4 ms·

Everything that is old is new again. AT&T used to claim anyone who attached an unapproved telephone was a criminal: http://bpastudio.csudh.edu/fac/lpress/471/h

by sounds 9y ago

Everything that is old is new again. AT&T used to claim anyone who attached an unapproved telephone was a criminal: http://bpastudio.csudh.edu/fac/lpress/471/hout/telecomHistory/ http://bpastudio.csudh.edu/fac/lpress/471/hout/telecomHistor... "Freed" slaves in the US used to only get to rent land on which to live: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharecropping#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharecropping#United_States Being in control of your own destiny isn't actually that common, historically.

phkahler 9y ago
We all rent the land on which we live. Try not paying your property taxes. In most states.
- nine_k 9y ago
  But you can also can rent land on which to farm, to build a factory, or a skyscraper, without living on that land.
- narrator 9y ago
  ...except for Nevada when for a few years they briefly allowed people to get allodial title.
  - ekianjo 9y ago
    thats almost a worldwide exception
    - rxhernandez 9y ago
      I hear Mexico allows you to actually own land.
    - ZenoArrow 9y ago
      I don't know if this counts or not, but in the UK there are the concepts of freehold and leasehold. Leasehold requires payment of rent on land (to a landlord), but freehold does not. I believe that technically all land is owned by the crown, but I don't think they tax based on land ownership.
  - somebodynew 9y ago
    ...that expired upon death and could not be passed to heirs.
    - fujiters 9y ago
      Still pretty cool.
    - squarefoot 9y ago
      to me this looks fair: land does not reproduce, but people do. Give people the right to own a non infinite resource forever and pretty soon you get to the point where 1% of them will own 99% of that resource, which is exactly what is happening now in many contexts.
- __david__ 9y ago
  In CA they just put a lien on your house. And all that means is you can't sell without clearing the lien (by paying back). I didn't pay property taxes for 2 years once.
  - ensignavenger 9y ago
    That will happen in most states, but if you don't pay long enough they will usually come after you. It may take several years.
- int_19h 9y ago
  With land, it at least makes sense, because there's a very limited supply of it. So one could reasonably argue that it's just too valuable for society to fully surrender all control of even a part of it on a permanent basis.
ensignavenger 9y ago
I read the linked wikipedia article, but there was nothing in it that I found to support your assertion the freed slaves were not allowed to own land?

by sounds 9y ago

phkahler 9y ago

We all rent the land on which we live. Try not paying your property taxes. In most states.

nine_k 9y ago
But you can also can rent land on which to farm, to build a factory, or a skyscraper, without living on that land.
narrator 9y ago
...except for Nevada when for a few years they briefly allowed people to get allodial title.
- ekianjo 9y ago
  thats almost a worldwide exception
  - rxhernandez 9y ago
    I hear Mexico allows you to actually own land.
  - ZenoArrow 9y ago
    I don't know if this counts or not, but in the UK there are the concepts of freehold and leasehold. Leasehold requires payment of rent on land (to a landlord), but freehold does not. I believe that technically all land is owned by the crown, but I don't think they tax based on land ownership.
- somebodynew 9y ago
  ...that expired upon death and could not be passed to heirs.
  - fujiters 9y ago
    Still pretty cool.
  - squarefoot 9y ago
    to me this looks fair: land does not reproduce, but people do. Give people the right to own a non infinite resource forever and pretty soon you get to the point where 1% of them will own 99% of that resource, which is exactly what is happening now in many contexts.
__david__ 9y ago
In CA they just put a lien on your house. And all that means is you can't sell without clearing the lien (by paying back). I didn't pay property taxes for 2 years once.
- ensignavenger 9y ago
  That will happen in most states, but if you don't pay long enough they will usually come after you. It may take several years.
int_19h 9y ago
With land, it at least makes sense, because there's a very limited supply of it. So one could reasonably argue that it's just too valuable for society to fully surrender all control of even a part of it on a permanent basis.

ensignavenger 9y ago

I read the linked wikipedia article, but there was nothing in it that I found to support your assertion the freed slaves were not allowed to own land?