From: Michael S. Lorrey (mlorrey@datamann.com)
Date: Tue Dec 12 2000 - 11:08:00 MST
hal@finney.org wrote:
>
> Michael S. Lorrey, <mlorrey@datamann.com>, wrote:
> > Damien Broderick wrote:
> > >
> > > At 06:38 PM 11/12/00 -0800, samantha wrote:
> > >
> > > >Property is theft from whom? You can['t] steal if no one has any ownership
> > > >rights. :-)
> > >
> > > This standard retort to a snappy slogan (or counter-slogan) entirely avoids
> > > the case being implied.
> >
> > Not at all Damien. It illustrates the syntactical paradox inherent in
> > the statement.
>
> Actually, I think the resolution is that the slogan is short for
> "*private* property is theft", and it envisions the existence of public
> property. Hence theft is perfectly possible, and private property is
> theft from the public.
However, as my later comments state, if it is the public's chosen agent
(i.e. government) which sells/rents/leases that property to individuals,
it is not theft, since the public is getting freely exchanged value for
that property which it wishes to sell.
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