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From: ark@rabbit.UUCP (Andrew Koenig)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Reply to Mike Ward
Message-ID: <3251@rabbit.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 20-Oct-84 14:09:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: rabbit.3251
Posted: Sat Oct 20 14:09:15 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 21-Oct-84 14:49:43 EDT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 18

Mike Ward asks what is the basis of the right of people to
own land, which was not created by any human.  The simplest
answer I have seen comes from Ayn Rand, who wrote:

	Any material element or resource which,
	in order to become of use or value to men,
	requires the application of human knowledge
	and effort, should be private property --
	by the right of those who apply the knowledge
	and effort.

[Objectivist Newsletter, Vol. 3 No. 4, April 1964]

The quote is from an article called "The Property
Status of Airwaves," but since the article compares
that status with the property status of land,
I can fairly say that the principle applies to land
ownership as well.