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Unattractive Alternatives isn’t Force
A report published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution claims that landlords force renters to sign away their rights. The report details provisions in a standard lease that offer unattractive options to tenants and asserts that this is an act of force. The truth is, having to choose between unattractive alternatives isn’t force. As an example, the…
Property Rights without Morality
Libertarians believe that individual liberty is compatible with virtually any moral code. However, politics is the application of morality into a social context. To separate the two is to place liberty on a foundation that cannot support freedom. In a piece titled, “Native Americans Had a Lot More Private Property Than You Think,” Daniella Bassi,…
Rights do not Conflict
The pandemic has exposed how widely misunderstood concepts like freedom and rights are. Many claim that rights conflict, and policy must balance there rights. For example, in a piece titled “COVID brings front and center the tug between individual rights and the public good,” the author writes: Why should anyone be allowed to spread a…
The Conundrum of a Referendum
In November, a “Right to Food” referendum will be on the ballot in Maine. If approved, the Declaration of Rights in Maine’s constitution would be amended: All individuals have a natural, inherent and unalienable right to food, including the right to save and exchange seeds and the right to grow, raise, harvest, produce and consume…
The Right to Earn Affordable Housing
Housing advocates are increasingly demanding more affordable housing for low-income individuals and families. They are doing this under the guise of “tenants’ rights.” But all individuals—including tenants—have rights. Specifically, they have the right to produce or earn more affordable housing. Like any value, housing must be produced. Like any value that one desires, one can…
Individual Rights and Government Wrongs
Politicians and pundits regularly decry the increasingly divisive nature of American politics. From the Tea Parties to Occupy Wall Street, Americans are not happy with their government, and they are making their displeasure known. Individual Rights and Government Wrongs examines two fundamentally different views regarding what type of nation America should be. Using examples from…