From: "James A. Donald" <jamesd@echeque.com>
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 05:54:47 +0800
To: Adam Back <cypherpunks@toad.com>
Subject: Re: FCPUNX:time to learn chinese?
Message-ID: <199802102142.NAA10766@proxy3.ba.best.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



    --
At 10:24 PM 2/9/98 GMT, Adam Back wrote:
> The interesting aspect of her speculation was on the
> possibility of an economic and political process of change
> which would result in a transition directly from communism
> to a free market based political system, by-passing
> democracy and socialism.  She viewed democracy and 
> socialism as mistakes made by the west to be learned from
> and avoided.

In other words, instead of China taking over Hong Kong, Hong
Kong takes over China.

We shall see.

Right now Hong Kong is being run by some rich capitalist
chinese.

(What else is new, you may ask)

The problem with such systems is that they are vulnerable to
the same disease that struck down Venice.  Rich merchants
aquire state power, soon are tempted by the easy and safe
returns from confiscation and taxation, rather than the
difficulty and risk of commerce, soon become aristocrats,
equally contemptuous of the poor, of real businessmen, and of
earning an honest living. 

    --digsig
         James A. Donald
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We have the right to defend ourselves and our property, because of 
the kind of animals that we are. True law derives from this right, 
not from the arbitrary power of the state.

http://www.jim.com/jamesd/