All Posts Tagged With: "Texas"
What Economic Freedom Indexes Leave Out
In a syndicated column last October, television journalist John Stossel lamented the downgrading from sixth to eighth place—“behind Canada!”—of the United States on the Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom. The Index is based on several metrics, including freedom of movement of capital, the degree of business regulation, and levels of taxes and [...]
24Feb2011 | Kevin A. Carson | 6 comments | ContinuedThe Right to Earn a Living Under Attack
In Louisiana it is illegal to sell and arrange flowers without permission from the government. Aspiring florists must pass a subjective licensing exam that is graded by existing florists, who have a direct incentive to keep new competitors from entering the market. Thus the failure rate is higher than that of the Louisiana bar, which [...]
1Dec2008 | Bob Ewing | 6 comments | ContinuedProtecting Property in a Post-Kelo World
Two years ago, when I began writing a book,
peoples eyes would glaze over when I told them
the subject was eminent domain, the power of
the government to take property by force on just
compensation to the owner. Rarely could I mention the
subject without having to explain it in detail, and
incredulity was a typical response to the realization that
government now takes property for private uses rather
than for the public uses allowed by the
Constitution.
Westerns and Property Rights
Several new westerns opened at the box office last fall, including Kevin Costner’s Open Range, costarring Robert Duvall. The story was a familiar one, with a twist: Costner’s Charlie Waite and Duvall’s “Boss” Spearman are cowboys trailing a herd north through Montana Territory. They run afoul of a villainous cattle rancher who tries to deny [...]
1Mar2004 | Andrew P. Morriss | 3 comments | ContinuedNoah Smithwick: Pioneer Texan and Monetary Critic
The lively and colorful memoirs of Noah Smithwick, nonagenarian, ex-North Carolinian, early Texas pioneer, and eventual Californian, take us back to a time when Americans could grasp essential truths about the nature of money. His book, The Evolution of a State or Recollections of Old Texas Days, reflects the original value system of the mobile and ambitious Americans of the early nineteenth century.
1Jul1999 | Joseph R. Stromberg | 0 comments | ContinuedFor Appearance’s Sake
Don’t let people control the appearance of their property. That’s the view of Montgomery County (Texas) Judge Alan “Barb” Sadler. During the spring of 1995, he proposed a law to restrict commercial signs on strips of privately owned land along rural highways in his county. Mr. Sadler decried the “general decay of the area, and [...]
1Nov1996 | James D. Saltzman | 0 comments | ContinuedI Was a Victim of Union Violence
Mr. Hinote, now retired, lives in Texas. They shot me as I opened the door of my pickup truck. They hit me five times. One bullet tore into my left knee. A bullet went into my right hand. A bullet went into my right side and exited next to my navel. Two bullets went into [...]
1Jun1996 | Bill Hinote | 1 comment | Continued-
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