tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post895846040019656888..comments2024-03-28T09:59:13.754-07:00Comments on bionic mosquito: Monstrosity as the Basis for Law bionic mosquitohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002548958078731031noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-33871160882502606812020-11-03T12:48:33.279-08:002020-11-03T12:48:33.279-08:00But this has nothing to do with the Chesterton quo...But this has nothing to do with the Chesterton quote that you cited.<br /><br />Separately, as you have changed the topic: That Bezos is worth $180 billion is a result of the destruction of property rights via government largess, government regulation, and central banking. We need less of the latter to have more of the former.bionic mosquitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12002548958078731031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-6634145229717455512020-11-03T10:32:44.275-08:002020-11-03T10:32:44.275-08:00There are trade-offs between ideals.
Property rig...There are trade-offs between ideals.<br /><br />Property rights are an ideal. Equality of opportunity is an ideal. You get more of the latter by giving up some of the former.<br /><br />In older times, say in an agrarian society, equality of opportunity was not much of a problem, hence the focus on property rights. As we move into a more digital economy, we get what economists call a "superstar effect", i.e., a winner-take-all economy. Think Jeff Bezos here with his $180 billion net worth, this while kids in Flint are drinking lead-tainted water. Here is a quote about equality of opportunity:<br /><br />"Equality of opportunity is a political ideal that is opposed to caste hierarchy but not to hierarchy <i>per se</i>. The background assumption is that a society contains a hierarchy of more and less desirable, superior and inferior positions. Or there may be several such hierarchies. In a caste society, the assignment of individuals to places in the social hierarchy is fixed by birth. The child acquires the social status of his or her parents at least if their union is socially sanctioned. Social mobility may be possible in a caste society, but the process whereby one is admitted to a different level of the hierarchy is open only to some individuals depending on their initial ascriptive social status. In contrast, when equality of opportunity prevails, the assignment of individuals to places in the social hierarchy is determined by some form of competitive process, and all members of society are eligible to compete on equal terms. Different conceptions of equality of opportunity construe this idea of competing on equal terms variously."<br /><br />If countries don't address this issue, we'll see more social unrest and calls for socialism. Ahmed Fareshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07105255828394485657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-21150912619096955402020-11-02T19:51:16.133-08:002020-11-02T19:51:16.133-08:00Eric, it was probably not even on the syllabus. I...Eric, it was probably not even on the syllabus. I had the same experience. <br />IpseDixithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02411994161249414489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-7399345480369533212020-11-02T16:56:32.468-08:002020-11-02T16:56:32.468-08:00Ahmed, your point is lost on me.Ahmed, your point is lost on me.bionic mosquitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12002548958078731031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-66342443370674744132020-11-02T12:11:06.355-08:002020-11-02T12:11:06.355-08:00"An imbecile habit has arisen in modern contr..."An imbecile habit has arisen in modern controversy of saying that such and such a creed can be held in one age but cannot be held in another." —Chesterton<br /><br />I'll bite.<br /><br />Property rights are meaningless to those who do not have an opportunity to acquire property. A quote:<br /><br /><i>The median net worth for non-immigrant African-American households in the Greater Boston region is $8, according to “The Color of Wealth in Boston,” a 2015 report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Duke University, and the New School.</i><br /><br />That's about the cost of a Happy Meal. Here is the source: <b>That was no typo: The median net worth of black Bostonians really is $8</b><br /><br />https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/12/11/that-was-typo-the-median-net-worth-black-bostonians-really/ze5kxC1jJelx24M3pugFFN/story.html<br /><br />This is a link to the Fed study:<br /><br />https://www.bostonfed.org/publications/one-time-pubs/color-of-wealth.aspx<br /><br />This is a socio-economic caste system. All we're missing is the dots on the foreheads.<br /><br />Ahmed Fareshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07105255828394485657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-36010288283457664572020-11-02T11:57:54.401-08:002020-11-02T11:57:54.401-08:00Of course! Not sure if you had the same experienc...Of course! Not sure if you had the same experience, but in two semesters of Constitutional Law, we actually never read it (much less the much--to me--more foundational state constitution) but spent gobs of time on its penumbras and emanations.Eric Morrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-10100395062901316182020-11-02T10:14:25.249-08:002020-11-02T10:14:25.249-08:00I would be thrilled if they actually just stuck to...I would be thrilled if they actually just stuck to the Constitution, regardless of the ignorance about its foundations!bionic mosquitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12002548958078731031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-43624484790227812872020-11-02T09:42:57.104-08:002020-11-02T09:42:57.104-08:00At law school orientation, the contracts law teach...At law school orientation, the contracts law teacher led a discussion. She asked what is the basis of our system of law? I raised my hand and said the Ten Commandments. She sort of laughed at me and then proceeded to say the US Constitution. Ha! And she teaches contracts, which as you know arise from the common law. Eric Morrisnoreply@blogger.com