It is precisely those things which belong to "the people" which have historically been despoiled- wild creatures, the air, and waterways being notable examples. This goes to the heart of why property rights are socially important in the first place. Property rights mean self-interested monitors. No owned creatures are in danger of extinction. No owned forests are in danger of being leveled. No one kills the goose that lays the golden egg when it is his goose.
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Both the revolutionary and the creative individual are perpetual juveniles. The revolutionary does not grow up because he cannot grow, read more
Both the revolutionary and the creative individual are perpetual juveniles. The revolutionary does not grow up because he cannot grow, while the creative individual cannot grow up because he keeps growing.
A democratic despotism is like a theocracy: it assumes its own correctness.
A democratic despotism is like a theocracy: it assumes its own correctness.
Pollution is nothing but the resources we are not harvesting. We allow them to disperse because we've been ignorant of read more
Pollution is nothing but the resources we are not harvesting. We allow them to disperse because we've been ignorant of their value.
People are beginning to realize that the apparatus of government is costly. But what they do not know is that read more
People are beginning to realize that the apparatus of government is costly. But what they do not know is that the burden falls inevitably on them.
So long as we have enough people in this country willing to fight for their rights, we'll be called a read more
So long as we have enough people in this country willing to fight for their rights, we'll be called a democracy.
For Americans war is almost all of the time a nuisance, and military skill is a luxury like Mah-Jongg. But read more
For Americans war is almost all of the time a nuisance, and military skill is a luxury like Mah-Jongg. But when the issue is brought home to them, war becomes as important, for the necessary period, as business or sport. And it is hard to decide which is likely to be the more ominous for the Axis -- an American decision that this is sport, or that it is business. - The American Character.
We would like to live as we once lived, but history will not permit it.
We would like to live as we once lived, but history will not permit it.
Government, in its very essence, is opposed to all increase in knowledge. Its tendency is always towards permanence and against read more
Government, in its very essence, is opposed to all increase in knowledge. Its tendency is always towards permanence and against change...[T]he progress of humanity, far from being the result of government, has been made entirely without its aid and in the face if its constant and bitter opposition.
Given that some social processes must convey inherent constraints, the choice is among various mixtures of persuasion, force, and cultural read more
Given that some social processes must convey inherent constraints, the choice is among various mixtures of persuasion, force, and cultural inducement. The less of one, the more of the others. The degree of freedom that is possible is therefore tied to the extent to which people respond to persuasion or inducement.
