When I used to have more time on more hands (or more energy for my time) I did some blogging about eminent domain issues. One of those blog entries received a comment a few days ago that I wanted to address: I appreciated your article on the TIF struggle in Des Planes. In Newton, IL, the mayor and his rubber stamp council (seven of eight) are making plans to establish a TIF … [Read more...] about Starting the Fight Against the Newton TIF
Barry Cooper Rides Again
Last year, I reviewed the DVD Never Get Busted Again, Volume 1: Traffic Stops by former narcotics cop Barry Cooper, in which he explains how to avoid getting busted for driving with weed. I found it interesting and entertaining, and I thought it might actually help some people avoid getting busted. (It may surprise some of you to learn that although I'm a libertarian, I don't … [Read more...] about Barry Cooper Rides Again
JonBenet’s Parents Still Not Guilty
Wow. There's new evidence in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. Newer, bigger, better DNA testing has found yet more DNA from a stranger on her clothes. The presence of DNA trace evidence in several different places suggests that this is not merely innocent transfer, but a trace of her killer. No match to DNA databases. So far... … [Read more...] about JonBenet’s Parents Still Not Guilty
The Road To Hell Is Paved With Rent-Seeking
To a free-market economist, greed (as commonly defined) is not a bad thing. There's nothing wrong with wanting to earn as much money as possible. Free markets work well when everyone is trying to do exactly that. Only when some market player tries to earn a lot of money by manipulating non-market forces do economists become enraged and hurl swear words. Economists being dreary … [Read more...] about The Road To Hell Is Paved With Rent-Seeking
A Sampling of Evidence
In an article about the legal defenses for a drug possession charge, Jon Katz mentions a case in which a suspect was caught with ten pills, all allegedly methadone. The state had a chemist test one of the pills to determine it was methadone, then the chemist testified that the other pills looked similar. This was enough to convict, and the decision quoted favorably an earlier … [Read more...] about A Sampling of Evidence