-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Lorrey <mike@lorrey.com>
To: extropians@extropy.com <extropians@extropy.com>
Date: 14 December 1998 17:35
Subject: Re: Property [was Re: The Education Function]
>Samael wrote:
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Dick.Gray@bull.com <Dick.Gray@bull.com>
>> To: extropians@maxwell.kumo.com <extropians@maxwell.kumo.com>
>> Date: 11 December 1998 17:50
>> Subject: Property [was Re: The Education Function]
>>
>> >
>> >
>> >On Thu, 10 Dec 1998 15:34:47 -0000, "Samael" <Samael@dial.pipex.com>
wrote:
>> >
>> >>2) Property is theft.
>> >>Communist view - owning anything means you are stealing from everyone -
as
>> >>in a natural state nothing is owned by anyone.
>> >
>> >I assume this absurd contradiction is not your position. (Of course,
it's
>> >true that resources are not initially owned by anyone, so it's utter
>> >nonsense to speak of "stealing" them "from everyone" or anyone. It's
hard
>> >to believe anyone ever bought into this Proudhonian bilge.)
>>
>> Example:
>>
>> An object starts off as unowned. Everyone could use it. Then somneone
>> comes along and claims it. Now only they can use it. How is this not
>> theft?
>
>It is not theft if the original claimant is a government which is a
>representative democracy. Then when the government sells it, the public is
>gaining maximum utility from that object.
Democracy is as fundamentally silly as any other political system. JMust because everyone else voted for something doesn't make it right.
Samael