Re: ECON: Re: Russia coming around?

From: Alex F. Bokov (alexboko@umich.edu)
Date: Mon Nov 19 2001 - 15:46:05 MST


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On Mon, 19 Nov 2001, Randy Smith wrote:

> I am not sure what socialism you mean.
>
> Perhaps socialism is the collective ownership and management of property.
> That sounds about right...

And what about those who prefer to manage their own individual
property? What about those who have reason to believe that they'll be
discriminated against in any collective they're likely to have the
option of joining?

Reminds me of a story.

I was at a workshop of so-called anarchists (though for practical
purposes, socialists). I asked whether people would still have the
right to keep and bear arms in the society they envisioned. They
seemed incredulous that anybody would even want to. I asked it if
would be illegal, and of course it wouldn't be, just nobody would want
to make or procure weapons, since everything would be shared and blah
blah blah. So I asked what means other than illegalization they would
employ to insure that nobody would trade in weapons.

Why would anybody want to?

Sigh. Okay, just take it as a given that I like guns for whatever
unfathomable reason, and I've just opened a gun shop in the middle of
Socialismville. What now?

The reply essentially was that the 'community' would initiate force to
deprive me of my property. Nobody contested this reply or even looked
like they were shocked by it.

They can take socialism or liberalism or whatever new-wave gen-X name
they may decide to call it and shove it up their collective recti.

- --
* I believe that the majority of the world's Muslims are good, *
* honorable people. If you are a Muslim and want to reassure me and *
* others that you are part of this good, honorable majority, all *
* you need to say are nine simple words: "I OPPOSE the Wahhabi cult *
* and its Jihad." *

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