[internetworkers] The Local Gov't Fair Competition Act.
Scott Chilcote
scottchilcote at earthlink.net
Mon Jul 16 21:38:50 EDT 2007
Phillip Rhodes wrote:
> I never said the Constitution made property a fundamental right, and I
> never will. And that's
> because I hold that Constitutions don't grant rights, they simply affirm
> a subset of them.
> Rights, such as the right to property, I personally property ownership
> hold to be such a fundamental and
> inalienable right that it transcends the issue of Constitutions of
> governments. I believe
> that all individuals are inherently sovereign and own what they own, and
> that all other rights
> extend from property rights (eg, I own my body, so if you kill me you
> are damaging my property).
I'd argue that it takes an organized, cooperative society to recognize
and respect individual property rights.
Without such an arrangement, what you own is highly negotiable. It
consists of what you are capable of protecting, while you are conscious
and present. Anything else is fair game for any competitor.
I don't think it was an accident that we and most other places that have
high standards of living wound up with notions such as common good and
fairness. These concepts may be heavily exploited and manipulated, but
this doesn't negate their essential value.
If people did not band together to put out fires or chase off invasions,
regardless of whether those threatened were able to pay for the honor, I
think we would be a far less evolved species than we are today - if we
existed at all.
So why should the notion of individual property, which is granted by a
civilized society, have more value and meaning than requiring that each
individual who benefits from their society should make a contribution to
its continued success? If some or all of those members decided that
they were no longer going to do anything to ensure that the society
continues to prosper, then it will likely fail. And at the point at
which it fails, then the property rights that it granted become moot.
--
Scott C.
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