Property rights

In Wichita, revealing discussion of property rights
13
Apr
By Bob Weeks

In Wichita, revealing discussion of property rights

Reaction to the veto of a bill in Kansas reveals the instincts of many government officials, which is to grab more power whenever possible. When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that justifies it. -- Frederic Bastiat Kansas Governor Sam Brownback's veto of a bill that gives cities additional means to take blighted property has produced reaction from local officials in Wichita. The bill is Senate Bill 338. As has been noted…
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13
Apr
By Bob Weeks

Wichita City Council speaks on blight

Wichita City Council members speak in opposition to Kansas Governor Sam Brownback's veto of Senate Bill 338, which would have given cities additional power to take property. April 12, 2016. View below, or click here to view at YouTube. For more on this issue, see Governor Brownback, please veto this harmful bill.
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Governor Brownback steps up for property rights
11
Apr
By Bob Weeks

Governor Brownback steps up for property rights

Today Kansas Governor Sam Brownback vetoed Senate Bill 338. As explained by John Todd, this bill unnecessarily and dangerously increased the power of cities over private property rights. Thank you to the governor for understanding the harm of this bill and acting appropriately. Most of all, thank you to John Todd for recognizing the bill's danger, for his committee testimony, and for his tireless work in helping inform the governor and his staff about this bill. Following, the governor's veto message: The right to private property serves as a central pillar of the American constitutional tradition. It has long been…
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Governor Brownback, please veto this harmful bill
26
Mar
By Guest Author

Governor Brownback, please veto this harmful bill

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback should veto a bill that is harmful to property rights, writes John Todd. For more about this issue, see Power of Kansas cities to take property may be expanded. Senate Bill 338 has been passed by the Legislature and is now on its way for Governor Sam Brownback to consider. The Governor should veto this bill. This bill gives cities, in conjunction with their preferred nonprofit organizations, the ability to take possession of unoccupied residential houses that the property taxes are currently paid in full. This bill will clearly place vulnerable senior citizens and less affluent…
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Power of Kansas cities to take property may be expanded
10
Mar
By Bob Weeks

Power of Kansas cities to take property may be expanded

A bill working its way through the Kansas Legislature will give cities additional means to seize property. The bill is SB 338, titled "Rehabilitation of abandoned property by cities." This bill has passed the Senate by a vote of 32 to eight. It has had a hearing in the House of Representatives. Wichitan John Todd is opposed to this bill and provided oral and written testimony this week to a House committee. In his testimony, Todd made these points, among others: Senate Bill 338 appears to provide local governmental units with additional tools that they don’t need to “take” properties…
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Property rights in Wichita: Your roof
18
Jan
By Bob Weeks

Property rights in Wichita: Your roof

The Wichita City Council will attempt to settle a dispute concerning whether a new roof should be allowed to have a vertical appearance rather than the horizontal appearance of the old. Tomorrow the Wichita City Council will be asked to uphold a decision of the Historic Preservation Board (HPB) regarding the characteristics of a roof someone installed on their house. Here's material from the agenda packet for the meeting: Analysis: By a 4-0-1 vote, the HPB found the installation of the metal panel roof does encroach upon, damage and destroy the Park Place Fairview Historic District by installing a non-traditional…
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The real free lunch: Markets and private property
29
Jul
By Bob Weeks

The real free lunch: Markets and private property

As we approach another birthday of Milton Friedman, here's his article where he clears up the authorship of a famous aphorism, and explains how to really get a free lunch. Based on remarks at the banquet celebrating the opening of the Cato Institute’s new building, Washington, May 1993. I am delighted to be here on the occasion of the opening of the Cato headquarters. It is a beautiful building and a real tribute to the intellectual influence of Ed Crane and his associates. I have sometimes been associated with the aphorism “There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” which…
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Historic value, gone in a flash
03
Feb
By Bob Weeks

Historic value, gone in a flash

Which buildings in Wichita have historic value can change at the whim of the council. The Wichita City Council has decided that three historic buildings in Wichita are no longer worthy of preservation. Today the council reversed a decision by the Historic Preservation Board and will allow the property owner to proceed with the demolition of three formerly historic buildings in southern downtown Wichita. The impetus for the demolition is a request by the new property owners, who also own the nearby WaterWalk development. For those who believe in property rights, if the owner of a building wants to tear…
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07
Jun
By Bob Weeks

Let’s create something special and unique

Following, Sedgwick County Commissioner Karl Peterjohn explains something that the county could do to boost economic growth that doesn't require government intervention, doesn't need fleets of bureaucrats, reduces cronyism and corruption, increases economic freedom, respects property rights, reduces the power of government to control its subjects, and doesn't give politicians opportunities to inflate their egos and boost their electoral prospects by being photographed at ground-breaking and ribbon-cutting ceremonies taking credit for spending your money on something you don't want and which does not work to create jobs and prosperity. For these reasons -- especially the latter -- this won't be…
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