South Africa votes to seize land from white farmers without compensation
"Critics have compared the move to the disastrous redistribution of land in neighbouring Zimbabwe, which was often accompanied by violence and left farms neglected."
The Unbearable Truth About Infrastructure and Urban Sprawl
"The first step is for Americans to learn from the successfully affordable and accessible cities of the world. Ironically, these successful cities are typically more market-based in their planning decisions than the supposedly hyper-capitalist US."
San Francisco confiscates private street from Taiwanese investor, out $90k
"The street's enhanced security and isolated location have attracted some of the wealthiest and most powerful politicians in California over the years, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Cheng says the outcome of the hearing shows that a different standard of government applies to the rich and politically connected in San Francisco."
Courts Force Property Owners to Pay Vandals Who Deface Their Property
"In the People’s Democratic Republic of New York City, the owner of a building covered in graffiti must pay the 'artists' who trespassed on and defaced his property because he whitewashed their 'work,' a clown in a federal gown has decreed. And he must pay a lot: $6.7 million."
Victory for Homeowners in Charlestown Code-Enforcement Racket
"The city’s actions demonstrate how far governments will go to violate constitutional rights if meaningful judicial checks are not there to stop them. Charlestown’s mayor, Bob Hall, has long wanted to destroy Pleasant Ridge—where people can rent a home or pay a mortgage for a very affordable price. And so he teamed up with a Louisville businessman, John Neace, to hatch the following scheme."
The Latest in Local Government Pettiness
"These local governments are basically extortion rackets. And the targets are usually the less fortunate."
NYC not liable for processing fake deed allowing theft of woman’s home
"Merin, 74, had sued the city for not catching the forgery when the paperwork was first filed, but lost on appeal when the court backed a judge who said she couldn’t prove the city was negligent. The feisty homeowner is fuming and has vowed to fight the decision."
Florida Upholds Town’s Ban on Eating Front-Yard Vegetables
"Hermine and Tom had used their front-yard garden to grow vegetables and other plants for 17 years. Miami Shores told Hermine and Tom to destroy their garden or face fines of $50 per day. Unable to bear the cost of the fines, they dug up their garden. In today’s decision, the court upheld the vegetable ban, concluding that it is rational for government to ban 'the cultivation of plants to be eaten as part of a meal, as opposed to the cultivation of plants for ornamental reasons.'"
He plowed his field; now he faces a $2.8 million fine
"A farmer faces trial in federal court this summer and a $2.8 million fine for failing to get a permit to plow his field and plant wheat in Tehama County." Continue reading →
Bursting Switzerland’s bubble
"Last year, SNP chief Thomas Jordan requested a [buffer] to be introduced for Swiss banks, forcing them to hold an additional one percent of risk-weighted assets to stave off the potential dangers of the housing boom. Earlier this year, as worries about a bubble increased, the SNB instigated a number of policies to prevent any more dramatic rises. This included doubling the capital buffer requirement to two percent. However, despite a partial slowdown since January, Jordan told reporters in March that the work was not yet done. 'The pace has slowed, but we are far away from the soft landing we want. We don’t yet see the slowdown that we would like to see.'" Continue reading →