> I pay a lump sum for something that doesn't technically belong to me. The physical object belongs to you, but property has never in the course of history mea

> I pay a lump sum for something that doesn't technically belong to me. The physical object belongs to you, but property has never in the course of history meant "I can do whatever I want with something in my possession." Property rights are about possession and control, not necessarily about concrete objects. (That's why copyright and trademark is known as "intellectual property.") And control is rarely absolute. > the law forbids you from having a slaughterhouse in your land if you don't comply with regulations No, zoning regulations prohibit me from having a slaughterhouse on my land at all. Hell, I can't even build a multi-family residence on it. > if you are arguing that federal and state laws are equivalent to private contracts They are not, but legal enforcement is what makes contracts work - the "teeth," if you will. If everyone were free to flagrantly breach the terms of their contracts, chaos would result. What you're asking for is for certain terms of contracts to be unlawful as contrary to public policy. And that's fine, but again, let's keep the hysterics and ludicrous comparisons to a minimum.