The Government Took Their Home Equity Over Modest Debts. Michigan's Supreme Court Just Threw Them a Lifeline.
Years after home equity theft was ruled unconstitutional, Michigan keeps looking for ways around the ruling.
Homeowners
For Years, Oregon Stole People's Home Equity Over Modest Tax Debts. A New Law Puts an End to That.
The state just cracked down on a form of state-sanctioned robbery, where governments seized and sold homes over minor tax delinquencies—and then pocketed the profits.
She Got a Permit for Her Chickens. Now the City Is Fining Her $80,000.
The Douglas, Michigan, city government is hitting a homeowner with crushing fines after reversing its own approval. She’s fighting back in federal court.
Are We Headed for Another Disaster With Fannie and Freddie?
If the Trump administration fails to implement real reform, Main Street taxpayers could once again be conscripted into subsidizing lucrative Wall Street deals.
The Government Threatened To Seize His Home Over Tall Grass
Bureaucrats in Dunedin, Florida, originally hit Jim Ficken with a fine close to $30,000. When he couldn't pay that, things turned dire.
It's Trump's Economy Now
Plus: A listener asks the editors to discuss the pros and cons of homeownership.
Fresh Starts on Starter Homes
Lawmakers in Arizona and California are attempting to overcome local resistance to meaningful starter home reforms.
Mark Calabria on Mortgages, Interest Rates, and Debt
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac distort the housing market, explains Mike Pence's former chief economist.
Washington Sued for 'Racially Conscious' Homeownership Program
Washington's Covenant Homeownership Program excludes certain applicants on the basis of race.
Neither Trump Nor Harris Wants To Drain the Swamp. They Want You To Join It.
Both candidates have promised a litany of special favors to handpicked constituencies. If you don't fit into the right categories, you'll pay the price.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris Keep Making Economically Illiterate Promises
These policies may sound good on paper—but they would be disastrous in reality.
Governments Are Still Stealing People's Home Equity Over Modest Tax Debts
A handful of states use loopholes to get around a Supreme Court ruling that declared the practice unconstitutional.
Deregulation Can Fix the Housing Crunch
Increasing the supply of housing requires looser rules and fewer bureaucratic delays.
Baltimore's Tax Sales Are Robbing People of Their Equity
The Edmondson Community Organization accrued a modest property tax debt. The group paid dearly for that.
J.D. Vance Wants To Control You With Taxes
People making the same income should be paying the same level of taxes no matter how they choose to live their lives.
She Underpaid a Property Tax Bill. So the Government Seized Her Home, Sold It—and Kept the $102,636 Profit.
Chelsea Koetter is asking the Michigan Supreme Court to render the state's debt collection scheme unconstitutional.
Here's How To Pay for Trump's Tax Cuts
There seems to be general bipartisan agreement on keeping a majority of the cuts, which are set to expire. They can be financed by cleaning out the tax code of unfair breaks.
The 2024 GOP Platform Promises To 'Make America Affordable Again.' So Why Are They Embracing Fiscal Insanity?
Although former President Donald Trump's deregulatory agenda would make some positive changes, it's simply not enough.
Biden Keeps Blaming Others for His Economic Mistakes
The president has tried to shift blame for inflation, interest rate hikes, and an overall decimation of consumers' purchasing power.
Bryan Caplan: How Regulation Makes Housing More Expensive
Moving is no longer a viable way to grow your wealth in the U.S., says the author of Build, Baby, Build.
A SWAT Team Blew Up This Innocent Couple's Home and Left Them With the Bill. Was That Constitutional?
Mollie and Michael Slaybaugh are reportedly out over $70,000. The government says it is immune.
Reason Is a Finalist for 14 Southern California Journalism Awards
Nominated stories include journalism on messy nutrition research, pickleball, government theft, homelessness, and more.
California Won't Let Homeowners Insurance Companies Raise Rates, so They're Leaving the State Instead
Giving the state control over insurance rates turned pricing into a Byzantine regulatory process.
Squatters Invaded His Mom's House—so He Fought Back
Thanks to "squatters' rights" laws, evicting a squatter can be so expensive and cumbersome that some people simply walk away from their homes.
Here's Why Government Should Stop Throwing Money at Green Energy
In California, which has a slew of renewable energy regulations, the cost of electricity increased three times faster than in the rest of the U.S.—and the state still doesn't even get reliable energy.
This 70-Year-Old Woman Might Lose Her $377,000 Home Over a Small Tax Debt
The Supreme Court supposedly put an end to “home equity theft” last year. But some state and local governments have found a loophole.
The Feds Shouldn't Subsidize Fancy, Risky Beach Houses
Government is "promoting bad behavior," says Sen. Rand Paul. He's right.
What's the Libertarian Answer to New York's Migrant Crisis?
Plus: A listener asks the editors to name America's unsung or undersung heroes.
Did NYC Just Kneecap Airbnb?
"The city is treating our private property as the city's housing stock."
Carol Roth: You Will Own Nothing!
The proponent of "big hair and small government" explains how to flourish in a global financial universe that is indifferent to the individual.
The County Sold Her Home Over Unpaid Taxes and Kept the Profit. SCOTUS Wasn't Having It.
"The taxpayer must render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, but no more," wrote Chief Justice John Roberts.
The Government Stole Her Home Equity Over an Unpaid Tax Bill. Will the Supreme Court Vindicate Her?
A win for Geraldine Tyler, who is now 94 years old, would be a win for property rights.
They Fell Behind on Their Property Taxes. So the Government Sold Their Homes—and Kept the Profits.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear 94-year-old Geraldine Tyler's case challenging home equity theft.
Canada Welcomes the New Year by Banning Foreign Home Ownership
Taxes and bans on foreign home ownership haven't arrested home price increases where they've been tried. There's no reason to think Canada's policy will be more successful.
A 93-Year-Old Woman Couldn't Pay Her $2,300 Tax Bill. The Government Sold Her Home and Kept the Money.
"This is very bad for property rights."
New York Times Writer Sarah Jeong Says Inflation in the News Is Just 'Rich People Flipping Their Shit'
Are normal Americans worried about inflation? Jeong says nope, it's a ginned-up outrage because rich people's "parasitic assets aren’t doing as well as they’d like."
Doorbell Surveillance Networks Have Arrived. Should We Be Scared?
Cops can now request access to videos recorded by Ring, bypassing that pesky step of obtaining a search warrant first.
California Follows the Disastrous Flood Insurance Path to Fire Insurance Fiasco
If market-rate wildfire insurance is too expensive for homeowners, maybe that's telling us something about the risks of living amidst pretty tinder.
