3 ms·

"the opposite of anything ayn rand says" -me

• jerf 16y ago
  Which specific thing should be permitted to only mobs that is not permitted of individuals? Or is that a vacuous snark?
  • njharman 16y ago
    Taxing, ownership of life fundamentals (land, air, water), rearing/teaching of young, use of electromagnetic spectrum, governing. But, I'm a socialist. Would also use the terms family, tribe, society, etc. instead of the purposefully biased "mob".
    • jerf 16y ago
      To be honest, I'm a bit surprised at the number of people who had a difficult time identifying who I mean. I'm actually a little-l libertarian and no great lover of government, so I understand the knee-jerk inclination, but why would I be stretching for the definition of a mob when there is another thing that can be called a "mob" in the story with no stretch at all?
    • cookiecaper 16y ago
      Taxation on things is a normal thing that is allowed to all individual entities within their sphere of control. If you own some item, you can effectively set up any taxation system on the usage of that item that you want. The governmental entity is allowed taxation powers because the people under its authority utilize its public benefits, such as police work, court systems, legislative considerations, and so on. Likewise control of commons exists on an individual level as well -- if you are near a certain amount of water, you are generally free to own and control it. To the extent that you don't secure and maintain your property, your ownership is a vain deed. Rearing and teaching of young is a really easy one, commonly given to individuals. Do you think all children should be taken out of individual households and placed in government-run child-rearing centers? That's what this one sounds like, and that is horrifically scary and ridiculous.