4 ms·
I'm largely a believer in private property (and mostly libertarian even), but I really don't think that this dividing up the earth into tiny little squares and
by jMyles 11y ago
I'm largely a believer in private property (and mostly libertarian even), but I really don't think that this dividing up the earth into tiny little squares and pushing everyone out of them in order to make money is defensible.
- branchless 11y agoYou're damn right it's not. We are effectively asking young people to join a game of monopoly that's been going for 2 hours. Would you play under those conditions? Well actually you have no choice thanks to the banks and their landlord foot-soldiers. As many economists have noted, land is not applicable to the general laws of economics because it is finite in supply. We need land value tax to squash speculators who add nothing to the world, right now.
- fapjacks 11y agoThis is one of the most astute and coherent metaphors I have ever read about the subject.
- branchless 11y agoIt's not me. Read the history of the game monopoly, it's the polar opposite of the final product. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/apr/11/secret-history-monopoly-capitalist-game-leftwing-origins http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/apr/11/secret-h... Based on the work of Henry George.
- mrfusion 11y agoI concur. That's a really concise sound bite that really captures the idea. Good job!
- msellout 11y agoBoth "private" and "property" have changed meaning frequently over time, both legally and as social constructs. One American judicial philosophy is "pragmatism" -- that a judge should rule however is best for society, then explain why the law should be interpreted that way afterwards. In this fashion, the law can keep up with the times. It's likely that most judges follow this pragmatism, even if they claim to believe in a different, more idealized philosophy. It's hard to falsify that hypothesis. We'd have to find several cases where the judge admitted that the ruling was worse for the world and yet must be enforced as the best interpretation of the law or precedent.
- paulddraper 11y agoThen I think you missed the point of libertarianism.
- branchless 11y agoNo he didn't. Presently private banks issue fiat money ahead of wealth creation due to a govt granted monopoly on money issuance. If that didn't exist (small 'l' liberal) then in 2008 the banks would have gone to hell and many a lesson would have been learned. Also land is a natural monopoly - you can't make more. Small 'l' liberal economists have said this time and again.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- paulddraper 11y ago> land is a natural monopoly There is no shortage of land. There is a shortage of land in urban areas or areas with easy road access.
- branchless 11y agoAgree with the sentiment, but it's not simply a matter of sprawling. In practice there will always be a need to live in close proximity. The community creates value.