X-Digest-Num: 66
Message-ID: <44114.66.287.959273824@eGroups.com>
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 17:55:15 -0500 (EST)
From: "Robert J. Chassell" <bob@rattlesnake.com>
Subject: Re: Off-topic: cultures and mysticism (was: Promotin g Lojban)
X-Yahoo-Message-Num: 287
Content-Length: 950
Lines: 30

engdahl@visa.com writes:

   Actually, the libertarian believes that the purpose of government is served
   in four areas: ...

Yes..  But that misses two major practical issues: how do you handle
highly powerful private groups, such as oligopolistic companies, and
how do you handle what is called `intellectual property'?

In the usual rendition, libertarianism is an insufficient statement of
a government's policy.

Put another way, how would you handle the requests of US railroads in
the late 1860s for government regulation?  (This was before the
request by users of railroads for regulation.  The Interstate Commerce
Commission grew out of the latter request a generation after this
first request.)

Do you think the private caused and benefited seizures of property
that occured were `good'?

-- 

    Robert J. Chassell                  bob@rattlesnake.com
    Rattlesnake Enterprises             http://www.rattlesnake.com