From: azur@netcom.com (Steve Schear)
Date: Mon, 2 Dec 1996 15:09:12 -0800 (PST)
To: Stephen Boursy <boursy@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: wealth and property rights
Message-ID: <v02140b01aec910089b2a@[10.0.2.15]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


>Adam Back wrote:
>>
>> Steve Boursy writes:
>>
>>>   That's a fair question.  I don't begrude one's ownership of their
>>> fair share--but I do have serious problems with what we shall
>>> call 'accumulators' if you will.  For them I have contempt and no--
>>> they do not have that right of possession and often such 'work' is
>>> at the expense and on the backs of others.
>>
>> I'm an accululator :-)
>>
>> The investments I have I worked for.
>
>  Well of course you have--but the majority of people
>in the world that are poor have worked just as hard
>and do not derive the same benefits--that needs to
>be changed.
>
>  <clip>
>
>> See, if you spend your money now, on the above, you have no right to
>> criticize me when I look relatively wealthy later.  It's your choice
>> to blow your money.
>
>
>  I agree--that's not what I was talking about--the majority of wealth
>is handed down not earned--and the ability to earn also more often
>than not results in hand me down priv.

I believe it was Thomas Jefferson who was successful at getting the
practice of  primo geniture outlawed in Virginia (it was later adopted by
all the other states).  He believed in a 'meritocracy' or sorts and abhored
any practice which would create a merchant or political aristocracy in the
new Republic.  Unfortunately much of his wisdom was ignored (e.g. objection
to a central bank, and the forbidding of one generation to indebt another)
and we suffer the consequences to this day.

>
>
>> Btw, people of your mentality (communists/socialists) already make it
>> very difficult for me to accumulate,
>
>  We do our best--some day we'll take it all away--really.
>
>                             Steve