Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site dciem.UUCP Path: utzoo!dciem!mmt From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) Newsgroups: net.politics.theory Subject: Re: Re: What is property? Message-ID: <1511@dciem.UUCP> Date: Wed, 3-Apr-85 18:41:09 EST Article-I.D.: dciem.1511 Posted: Wed Apr 3 18:41:09 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 3-Apr-85 20:12:25 EST References: <764@bunker.UUCP> <862@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA> Reply-To: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada Lines: 48 Summary: >It certainly doesn't seem desirable to have property become the >the government's when someone dies (as suggested by ?); if the >government is too big now (which I believe, and I thought that >libertarians did, too), then having it inherit everything, which >will make it bigger, isn't a good idea. Giving things away in >anticipation of death will delay but not prevent the government >from owning everything. > Without taking sides (this time) on whether the government *should* own much, little, or nothing, I'd like to point out that passing an estate to the government on someone's death has nothing to do with the size of government, its growth or decline. The following *may* be a libertarian position consistent with those who think all a person's belongings should go to the government at death: The idea is that the heirs have no specific right to benefit from the labours of their ancestors. Hence the fruits of the labour of a dead person are equally due to everyone. When the property goes to the government, it is for the purposes of sale; the proceeds are distributed (or used to reduce taxes), and everyone benefits microscopically. The estate is probably worth a lot more as a unit than if everyone were given a square millimeter of land or a gram of house, so selling it is the best way to maintain the total wealth of the community (and please the purchaser). Not all libertarians think there should be no government, but here's a variant that might satisfy those who do. Let everybody who wishes to do so join a group (say a Tontine Group). When someone dies, the Group Administrator sells off the property and distributes the proceeds among the group members. Anyone joining this group would contract not to leave the group except by death or by repaying the group enough to compensate for the dividends received plus appropriate interest. The property of anyone who dies when not a member of a group would be considered to be up for grabs (like homesteading). It might get a bit nasty, but that's life in Libertaria, isn't it? (For those wondering about the name Tontine Group, it refers to a once-popular kind of life-insurance/lottery. A group of people, probably children of a similar age, would combine some entrance fees which would be invested during their lifetimes. The last one alive would get the lot. It was apparently quite interesting when there were only two or three of the original group left alive). -- Martin Taylor {allegra,linus,ihnp4,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt {uw-beaver,qucis,watmath}!utcsri!dciem!mmt