From: nelson@crynwr.com (Russell Nelson)
Date: Wed, 5 Oct 94 16:26:58 PDT
To: chen@intuit.com
Subject: Re: Government vs. Markets
In-Reply-To: <9410052253.AA29033@doom.intuit.com>
Message-ID: <m0qsfrr-0008cKC@crynwr.crynwr.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


   From: chen@intuit.com (Mark Chen)
   Date: Wed, 5 Oct 1994 15:57:03 -0700 (PDT)

   It would be helpful if we could define the word "government."  Is a
   government any organization of people, or is it any organization
   wherein some people hold coercive power over others?

It's any organization that is allowed to have a monopoly on legitimate
coercion.  When the IRA collects taxes, and provides protection,
that's thuggery.  When the British Government does the same thing,
that's perfectly fine.  <cough!>

   In either case, how are corporations different from governments?

In the main, corporations persuade and governments force.

-- 
-russ <nelson@crynwr.com>    http://www.crynwr.com/crynwr/nelson.html
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