Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[Scott Chilcote <scottchilcote AT earthlink.net>]

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.