Articles

Report : Massachusetts Homeowners Lose Millions in Home Equity Theft Racket

December 13, 2021 | By ANGELA ERICKSON & JOSH POLK

Massachusetts is one of a dozen states that still practice home equity theft: When a homeowner owes a tax debt, no matter how small, the local government can force a foreclosure and keep the full selling price of the home—leaving the homeowner with nothing. A new Pacific Legal Foundation report, Violating the Spirit of America: Home Equity The ...

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The size and scope of home equity theft : Shining a spotlight on New Jersey

November 15, 2021 | By ANGELA C. ERICKSON

Home equity theft has cost hundreds of New Jersey families their homes and all the savings built into them.1 Across the nation, property tax collectors can seize and sell homes to collect unpaid taxes if an owner misses a payment or miscalculates what they owe. In many states, property tax collectors also work with private investors who purchase ...

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To end bidding wars for new homes, make housing legal

November 03, 2021 | By KEELYN GALLAGHER & ANGELA ERICKSON

In March, a California home sold for $1 million over asking price. In South Florida, renters are bidding up rents and offering to pay a year's worth of rent up front. Across the country, homes are on the market for just 24 hours before sellers are bombarded with multiple offers, often well above asking price. No matter what state you live in, st ...

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Individual liberty, property rights, and conservation are intertwined

April 02, 2021 | By ANGELA C. ERICKSON

Lawmakers in Montana want to take away the right of certain nonprofits to purchase land through free market transactions, a move that would harm environmental conservation, rather than protect it. The bill's sponsor is trying to legislate the American Prairie Reserve out of existence by denying them basic private property rights. The American ...

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The Center Square : Let Kentucky thrive by removing unnecessary state laws that kill jobs

March 31, 2021 | By ANGELA C. ERICKSON

Co-authored by Raleigh Bruner, owner of Kentucky-based Wildcat Moving and The Wildcat Group, and former PLF client. A report from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce details how Kentucky's employment has made significant strides in bouncing back from last year's pandemic-driven drop. But we still have a long way to go to get back to pre-pandemic le ...

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Why competitor’s veto laws need to be ended for good

February 01, 2021 | By ANGELA C. ERICKSON

What do the following three people have in common? Raleigh Bruner is a Kentucky entrepreneur with an MBA who started advertising moving services on Craigslist, which led to him starting his own moving company. Ursula Newell-Davis of New Orleans is a social worker who wants to provide respite services to families with special needs children. ...

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States are suspending Certificate of Need laws in the wake of COVID-19 but the damage might already be done

January 11, 2021 | By ANGELA C. ERICKSON

Updated on January 11, 2021 With the spread of COVID-19 pushing hospitals to full or near-full capacity in Florida, New York, Washington, and elsewhere, numerous states are reevaluating one policy that is meant to prevent the growth of health care services and facilities. Certificate of Need (CON) laws currently exist in 38 states across the ...

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In 13 states, it’s legal for governments to steal your home equity

September 19, 2019 | By ANGELA C. ERICKSON

Editor's note: In July 2020, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled in favor of Uri Rafaeli, preventing the government from foreclosing on private property for unpaid property taxes, and keeping all the proceeds. This is a major victory for property owners in Michigan and is an important step in ending Home Equity Theft nationwide. *** Uri Rafaeli's st ...

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The Daily Caller : Making federal regulators accountable starts with fixing the FDA

May 09, 2019 | By ANGELA C. ERICKSON

Over the course of 17 years, the Food and Drug Administration issued 25 federal rules that each cost Americans potentially $100 million or more. That's the alarming finding of research I released this month through the Pacific Legal Foundation cataloging the lack of democratic accountability within the Department of Health and Human Services (HH ...