Homines libenter quod volunt credunt
Posted in Corporatism, Property Rights on Aug 22nd, 2010
It is illegal in Maine for retailers to sell 6 gallons of milk and give away a 7th for free. The hubris behind the whole program (similar ones operate in many states) is astonishing. The grocery store had to go to the milk czar to ask for permission to offer an in-store promotion. Under what […]
Posted in Classical Liberalism, Property Rights on Aug 19th, 2010
I like to run along the Erie Canal when I exercise. At several of the access points there are signs posted that say something like “No Parking at All Times.” And of course, several of those signs have had black markers drawn through the “Parking” and replaced with “Wars.” My old neighborhood in (arm)Pittsfield, MA […]
Posted in Property Rights, You Can't Have it Both Ways on Aug 12th, 2010
Tom Palmer points us to two statements in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights: Article 24: Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. Article 25: Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself […]
Posted in Property Rights on Jun 25th, 2010
The most common defense of government use of “eminent domain” proceedings is that without the power to take land (nominally with just compensation) we would all suffer from the “holdout problem.” The holdout problem is simply this – if we are undertaking a large investment project, such as the building of a new college campus, […]
Posted in Property Rights, Voluntary Society on Jun 4th, 2010
Without a long exegesis on the merits of child labor laws, allow me to raise the following observations without comment (for example, we could spend weeks discussing what it means to be a child). My sense is that most people would view child labor laws as useful, and that the employment of children is a […]
Posted in Environment, Property Rights on May 13th, 2010
The use of torts is an imperfect, albeit valuable tool for environmental protection (I’ll put up lecture notes in the coming months). Think about the implications for the environment of a world where there are limits to private property, or where private property is eliminated. How would aggrieved parties deal with pollution? If you do […]
Posted in Property Rights on Mar 25th, 2010
In case any one had delusions about what government is about: “it takes a long time to do the necessary administrative steps that have to be taken to put the legislation together to control the people.” That’s Rep. Dingbat Dingell from Michigan, the renowned economic powerhouse state. Here is the audio. But I only want […]
Posted in Price System, Property Rights on Feb 19th, 2010
One of my bright students asked me a question that roughly goes like this: “What is the true definition of compulsory?” What could he possibly mean by that? Isn’t it obvious? Perhaps not. Consider two strategies a government can use to deal with a situation where lots of customers want to use a resource, but […]
Posted in Environment, Property Rights on Jan 12th, 2010
The states are also eroding the tradition of respect for private property, just like their Uncle Sam has been doing for centuries. This Mitchell Ditch case in Montana just came to my attention: The Montana Supreme Court ruled here recently that the 16-mile-long stream, Mitchell Slough, is open to the public and that the landowners […]
Posted in Environment, Property Rights, Regulation on Dec 16th, 2009
So you think the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act guarantee that the air and water are cleaned? One goal of the Clean Water Act of 1972 was to upgrade the nation’s sewer systems, many of them built more than a century ago, to handle growing populations and increasing runoff of rainwater and waste. […]