Thoughts, essays, and writings on Liberty. Written by the heirs of Patrick Henry.

Life, Liberty, Property

Life, Liberty, Property

November 7, 2007

14 Libertarians Win Tuesday’s Elections

Out of 81 candidates running as Libertarians in Tuesday’s elections, 14 (17%) won (full results here). While this may not sound very encouraging, it is encouraging to me to see at least a few Libertarians actually winning elections and holding public office. A small town mayor here, a judge there, and a hand full of […]

Posted By: Stephen Littau @ 1:23 pm || Permalink || Comments Off || TrackBack URI || Categories: Politics, Property Rights, Strategies For Advancing Liberty, Theory and Ideas, Zoning and Land-Use
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October 17, 2007

The Endangered Species People Act

(WSB Radio) — Despite the threat of legal action by Gov. Sonny Perdue, the Army Corps of Engineers says it has no plans to reduce the release of water from Lake Lanier and Lake Allatoona.
Army Major Darren Payne tells WSB’s Pete Combs the Corps is required by law to send water down the Chattahoochee […]

Posted By: Stephen Littau @ 2:21 pm || Permalink || Comments (7) || TrackBack URI || Categories: Environment, Federalism, Government Regulation, History, Legal, Military, Property Rights, Theory and Ideas, Zoning and Land-Use
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August 8, 2007

It’s the Spending Stupid!

In the immediate wake of the bridge collapse in Minnesota, politicians (mostly Democrats) have advocated raising taxes to repair or replace other structurally deficient bridges throughout the country. Apparently, there just isn’t enough money in the treasury at this time to repair these bridges. Why am I skeptical that this is not the case?
Assuming […]

Posted By: Stephen Littau @ 2:01 pm || Permalink || Comments (10) || TrackBack URI || Categories: Constitution, Dumbasses and Authoritarians, Election '08, General, Government Regulation, Government Waste, Property Rights, Taxation, The War on Drugs, The Welfare State, Theory and Ideas, Zoning and Land-Use
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May 18, 2007

And “The System” Rolls On

So, it’s been over 100 most days for the last month and a bit, with some massive wind and dust storms… generally not the most pleasant outdoor environment, and like many Arizona residents we’ve neglected our yard a bit.
Note, I said “a bit”; here’s the total weed growth since we last did the weeds […]

Posted By: Chris @ 1:45 am || Permalink || Comments (4) || TrackBack URI || Categories: Dumbasses and Authoritarians, Government Regulation, Government Waste, Legal, Property Rights, Socialism, Taxation, The Nanny State, The Surveillance State, Zoning and Land-Use
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March 26, 2007

It’s Constitutional For The Government To Harass You

So you buy a property. The property is free and clear. Then some bureaucrat comes along and tells you that the government has an easement on your property, but there’s no written record of it. You tell them to go screw. So they start harassing you. Is this right?
This is […]

Posted By: Brad Warbiany @ 6:08 pm || Permalink || Comments (10) || TrackBack URI || Categories: Constitution, Government Regulation, Individual Rights, Property Rights, Zoning and Land-Use
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February 28, 2007

Zoning Out Freedom

Unhappy with legislative failure in Richmond, the leaders of the City of Alexandria, Virginia have turned to a new, rather unique, tool in their effort to force local businesses to ban smoking:
Frustrated that the state legislature failed to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, Alexandria officials have come up with a maverick plan of their […]

Posted By: Doug Mataconis @ 11:20 pm || Permalink || Comments (1) || TrackBack URI || Categories: Individual Rights, Property Rights, Zoning and Land-Use
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January 26, 2007

A Victory For Property Rights In Maryland

Last year, a Judge in Montgomery County, Maryland ruled that Marianne and Marc Duffy, who had bought and renovated a home in Chevy Chase, would have to tear the house down because it violated county zoning laws, even though the house as constructed had been approved by the county.
This week, another judge in Maryland […]

Posted By: Doug Mataconis @ 11:02 am || Permalink || Comments (8) || TrackBack URI || Categories: Individual Rights, Property Rights, Zoning and Land-Use
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January 22, 2007

Florida Repeals The Laws Of Economics

The Florida legislature overwhelmingly passed a bill today that supposedlyaddresses Florida’s insurance crisis. The solutions these Solons came up with are:
The biggest savings are expected to come from expanding insurers’ access to the state’s Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, which pays claims when insurers can’t. Insurance companies pay into the fund, but the coverage is cheaper than […]

Posted By: Kevin @ 9:24 pm || Permalink || Comments (13) || TrackBack URI || Categories: Government Regulation, Politics, Zoning and Land-Use
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January 4, 2007

Who Makes Up “The Government”?

The refrain is common. “The government should provide X!” or “Why won’t the government do Y?”
There is an implicit assumption here, upon which the entire idea is predicated, which is and always has been flat wrong. That assumption is the idea that government is populated with selfless altruists, who happen to be philosopher-kings, […]

Posted By: Brad Warbiany @ 8:12 am || Permalink || Comments (1) || TrackBack URI || Categories: Government Regulation, Politics, Theory and Ideas, Zoning and Land-Use
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December 3, 2006

A Massive Denial Of Property Rights

The Board of Supervisors of Prince William County, Virginia, where I live, is threatening to put a halt to all new home construction in the county unless the State of Virginia gives it more money for transportation:
Prince William County supervisors, angry that the state government is not responding to residents tired of traffic congestion, say […]

Posted By: Doug Mataconis @ 12:57 pm || Permalink || Comments (2) || TrackBack URI || Categories: Individual Rights, Property Rights, Zoning and Land-Use
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November 27, 2006

The Far Reach Of Zoning Laws

I’ve written before (here, here, and here) about the impact that zoning and land use laws can have on individual rights. In various parts of the country, they are used to keep undesirable businesses out of certain areas, or to restrict the types of business that can be conducted in a certain areas. And, in […]

Posted By: Doug Mataconis @ 4:37 am || Permalink || Comments (1) || TrackBack URI || Categories: Property Rights, Zoning and Land-Use
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July 18, 2006

Zoning Laws And Religious Freedom

Last week, I wrote about a Fairfax County, Virginia zoning ordinance that was forcing a family to accept trees that they didn’t want on their property, today’s Washington Post, though, has an article showing how zoning and land use laws can interfere with more than just property rights.
McLean Bible Church, a Tysons Corner megachurch, has […]

Posted By: Doug Mataconis @ 7:30 am || Permalink || Comments (2) || TrackBack URI || Categories: Individual Rights, Property Rights, Zoning and Land-Use
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July 14, 2006

Zoning Laws And Property Rights

This morning’s Washington Post carries a story that stands as yet another example of the ways that zoning laws and other land-use regulations interfere with our property rights.
Their seven-bedroom, $2.2 million dream home is in spotless, move-in condition. It’s an elegant hideaway on 1.6 acres in Oakton, set back from a winding, tree-lined road — […]

Posted By: Doug Mataconis @ 8:33 am || Permalink || Comments (4) || TrackBack URI || Categories: Individual Rights, Property Rights, Zoning and Land-Use
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July 9, 2006

Government Regulation And The Housing Market

The Washington Post has interesting article today about the almost complete lack of smaller-sized homes being bult for the Washington DC/Maryland/Virginia market.
There are several reasons that this is probably occurring. Land values are so high that it makes more sense for developers to build one large homes rather than two or three smaller […]

Posted By: Doug Mataconis @ 11:06 am || Permalink || Comments (14) || TrackBack URI || Categories: Property Rights, Zoning and Land-Use