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Ownership doesn't mean the same thing in liberal democracies and in more or less oppressive countries. It's an abstract concept which gets translated into reali
by YjSe2GMQ 7y ago
Ownership doesn't mean the same thing in liberal democracies and in more or less oppressive countries. It's an abstract concept which gets translated into reality day by day, depending on other people's actions.
Sure, you may "own" a piece of land with a building on it that you had paid for, but the govt can seize it without repaying fair value. Or you may fully "own" a company, but you can only make decisions that fall in line with the party's line.
- vkou 7y ago> Sure, you may "own" a piece of land with a building on it that you had paid for, but the govt can seize it without repaying fair value. It can also do that in the United States, through particularly tortured (and often unfair) application of eminent domain.
- NotSammyHagar 7y agoBut there is a tremendous difference in terms of degree. It can still be unfair. But it is not a common occurrence to the degree it can be in a country like china. We have the ability to appeal to courts. Powerful people can push around the weak, but there is also the ability to go the other way.
- vkou 7y agoYou can appeal to a court in China, too. When people's homes are bulldozed in it, they are also entitled to market value compensation. It is just like eminent domain. And yes, people quibble over fair market value. They do so in the US, too. Poorer communities have been hit very hard by it.