Many government policies are intended to protect the foolish, though few politicians or bureaucrats would admit as such. Instead, they tell us that their policies are promoting or protecting the “public interest.” In truth, there is no such as the “public interest.” There are only the interests of individuals, and individuals do not have monolithic…
Many libertarians and conservatives lament the constant violations of property rights. Sadly, they don’t realize that their attempts to defend property rights often do more harm than good. And that is because they often embrace the same premises as those attacking property rights. Consider a recent article by Brad Polumbo as an example. In the…
The process of exercising eminent domain is called condemnation. According to the Texas Property Code, If an entity with eminent domain authority wants to acquire real property for public use but is unable to agree with the owner of the property on the amount of damages, the entity may begin a condemnation proceeding by filing…
The Dallas Morning News reports that government officials in Cedar Park recently approved a plan to create a special tax zone in the city’s downtown area. The plan is expected to generate $160 million in investments in the area. Such tax zones are used throughout the state to generate funds to improve the infrastructure in…
No matter which party or politician backs a particular piece of legislation, its advocates nearly always proclaim that it serves the public interest. And opponents are just as quick to claim that the legislation is harmful to the public interest. The Keystone XL pipeline serves as an example. For years, the pipeline was a controversial…
The following is an excerpt from The Innovator Versus the Collective. Every government intervention is justified as being in the “public interest,” the “common good,” the “general welfare,” or something similar. These are collectivist clichés, intended to imply that some policy will have widespread benefits. But in truth, they are used to justify government interventions…
Texas politicians have been pressuring the Trump Administration to fund the Ike Dike as a part of infrastructure improvements. On the surface, this might seem like a great benefit for Texans and a number of justifications have been offered, including issues of national security. But surface benefits are only a part of the story. While…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on April 12, 2010. Comments have not been migrated. We are often told that property rights must occasionally be sacrificed for the “common good”. One local blogger repeats this claim, noting that city officials must wage a constant balancing act between the two: This central dilemma is the…