Coercion has an exact meaning.

Off Topic » in reply to I was trying to remember that one

Coercion has an exact meaning.

Tom Brosz — 7/29/2006 6:49:05 AM (archived)

Coercion has an exact meaning.

When the landlord has a gun forcing you to rent from him, or you are shanghaid into a job with a billy club, let me know.

Why should I be "forced" to hold a job to get money? Why should I be "forced" to pay for shelter or food that I would die without? It's unfair. After all, these things just come out of thin air (Wealth "is"), and some people unfairly catch more of it than others, right?

The fact that you need food or shelter does not give you the moral sanction to force someone else to provide it, which is, of course, where all your kind of reasoning eventually leads.

You've got it.

I need it more than you do.

So I get to take it from you.

This is the "Robin Hood Principle," which is kind of unfair to Robin Hood, since as I recall, he was returning tax money to the poor.

It is also the exact "philosophy" of the guy who holds you up at the ATM machine.

Inserting governent wealth-redistribution systems into it makes it cleaner, but doesn't change the basics.

BTW, the second quote in your post was referring to freedom in the political realm, not criminal law. Any libertarian would tell you that laws against force and fraud are a proper function of government.

The whole thread (50 posts)

Competing economic models - Daniel - 7/28/2006 2:17:30 PM
- re: Competing economic models - ER - 7/29/2006 12:20:41 AM
  - A brief digression - ER - 7/29/2006 3:23:42 PM
    - re: A brief digression - Mark S. Nihil - 7/30/2006 5:24:01 AM
      - re: A brief digression - Daniel - 7/30/2006 5:46:44 AM
        
        Yesterday's leftist was a fool! - Mark S. Nihil - 7/30/2006 6:21:03 AM
        
        just one question - Daniel - 7/30/2006 6:57:09 AM
        
        There'll be no need. - Mark S. Nihil - 7/30/2006 7:08:45 AM
        
        I fully agree - President Charles Logan - 7/30/2006 7:24:04 AM
    - Viaje a las Estrellas: La Ira de Khan - ER - 7/29/2006 6:57:43 PM
      - "Running a business is a skill, not a virtue." - Tom Brosz - 7/29/2006 8:38:17 PM
        
        re: "Running a business is a skill, not a virtue." - ER - 7/29/2006 8:51:12 PM
        
        Yes, I do. Excellent example. - Tom Brosz - 7/29/2006 10:49:17 PM
        
        re: Yes, I do. Excellent example. - ER - 7/30/2006 12:01:33 AM
        
        re: Excellent example. - Tom Brosz - 7/30/2006 2:42:07 AM
        
        Senor Eastwood, meet Carter J. Burke - ER - 7/30/2006 3:39:23 AM
        
        I thought of two examples of a heroic businessman in films. How many can you come up with? - Tom Brosz - 7/30/2006 6:07:32 AM
        
        You're right, I can't come up with too many... - ER - 7/30/2006 1:22:40 PM
        
        re: You're right, I can't come up with too many... - Tom Brosz - 7/30/2006 8:46:51 PM
        
        white-collar heroism is difficult to portray because it is inherently boring (n/t) - alcaray - 7/31/2006 3:31:23 PM
        
        You have a point... - ER - 7/31/2006 3:47:54 PM
        
        A clarification... - Tom Brosz - 7/31/2006 7:04:58 PM
        
        Understood - ER - 7/31/2006 7:44:47 PM
        
        "No sillier", perhaps; but I would hope more convincing. (n/t) - ER - 7/30/2006 8:59:04 PM
        
        "right winger writing bad left wing agitprop" is correct - Tony - 7/30/2006 3:43:36 PM
        
        He gives himself away... - ER - 7/30/2006 7:06:39 PM
        
        I suspect no-one. - tony - 7/30/2006 7:58:26 PM
        
        I prefer not to speculate... (n/t) - ER - 7/30/2006 8:45:43 PM
        
        I resent that! - SDAI-Tech1 - 7/30/2006 8:43:52 PM
        
        All businessman are depicted as heros. - Mark S. Nihil - 7/30/2006 6:59:27 AM
        
        BTW, Kirk in Spanish was a hoot... - ER - 7/30/2006 12:09:19 AM
    - only God is free of constraints (if you believe) - Daniel - 7/29/2006 5:55:29 PM
    - Okay, I read that one through twice. - Tom Brosz - 7/29/2006 5:14:50 PM
  - I was trying to remember that one - Robert - 7/29/2006 1:07:23 AM
    - Ya think? - Tom Brosz - 7/29/2006 6:57:03 AM
    - Coercion has an exact meaning. - Tom Brosz - 7/29/2006 6:49:05 AM
      - the only principle being pushed here is A MINIMUM LIVING WAGE - Daniel - 7/29/2006 11:07:28 AM
        
        "Living wage" - Tom Brosz - 7/29/2006 5:11:20 PM
        
        ok, you tell me then - Daniel - 7/29/2006 5:49:21 PM
        
        Obviously, minimum wage is a "livable" wage. - Tom Brosz - 7/29/2006 10:46:50 PM
        
        "Quite well on $5.15/hour" - dtb - 7/30/2006 2:49:58 PM
        
        I did say "as a student." - Tom Brosz - 7/30/2006 9:14:24 PM
        
        Students and minimum wage - dtb - 7/31/2006 1:03:30 AM
        
        thanks for that - Daniel - 7/31/2006 10:29:05 AM
        
        re: thanks - Tom Brosz - 7/31/2006 11:05:34 PM
        
        re: thanks - Daniel - 8/1/2006 1:25:44 AM
        
        Odd jobs - Tom Brosz - 8/1/2006 2:23:07 AM
        
        re: Odd jobs - Daniel - 8/1/2006 3:30:35 AM
        
        SSTO...I wish. - Tom Brosz - 8/1/2006 6:20:15 AM
        
        just to make clear - Daniel - 7/29/2006 6:12:00 PM

Recent posts

On this day in Off Topic

The whole thread (50 posts)