…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on January 6, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. Last week the City of Houston won a legal victory in its war against sexually-oriented businesses (SOBs). A state district judge ruled in favor of the city, which had sued the Penthouse Club for violating an ordinance that prohibits…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on December 16, 2008. Comments have not been migrated. I have previously written how the Texas Open Beaches Act may be used to prohibit beach front property owners from rebuilding their homes in the wake of Hurricane Ike. This is bad enough, but California officials are attempting to…
The following is the text of a talk I delivered to the Houston Property Rights Association on January 16, 2008. During 2008 Forbes magazine lauded Houston as the best city in the United States in which to earn a living and the best city to buy a home. Numerous other publications placed Houston at the…
The following talk was delivered at a luncheon hosted by the Houston Property Rights Association on May 14, 1993. The warning was not heeded. During the debate over zoning, its proponents have made many claims about zoning: it will encourage economic growth, it will improve our “quality of life,” it will prevent “undesirable” land…