In recent years, the “living wage” movement has made great strides in raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour in many locales. According to Wikipedia, A living wage is the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet their basic needs. This is not the same as subsistence which refers to a biological minimum….
For some time, 13-year-old Jaequan Faulkner has operated a hotdog stand in front of his house in Minneapolis. Recently, someone called the authorities to complain that he was operating without a permit. Rather than cite the teenager for violating city regulations, officials decided to help the entrepreneur through the process. Indeed, health inspectors donated the…
In recent years, Texas cities (as well as those across the nation) have embarked on a campaign of “local control.” Companies like Uber and Airbnb have upset the traditional regulatory environment. Adding to the mix are energetic citizens calling for bans on plastic bags, regulations on trees, and protection for historic buildings. Local governments are…
Each weekend this summer, thousands of Americans will host a backyard barbeque. They will invite friends, family, and co-workers to enjoy the weather, pleasant company, and grilled meat. Most of these gatherings will bother nobody. But a few may last late into the night, with music and loud talking disrupting the neighborhood. In many situations,…
In recent years, much controversy has arisen over companies such as Airbnb and Uber. These two companies are the poster boys of the “sharing economy”–a technological revolution that has allowed millions to become successful entrepreneurs. City governments (as well as some state and national governments) have fought back and enacted a multitude of restrictions and…
In the last Texas legislative session, great controversy erupted over Austin’s attempts to reign in local governments. Bills were introduced to prohibit local controls over plastic bags, trees, short-term rentals, and more. Local governments claimed that these efforts by the state usurped their authority. A similar controversy has erupted in California. California State Senator Scott…
In typical leftist fashion, Houston Chronicle columnist Chris Tomlinson once again endorses regulations intended to protect us from our own decisions. His latest diatribe is in support of new regulations in Houston that requires that new homes be built two feet above the projected water level in a 500-year flood. The paternalistic columnist claims that,…
The city of Houston recently enacted stricter regulations governing boarding houses. The Houston Chronicle reported that: The ordinances — prompted by several fires in unregulated and unsafe multi-resident housing facilities over the last year — follow months of meetings between city officials and community groups and wrangling between city agencies. The purported goal of the…
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…