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From: mat@hou5d.UUCP (M Terribile)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Re: Property (or Class Struggle? Wha
Message-ID: <851@hou5d.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 8-Mar-84 14:10:35 EST
Article-I.D.: hou5d.851
Posted: Thu Mar  8 14:10:35 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 10-Mar-84 07:08:23 EST
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Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ
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Oh, good goddam!  Here we go again.

What is wrong/right with certain political/economic systems?  Well,
consider this:

	We generally have choices that allow us to take actions that
	are negative-sum or positive-sum (waiting or entering an intersection
	when there is no room to drive out of it).

	Under certain systems, individuals are rewarded for their efforts.
	Under others, they reward others without benefit to themselves.

	Setting up s system where people are rewarded for doing things
	that benefit others (like building Ronco-matics :-) ) is a
	positive-sum type of action.  Everyone benefits.

	Setting up a system where one is rewarded for sitting on ones'
	duff, or where working with benefit to others does not benefit
	oneself is a negative-sum action.

	And this is where humanitarianism in politics goes too far.
	Everyone should have a real and immediate stake in how well
	she does, except for cases of real disability (what is insurance
	for?) and taking that stake away is asking for a person to become
	a burden to others and to himself.  It is reported that Sweden,
	with its fantastic cradle-to-grave security system, has one of
	the highest suicide rates in the world.  The pressure of keeping
	oneself motivated without the occasional crutch of necessity
	must be terrible indeed.

	Trusting government to keep such systems as welfare or Social Security
	well run is nearly hopeless, because neither the government
	beaurocracy as a whole not the individuals who make it up feel
	that kind of necessity.  (Why couldn't S.S. be moved into private
	hands?)

						Mark Terribile
						hou5d!mat