I have two simple questions for those who have expressed anti-property opinions on this thread.
To those who have suggested that we should abandon private property, I ask what you propose to replace it with. We can't determine which alternative is superior unless we actually have two concrete ideas to compare.
To those who have suggested that we should abandon any sort of property system, I have a more fundamental question. A system of property exists to answer the basic question "Who decides what will be done with any given resource?" If your answer is that each individual always decides what to do with the fruits of his own labor, you are on your way to a private property system. If you say that some other entity will always make the decision, you are on the road to collectivism. If you say that the answer depends on the situation, then you are exploring the middle ground of socialism.
So, if you reject all of these alternatives, I must ask how you propose that such decisions should be made.
Billy Brown, MCSE+I
bbrown@conemsco.com