Property rights Archives - Page 7 of 7 Voice For Liberty

Jun

Kansas restrictive neighborhood covenants don’t apply to political yard signs

It's common for neighborhoods to have restrictive covenants that prohibit homeowners from placing any signs in their yard, except for signs advertising homes for sale. But a 2008 Kansas law overrides these restrictive covenants to allow for the placement of small political yard signs starting 45 days before an election. The bill was the product of then-Senator Phil Journey of Haysville. Journey is now a judge in the Kansas 18th Judicial District. The bill passed unanimously in both the Kansas House and Senate. According to the First Amendment Center, some 50 million people live in neighborhoods with homeowners associations. And…

Jun

By Bob Weeks

Letters on Wichita Bowllagio

Letters recently appeared in the Wichita Eagle regarding the proposed Bowllagio project, a west side entertainment destination. Bowllagio is planned to have a bowling and entertainment center, a boutique hotel, and a restaurant owned by a celebrity television chef. The developers of this project propose to make use of $13 million in STAR bond financing. STAR bonds are issued for the immediate benefit of the developers, with the sales tax collected in the district used to pay off the bonds. The project also proposes to be a Community Improvement District, which allows an additional two cents per dollar to be…

Apr

By Bob Weeks

Sweatshops best alternative for workers in many countries

While sweatshops are not the place most Americans would choose to work, they are often the best alternative available to workers in some countries. Pay is low compared to U.S. standards because worker productivity is low, and the process of economic development will lead to increases in productivity and pay. But most policies promoted to help the purported plight of sweatshop workers actually lead to harm. That's the message of Benjamin Powell, who spoke to a group of university students and citizens last night in Emporia on the topic "In Praise of Sweatshops." Powell is a professor of economics at…

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Importance of economic freedom explained in Wichita

Yesterday Robert Lawson appeared in Wichita to deliver a lecture titled "Economic Freedom and the Wealth and Health of Nations." The lecture explained how Lawson and his colleagues calculate the annual "Economic Freedom of the World" index, which ranks most of the countries of the world in how the "policies and institutions of countries are supportive of economic freedom." The conclusion is that economic freedom is a vital component of well-being, income, health, and both personal and political freedom. Robert Lawson The Economic Freedom of the World annual report is available in its entirety at FreeTheWorld.com. Lawson started his lecture…

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Smoking is healthier than fascism

There's a Facebook group named Vote NO on Statewide Smoking Ban (Smoking is healthier than fascism). Started by Wichita activist Wendy Aylworth, the description of the group starts with the rallying cry "We must stop this tyranny of the majority!" Yes, we must. I'm tempted to tell you -- like many people do when discussing matters of public policy -- whether I smoke cigarettes. But does that matter? It shouldn't, because if it does, we shift the basis of policy decisions from "what is right and just and promotes freedom and liberty" to "what is my personal preference." And there's…

Nov

By Bob Weeks

Lord’s Diner debate focused on wrong issues

At today's meeting of the Wichita City Council, an item no longer on the agenda still caused some controversy. The Lord's Diner, a charitable organization, had proposed buying a city-owned building at 21st and Grove and making a second site for their effort to feed Wichita's poor. Opposition from community groups, however, drove the Lord's Diner to withdraw its plans. In today's meeting, council members Sue Schlapp and Paul Gray spoke in favor of the Lord's Diner's plans on the basis of its charitable and humanitarian activity. Council member Lavonta Williams, who represents the district where the proposed site exists,…

Aug

By Bob Weeks

Wichita downtown revitalization discussed on Kansas Week

Bob Weeks discusses planning for downtown Wichita revitalization and what he learned on his trip to the Platinum Triangle in Anaheim, California. Host Tim Brown and guest Randy Brown also appear. From the KPTS Television show Kansas Week, August 14, 2009. The article referred to is Wichita’s getting ready to plan.

Aug

By Bob Weeks

Wichita’s getting ready to plan

As the City of Wichita develops a grand plan for downtown revitalization, can we have a process that is freedom-friendly and respects property rights? I went to Anaheim to find out. Leaders in Wichita -- both private and public sector -- believe that Wichita needs a plan for downtown. To support this, the city is seeking to develop a Downtown Revitalization Master Plan, a "a twenty-year vision for its thriving downtown." Right away I want to ask: if downtown is thriving, why does it need revitalization? The document Wichita used to lure planning firms to apply for the planning job…

Jun

By Bob Weeks

Environmental myths of the Left

One of the powerful stories radical environmentalists -- or any environmentalists for that matter -- tell is how the river in Cleveland caught on fire. Water burning: that's a real environmental disaster. Government must step in and do something! Today the Competitive Enterprise Institute tells the true story. It turns out that it was not capitalism gone wild that caused the fire, but too much government and lack of property rights. Progressivism, Not Capitalism, to Blame for Cleveland River Fire Washington, D.C., June 22, 2009 -- Today is the 40th Anniversary of the famous Cuyahoga river fire in Cleveland, Ohio.…