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Subject: 
Re: Fan Thank You Letter
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Fri, 21 Jun 2002 04:11:21 GMT
Viewed: 
3158 times
  
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Dave Schuler writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, David Koudys writes:
> 
> ***snip of stereophilic skullduggery***
> 
> > Sure it works out for that one stolen car stereo may work out to be a
> > fraction of a thousanth of a penny per purchase, but A) you're not the only
> > thief out there and b) you make plenty of purchases.  YOu think that in 10
> > years, you won't have spent more than 300 dollars on the 'addidtional
> > expenses' attached to consumer goods that you purchase?  Unless you steal
> > everything that you need to live, throughout your life you're shelling out
> > more than the moneys saved by stealing.  Not you as society, but you
> > specifically--the thief.
> 
>  Kind of.  But consider that the costs are raised infinitessimally by any
> single theft, so it's no good to tell Thief A not to steal; as long as every
> other thief is still stealing, then Thief A will still have to pay pretty
> much the same amount whether he steals your stereo or not.  That is, over
> ten years Thief A would have paid close to $300.00 in theft-absorption costs
> anyway, so he might as well help himself to another stereo while he's at it.
> 
>     Dave!

Take a look at this link for some more thoughts on the economics of crime
(including, particularly, theft)
http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Academic/Hidden_Order/Hidden_Order_Chapter_20.html

Friedman's analysis does not quite square with yours.



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Fan Thank You Letter
 
(...) Feh! What does an economist know about cost/benefit analysis? Interesting article overall, though some of his assumptions seem to depend too much on ideal models rather than real-world situations. The problem, as I see it, is that Thief A (...) (24 years ago, 21-Jun-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Fan Thank You Letter
 
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, David Koudys writes: ***snip of stereophilic skullduggery*** (...) Kind of. But consider that the costs are raised infinitessimally by any single theft, so it's no good to tell Thief A not to steal; as long as every other (...) (24 years ago, 20-Jun-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

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