Property @ MindSay

When people think about the economy, the usually think about the stock and commodity markets, the companies they work for, and the companies they do business with. Economists concern themselves with this economy, and they claim that when left to itself, it is self regulating. "Laissez faire et laissez passer, le monde va de lui même!," so they say, and they advocate scant if any government intervention or regulation. The invisible hand needs no muscle. But this economy is only one class of economic activity at work in society.

Fraud and embezzlement are economic activities. So are organized crime, robbery and burglary, the distribution of controlled substances, counterfeiting and pirating products. This class of economic activity is huge, but not even the most extreme libertarian would advocate that it be allowed to go on without governmental intervention and regulation.

But why not? If economics, as most economists claim, is a science based on natural laws, shouldn’t those laws work in exactly the same way on all economic activity? Don’t the laws of physics work on all physical activity, for instance? Shouldn’t economists have to explain why the invisible hand works on the legitimate economy but not on the illegitimate one? And why haven’t they? Is it because they know the invisible hand doesn’t work anywhere?

For instance, within a year or so after the introduction of quartz watches, the one I had needed a new battery, so I took it to a watch repair shop. Since the introduction of quartz watches was recent, many people still had spring-driven watches, and repairing those made up the largest part of this repair shop’s business. The repairman, after replacing the battery in my watch, told me that my watch needed cleaning, which of course, was a bald-faced lie, since quartz watches have no moving parts. Nevertheless, I asked what that would cost, and he quoted a price that almost equaled the watch’s value. I smiled and told him that I’d think about it.

The repairman was dishonest. Who knows how many other quartz watch owners he hoodwinked? There was little likelihood that he would be exposed, and without that exposure, he could remain in business forever. In cases like this, the invisible hand is the hand that picks the pockets of customers.

In order for the invisible hand to extirpate the weeds of business from business’ elysian field, the cheating has to be obvious and extensively promulgated, and it rarely is. The Sharper Image Ionic Breeze air cleaner was tested by Consumer Reports and found to be ineffective. Sharper Image sued Consumer Reports and lost. Yet Sharper Image is still selling the Ionic Breeze. Even the publication of Consumer Reports and press releases about the trial was not promulgation enough to keep Sharper Image’s hand from picking pockets. So even in the legitimate economy, the invisible hand, without muscle, is a weakling.

Yet there is something more important about this bifurcated economy that becomes obvious when one thinks about why economists make claims about the legitimate part that do not apply to the illegitimate part.

Alan Greenspan in The Age of Turbulence has a chapter on The Universals of Economic Growth. In it, he cites John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government and Locke’s triad of natural rights to which he claims that all people are naturally entitled—life, liberty, and property.  Greenspan writes, “The presumption of individual property ownership and the legality of its transfer must be deeply embedded in the culture of a society for free-market economics to function effectively.”

Both John Locke and Adam Smith lived in England during roughly the same era. Unfortunately neither pointed out that property ownership was not open to everyone. It was held principally by the peerage, the upper class, so that Locke’s natural rights were hardly universal. When he advocated government that protected the natural rights of life, liberty, and property, he was advocating government which protected the wealthy from the poor. And although notions of property have been expanded over succeeding centuries, the basic principle has not. The principle is what explains the bifurcation of economic activity into the two classes of legitimate and illegitimate. The illegitimate  economy is subject to control merely to protect the property of haves from the property-less, and the legitimate economy is scantly regulated so the haves can pick the pockets of the have-nots. That sentence defines the essence of a free-market economy.

Some people misunderstood my last post. My post was not about defending Joe Horn. My post was about saying "Fuck Off!" to the thieves.

Horn may or may not have committed a crime. We will find out soon enough. The point is that, if he did indeed break the law, that one crime led to another crime. The second one does not happen without the first one. Those two guys brought it on themselves. They weren't strolling down the street minding their own business. 

I am not really shocked by the reactions. Some people are concerned only with the deaths in this case while caring little about property. It is a symptom of our current situation.

We have let government grow out of control to the point where they pretty much control everything. They certainly control property. There is no respect for property anymore. The government can claim your property if they feel like doing it. You know like if they feel like building a gigantic highway to merge three countries together. 

I could go on and on about this but I just don't see the point. Once you stray so far away from something you tend to forget it ever existed.

Hi, This is one of the best I have read in a long time.

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yeah," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have. Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends! 

"Happiness keeps u Sweet, Trials keep u Strong, Sorrow keeps u Human, Failure Keeps u Humble, Success keeps u Glowing, But only God Keeps u Going..... "

The headline in this week's Crain Chicago Business magazine reads, "Dumped by Trump." It seems Donald Trump is looking for more money for his still-under-construction Chicago condominiums.

Back in 2003, Trump offered his condos at a discounted price as part of the "friends and family" program. Now three years later, the condos purchased for about $1.3 million are estimated to be worth $2.2 million.

As a result, original buyers are now receiving letters from Trump's organization telling them they can either pay the difference in price, or give up the condos.

A young man from one of the North Dakota Reservations was killed Thanksgiving Day in Afganistan.  It is the first casuality of the Three Affiliated Tribes in that area of the Reservations.

Phelps and his Inbreed Family have targeted this young man's funeral.  And is planning on going up to raise some homesexuality fear hell.  If you all don't know about Phelps and his Inbreed Family and their church in KS, lets just say, they blame everything on Gays.  And the really sick thing about them showing up to military funerals of young men and women who were killed over in the Middle East, is that they are saying these young men and women are Gay.  Which we all know there is nothing wrong there.  But the kicker is that the reason why they are dying in the line of combat is because the Phelps believe that they support homesexuility and thus are being punished by God.

Regardless if these men and women are gay or if they support homesexuality, nobody and I mean nobody should dishonor their funerals and their journeys home.

The Tribal Council of the North Dakota Reservation has BANNED Phelps and his Inbreed Family!  WOOT WOOT.

I think it is extermly funny because the Phelp's family response was they will be on Public land and not on other property such as private and blah blah blah.

Well since I was raised on two tribal reservations in NE let me give you a little break down of some of the consequences of Phelps and his Inbreed family are going to come up against if they insist on going to this young warrior's funeral.

1.  The Tribal Council banned them from showing up.  They have called in the Tribal police to escort them out of town. 

Now if your not aware of the multiple governing bodies on a reservation let me break them down.  The Reservation is with in North Dakota thus even if they are a Soverin Nation they also have to follow State Laws.  And since the Reservation is with in a county or two counties or more, they are also have to follow County Law.  Now this is where it gets tricky.  State can arrest them, County can't unless they are cross deputized with Tribal.  Tribal law can arrest any NA Indian with in the County.  They can also arrest any NON NA Indian if they are cross deputized with County.  And a lot of Reservations and County Law officers are usually cross deputized in rural areas because of the time it can take to respond if State is needed.

Okay that explained, on to where Phelps and his Inbreed Family cross that ban to get on to the reservations.  If Tribal Law is called in, then ten to one County knows about the ban.  Something a lot of ppl don't realize is if County is called in then BIA is also called in and they are Federal agents and can arrest anyone.  If BIA officer is on hand then the area FBI office is also aware of the ban and why BIA is going to be on hand.  To watch their asses and the State of North Dakota, FBI will send an officer down to assist the BIA who are assisting the Tribal.  County may or may not be on the Reservation to assist all of them or they will be on the sidelines waiting for the call to assist.

So thus if Phelps and his family cause any massive hub bub and resist or cross that ban to get on to the reservation, it just isn't breaking the Town or Tribal law it is breaking Federal Law and come on folks......Phelps' lawyers are going to have a hard time going up against Tribal, County, State, and Federal courts of law.

2.  Public land on a reservation?  Okay sure there is public sidewalks and such.  But if it is in the town thus it is owned by the town which is owned by county which is owned by the state.  And then it is on the reservation......tribal law which is ran by the town can vary on this........if the town is majority NA Indian it doesn't matter they are set up as towns or villiages or even city governments.  They make their own ordinances and policies just like every other town in the US.  Most of the land on reservations is owned by (are you ready?)

1.  Tribe

2.  Federal Gov't

3.  State Gov't

4.  City Gov't

5.  Private Land Owners-Either NA Indian or Non Indian

Thus if he breaks the tribe ban and steps foot on any property owned by the town which is most likely ran by a council that is majority of NA Indian or even a mix of NA Indian and Non NA Indian........they will also enforce the tribe ban on phelps.  Again breaking Federal law because Tribal and BIA will enforce the ban!  If they assult a BIA or Tribal Officer, which are a policing unit known in the States, it is a FEDERAL OFFENCE!  Thus again jail time!

3.  Most folks be them NA Indian or Non Indian in rural areas and especially on reservations........really HATE ppl who go after their kids.  And especially when the tribe and the other folks in the area are very very patriotic and for the most part, BEAR ARMS.  You don't mess with ppl of any culture that are a strong WARRIOR culture and that is exactly what the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota ppls are.  That is exactly what the other NA Indian tribes in the area are.  That is exactly what most of the white folks in the area are......coming from Norse, Celt, and other cultures that made their way to that harsh area of the states.

So I say let Phelps take his Inbreed Family on up to North Dakota and step on to that reservation!  Let them tear him a new asshole!  And his family too!