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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (22963)	1/5/2004 1:58:16 AM
From: frankw1900	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793706

The "Chicago Boys" tried to install our economic system around the world, and found that economic freedom by itself was always corrupted in these other countries. These are mercantilist societies. Like 17th century gents they believe in licences, patronage, bounties, subsidies, tariffs. They believe economic life is a zero sum game and a public position is a franchise and that includes customs inspectors and minor policemen. Everything Adam Smith criticized and demolished is working in these societies. Pre-Enlightenment. Britain and the US and the others are post enlightenment The poor of course, don't have the luxury of benefittting from these beliefs and do what they gotta do. The permits and mordita are worth two years revenue, so they just disregard it all and buy and sell but their status doing so is not "legal." de Soto points out the poor have no secure title to assets and often there is no land registry that functions and no real property law. No title, no credit. No credit, few improvements and very slow business expansion. Etc. US is trying a new tack lately and pushing legal rather than economic reforms: human rights and that has to include property rights.

To: LindyBill who wrote (22963)	1/6/2004 3:02:41 AM
From: D. Long	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 793706

The root of it all was Ricardo and his argument that the value of a good is determined by the labor expended in its manufacture. So, as the early Socialists argued, then labor should reap the benefits, and "surplus value" is a sin. The problem with this leap, is that it assumes value is derived from mere muscle power. It is like claiming that the ox that pulls the plow is the fount of agriculture. If only the ox could get rid of the farmer, there would be perfect social justice. That is, of course, nonsense. And it is nonsense that has cost 100 million human lives in the 20th century. Derek