Topic: Property Rights

Rent Control Recidivism

– August 8, 2023

“The campaign to tighten rent controls in California, as in every other jurisdiction where the issue is in play, relies on voters’ ongoing ignorance and misunderstanding of the realities of the rental housing market.” ~ Gary Galles

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Historic Designations: Not All Bad

– July 30, 2023

” People can only live in one house at a time, but the enjoyment of living in that house depends in no small part on the other houses in the neighborhood, if they care about the aesthetic vibe.” ~ Janna Lu

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In Praise of Parking Lots

– July 28, 2023

“There’s a good reason why Kansas’s wheat fields, Texas’s hunting reserves, New Jersey’s cranberry bogs, and Florida’s orange groves aren’t parking lots.” ~ Donald J. Boudreaux

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The Charge to Change Capitalism and Why the Profit Motive Must be Preserved

– July 26, 2023

“Replacing rather than embracing shareholder primacy is truly a troubling matter given that shareholder primacy is a means for holding business leaders objectively accountable for the management of strategic investments and business operations.” ~ Kimberlee Josephson

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Zoned Out: How Housing Regulation Drives Young Americans Toward Socialism

– July 24, 2023

“Left-of-center states and localities are experimenting with rent control and public housing, would-be solutions to the problem of rising rents that economists know are incredibly costly. Simply reforming zoning would be a better solution.” ~ Jason Sorens

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No Place to Lay Your Head: How Economic Policy Makes Housing Unaffordable for Young Working Families

– July 24, 2023

“There’s artificial scarcity in housing markets, but in that case it’s the planners themselves who put housing in such short supply – and at consequent high prices.” ~ H. Shelton Weeks and Victor Claar

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Ownership of Churches: Congregation, Neighbors, or the City?

– July 22, 2023

“When externalities exist and interested parties can negotiate and trade, they can discover who puts the highest value on using or possessing a resource.” ~ Christopher Lingle and Janna Lu

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Where Have All the Workers Gone? Zoning and Its Unintended Consequences.

– July 15, 2023

“Regulations such as the Endangered Species Act, wetlands regulations, and coastal zone management laws may have desirable end goals from one point of view, but invariably make housing more expensive.” ~ Craig Richardson

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Vacation Ownership: The Wolf of the Vacation Industry

– July 2, 2023

“Timeshares, vacation clubs, all-inclusive clubs, fractional ownerships are all part of the vacation ownership industry whose goal is to convince people to pay increasing monthly fees for the rest of their lives in exchange for dream vacations in exclusive luxury resorts.” ~ Mary Dawood Catlin

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No, Joe, There is No Such Thing as a “Fair Share” of Taxes

– June 30, 2023

“Tax rates are largely politically motivated and arbitrarily chosen, and stacked with exemptions and penalties to help incentivize behaviors favored by the politicians writing the voluminous tax code. Regardless of the rates, there is no ‘fairness’ to be achieved.” ~ Brian Balfour

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The Zoning Laws Cometh For Dollar General

– June 23, 2023

“Rather than allowing their friends, neighbors, and the broader community to use their wallets to decide who can sell laundry detergent and tacky lawn decor, they have taken it upon themselves to decide on the community’s behalf.” ~ Lauren Frazier

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A Four Point Plan for Every City

– June 21, 2023

“If you agree that local politics should be about protecting others’ liberty to become the people they want to become rather than giving you the tools to turn them into the people you want them to become, what should your city do?” ~ Art Carden

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