> That's only true... Nonsense. > If I stole all your money and repaid it in fines to the government instead of directly to you, would you consider the matter

> That's only true... Nonsense. > If I stole all your money and repaid it in fines to the government instead of directly to you, would you consider the matter settled? I mean, that's typically how it works. People get robbed by people who don't have the ability to directly restore what they've taken, so the state takes them into custody and makes them a productive member of society. Would I consider the matter settled? Gee, I've seen some really stupid arguments on the Internet that have made me wish I could punch someone over TCP/IP, but while I'm wishing I'm not going to wish for that either.