Reply #145: Theft is theft [View All]

While I don't believe that all property is theft, I do believe that uncompensated exclusive rights to natural resources is theft, theft of the commons. Two people (or two buildings, or two wheatfields) cannot occupy the same space at the same time, so some means has to exist to allocate property rights, however, I would like to see compensation due to those who are excluded.

Of course that has nothing to do with pensions either. But I felt like saying it.

One of the chief jobs of the government should be to enforce honesty.

As for pensions, I'm not really a fan. Pensions tend to benefit the employer more than the employee. A pension makes people stay with a company longer than they otherwise would. I also think that there should be a universal citizen's dividend funded out of the payments for exclusive rights to commons. I've seen a study where the amount of all such payments would be sufficient to fund current government, plus give each person $5000/y. Think of the Alaska Permanent Fund, except applied to all natural resources nationwide.