From: starr@genie.slhs.udel.edu (Tim Starr)
Subject: Re: Bleeding-Heart Libertarianism (was Legalizing drugs)
Organization: UDel, School of Life & Health Sciences
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 06:34:18 GMT

In article <1992Dec11.214219.21122@pony.Ingres.COM> garrett@Ingres.COM (REACH OUT AND GREP SOMEONE) writes:
}True, but that doesn't concern my point. The "Rights of Man" as well as 
}the "Bill of Rights" both mainly concern themselves with civil liberties
}such as the right of expression, right to trial, ect. Although, property
}rights are included, they are vastly outnumbered. 

Let's consider the 1st amendment's eslablishment of religion clause.  How
can there be separation of church and state if, hypothetically, the State
owns all the churches?  So, this clause supports private property rights in
churches.  How about the freedom of the press.  How can this be if the
State owns all the presses?  So, this clause, too, supports private property
rights in presses.

How about the takings clause of the 5th amendment: "...nor shall private
property be taken for public use without just compensation."  This means
that private property can only be taken for a public use, and that its
owner must be duly compensated for it.  (See Richard Epstein's book "Takings"
for a fuller elaboration of this theory.)  Thus, we can see that the 5th
amendment provides strong protection for private property rights.

How about the unreasonable search and seizure clause of the 4th amendment?
If the State owns all the housing, then how can it be barred from searching
and seizing it as it sees fit?  Thus, this, too, supports private property
rights.

The 2nd amendment supports the private property right of keeping and bearing
firearms, rather clearly.

The 3rd amendment protects the private property right to own a house without
being forced to quarter soldiers.

Shall I continue?  Or shall you concede that private property rights were
indeed imperative to such Enlightenment political thinkers and actors as
the American Revolutionaries (who were rebelling against taxation) and
the Framers of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights, and the Founders
of the United States of America?

}I remember this. Reagan finished the job, but Carter removed (this is from
}memory, but I'm pretty sure about this) 95% of the controls. Also, his
}deregulation of oil was the prime ingrediant to the inflation that occured.
}Carter's worst inflation occured in 78 and 79. Those were the years that
}oil prices shot up becuase of deregulation.

This is contrary to my understanding; inflation got worse and worse until
Volcker, chairman of the Fed, stimulated the recession of '82.

I also recall gas rationing after '79.

}When he deregulated oil, the price shot up. When he deregulated gold, the
}price shot up. He seemed to be a victim of the free market.

No, the true market price was no longer hidden by gas-line rationing.  Same
for gold, essentially.  Hidden costs and prices were revealed.

Tim Starr - Renaissance Now! - Think Universally, Act Selfishly
starr@genie.slhs.udel.edu

"True greatness consists in the use of a powerful understanding to enlighten
oneself and others." - Voltaire
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc