Subject:
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Re: Property Rights are the foundation of freedom
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Wed, 30 Apr 2003 12:29:54 GMT
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Viewed:
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201 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Larry Pieniazek writes:
> so opines Khaled Saffuri, saying "For Iraq to be free, property must belong
> to its people.", in a editorial column in today's USA Today.
>
> http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2003-04-29-opcom_x.htm
>
> This view is also held by Hernando de Soto, and by me... quoting:
Do you extend that to intellectual property? The evidence suggests otherwise.
>
> - start -
>
> Iraq is not the only country hampered by a lack of property rights. Hernando
> de Soto, author of The Mystery of Capital and head of the Institute for
> Liberty and Democracy in Peru, says: "The principal reason for the failure
> of capitalism to gain a stable foothold in most of the developing world is
> that nations have tried to modernize their economies without putting into
> place the foundation stone of capitalism — a comprehensive and inclusive
> property system."
I would have thought that "The principal reason for the failure of capitalism
to gain a stable foothold in most of the developing world" is the tendency for
"capitalists" to exploit the lack of freedom and social provision in these
countries. When I look at Iraq, I see an absolute tragedy that the “west” is
largely responsible for; when others look at Iraq they see only its oil. When I
look at the developing world I see a need for education and empowerment; when
others look at the developing world they see cheap labour, exploitable natural
resources and a lack of environmental regulation.
What use are “property rights” when one cannot even earn enough to feed ones
own family?
Scott A
> So it was in post-Cold War Russia. Reformers moved for an immediate
> transition to democracy without securing property rights for people who
> lived in previously state-owned buildings. For almost a decade, the politics
> of plunder ruled. So-called "state enterprises" were often sold for pennies
> on the dollar to well-connected Communist Party officials. Without new
> property laws, nothing stops ex-Baath Party officials from playing the same
> game in postwar Iraq.
>
> Deeds of property — a title to a house or lot — and the judicial system
> necessary to enforce property rights currently do not exist in Iraq.
> Luckily, de Soto offers a reconstruction model for Iraq to follow: Gen.
> Douglas MacArthur's implementation of property rights in Japan after World
> War II. Under MacArthur in 1946, the Japanese in 10,100 hamlets organized
> legalized ownership of the land and reported this information to the
> authorities at the next level up. They recorded it and reported it to their
> superiors, and so forth. This should be high priority once the civil service
> is up and running in Baghdad.
>
> - end -
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Property Rights are the foundation of freedom
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| so opines Khaled Saffuri, saying "For Iraq to be free, property must belong to its people.", in a editorial column in today's USA Today. (URL) view is also held by Hernando de Soto, and by me... quoting: - start - Iraq is not the only country (...) (22 years ago, 30-Apr-03, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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