--- On Mon, 6/30/08, goat! <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Private property is a fiction of government or held by force (some libertarian thought equates government being force). The commons was here before private property was ever codified into law.
Those definitions is what is called law. Law is a reflection of what is (or it is suppose to be), as far as making it right. Is the law of nature right? That is suppose to be what our law reflects. I suppose whether the commons is right or not is if it existed before the Law (or government), and it certainly did. The whole of North America was pretty much set up such before the the Europeans came. The concept of private property outside that of force, that is by Law, is a much newer concept, then the commons (isn't much need for private property when populations are low, though without Law / Government, it could only be held by force). The only way that private property could exist now without the law, is by having the force to keep it such. The commons have / had similar distinctions, though not always, of being controlled or used by a tribes, to the exclusion of other tribes, making it private commons, as much as could be without the law, by force. And why did these tribes not want others trespassing against their commons? It was a matter of plain and simple survival. And common property isn't? So if some buds and I buy some hunting property, we aren't allowed to make rules (such is government) to say who else can use it and must let anybody who wants to do so? ----------------------------------------------- Then the main difference between commons and private property is then the difference of exclusive/limited use and open use. For example consider the case of property lines extending midway into a road. Is that a case of commons or private property? As far as actual ownership and responsibility it is private property. As far as use it is commons. The town is in Minnesota somewhere. I believe I will send an email and ask exactly how it works and how they consider it. BWS