no third solution » Rent Seeking
“Shit, I do business like this all the time to get companies into the area.”
Apparently oblivious to what is not seen, Representative John “I expect to be in the fucking leadership!” Murtha (D-PA) declares that the product of the rent-seeking that occurs in his district is both beneficial and necessary: Mr. Murtha underscored this point at a breakfast fund-raiser held for him this summer. “This is about jobs,” he told hundreds of military contractors and lobbyists at the Johnstown Convention Center. But, it’s about jobs, says Murtha. Jobs that he creates by depriving others of their opportunities. This is what is not seen. Every million dollars spent in Johnstown is a million dollars that won’t be spent elsewhere. It is a million dollars that may have been voluntarily invested somewhere else where it would be more efficiently allocated — this much … Read entire article »
Filed under: American Politics, Rent Seeking, Taxation is Theft
Height Pollution
The City of Houston (TX) is remarkable for the fact that it’s one of very few (if not the only one of substantial size) city in the U.S. that does not rely on restrictive zoning ordinances to plan the community’s development. Instead, Houston could be considered a poster-child for the success of restrictive deed covenants in accomplishing many of the tasks generally left to bureaucratic central planners. Yet, just as zoning ordinances are imperfect, so too are deed restrictions, as a recent spat between developers and property owners adjacent to a proposed condominium development demonstrates. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Legalese, Rent Seeking