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From: nrh@inmet.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Newsflash! [JoSH on Socialis
Message-ID: <28200103@inmet.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 24-Sep-85 02:06:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: inmet.28200103
Posted: Tue Sep 24 02:06:00 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 29-Sep-85 05:07:53 EDT
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Nf-From: inmet!nrh    Sep 24 02:06:00 1985


>/* Written  5:29 pm  Sep 10, 1985 by mmt@dciem in inmet:net.politics.t */
>/* ---------- "Re: Re: Newsflash! [JoSH on Sociali" ---------- */
>
>>"political reality"  Isn't that an oxymoron? :-)  Besides, government is not
>>a source of wealth.  Unlike uncles, government cannot generate wealth; it can
>>give only what it takes from people who produce.
>
>That is false.  Wealth is created by the re-organization of things
>(the reduction of entropy, if you like).  Government most definitely
>can aid in such organization.  Whether it is the most efficient way
>of doing so is a different story, but to regard government as only
>a transfer medium for existing wealth is like seeing a painting as
>a transfer medium for oil and pigment.
>

Whoa!  Let's have some historical examples please, of a government that
CREATED wealth. Granted that governments seldom actually started out
to destroy wealth, I've never heard of one that actually engaged in
NET creation of wealth (such a government would not need to tax people,
as it would turn a profit).  Localized increase of wealth is no trick at
all for a government, but to call this "creation of wealth"
amounts to assuming that the money in the tax-collector's coffers
just "appears from nowhere".