The values that humans need to survive and prosper must be produced. Every value from food to smart phones, from shelter to medicines, from clothing to automobiles, must be produced. In their zeal to stop the spread of COVID-19, government officials are destroying America’s productive capacity. The restrictions and controls on production and trade are…
Last week, a Travis County District Court judge voided two Austin City Council votes to rewrite the city’s land-use regulations. The ruling found that city council had not provided adequate notice of public hearings to property owners impacted by the new regulations. In doing so, the judge found that owner’s “property protest rights” were not…
During the past several sessions of the Texas Legislature, lawmakers have tried to slap down numerous local ordinances that they correctly say violate property rights. Laws protecting trees, restricting banning short-term rentals, and bans on plastic bags have been among their targets. As we have previously written, it is proper for the legislature to prohibit…
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…
While property owners in Texas are fighting the federal government’s attempts to seize their property to build a border wall, a legislator in Arizona has proposed a bill that would exempt property owners from building codes if they choose to build a wall on their own property. While the Texas Institute for Property Rights opposes…
The Houston Chronicle reports that political battle is developing between the state and local governments in Georgia. As in Texas, state lawmakers are trying to limit the controls and regulations that city and county governments place on land use. And as in Texas, local municipalities are fighting back. State legislators are targeting regulations that control…
Productiveness is the virtue of creating the material values that life requires. The first Thanksgiving was an implicit celebration of this virtue. It was a celebration that almost didn’t occur. The Pilgrims’ first years in America were filled with suffering. And this isn’t surprising, for land was owned and farmed in common–there was no private…
In his 1840 book What is Property? French anarchist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon wrote, “Property is theft!” Proudhon’s statement has been embraced by many on the political Left, even if they have never heard of him. And they are guilty of the same evasions as Proudhon. In Proudhon’s time, land was the primary form of property, and…
An interesting controversy has erupted in Mississippi. Two private companies claim that they own the rights to minerals under certain parcels of land in Simpson County. Property owners have denied the companies access to their land to explore for oil and gas. A Simpson County judge has ordered the land owners to provide access. A…
For decades, we have been told that individuals have a “right” to certain values, such as an education, a “living wage,” and health care. Such claims ignore the meaning of the concept right. Rights pertain to action–the freedom to take the actions one deems appropriate. The right to free speech means the freedom to express…
Voltaire is widely credited with saying, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” This quote, whether Voltaire actually said it, is often cited by defenders of free speech. Those who write or speak popular ideas have little fear of government reprisal. But those who…
Parker County commissioners recently denied a landlocked resident’s request that the county build a road to his property. Jonathan Hobson inherited the property in 2015. He was allowed temporary access across adjoining property, but that access ended in June of this year after his legal suit was thrown out. After the ruling, Hobson stated: Our…