1. It's not debatable because it's a fact. Facts aren't debatable. It is reality whether you choose to accept it or not.
2. The people I regard as economists include Robert J. Barro, Walter Block, James Buchanan, Donald J. Boudreaux, Richard M. Ebeling, David Friedman, Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, Robert Higgs, Israel Kirzner, Ludwig von Mises, Murray N. Rothbard, Mark Skousen, Thomas Sowell, Vernon Smith, Mark Thornton, Richard Timberlake, and Walter Williams. All of them agree with the definition of a market taking place in a geographical area. 3. [Moderator: I deleted Paul's response to Tom's attack on Paul's methodology because Paul's response was an escalation into generalized ad-hominem; which is off-topic in this forum -TLP ] 4. Tariffs don't constitute the initiation of force. Nobody is forcing anyone to buy foreign goods. If they CHOOSE to buy foreign goods that is voluntary. If they CHOOSE to import those goods into America, they are also CHOOSING to pay the tariff associated with importing goods into America. If they don't want to pay that tariff, they can CHOOSE to buy goods manufactured within America. If someone makes a voluntary choice, there is no force involved. If I say "In order for you to sell your goods in my mall, you must pay rent." I'm not forcing you to pay rent because I'm not forcing you to sell your goods in my mall. If you CHOOSE to sell your goods in my mall, you do so knowing there is a fee to do it. If you choose to sell them in my mall, you can't claim I used force against you. The mall (U.S. Markets) belongs to a corporation (The U.S. Government) and the stock of that corporation is owned by the stockholders of the corporation who are given one share at birth and who can not sell that stock to anyone else or rent it out. They may give up their stock by moving to another corporation but the rules are the same in any corporation and there are no malls which aren't owned by corporations. --- In [email protected], "Thomas L. Knapp" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Quoth Paul Ireland: > > ----- > This isn't debatable. > ----- > > You're right. It isn't. Not because you're correct, but because you > decline to accept fact or reality, rather than your own whims and need > to "win," as the parameters within which debate can take place. > > > 3. No, I've never played the role of Humpty Dumpty. This isn't MY > > definition, it's EVERY definition of the word "markets" ever used by > > any economist that ever lived in the entire recorded history of the > > planet earth. > > As long as you don't regard any of the people generally recognized as > "economists" as actually being economists, and believe that Paul > Ireland is the only economist that ever lived in the entire recorded > history of the planet earth, you may be right. > > However, the rest of us live in the real world where words don't > always mean whatever it may be convenient to Paul Ireland for them to > mean at any given moment. > > > 4. It doesn't matter if you were alive. You're still included in the > > contract and so is anyone born within the borders of America or who > > becomes a naturalized citizen. Anyone who lives within the borders of > > America is subject to the laws of America and that includes the > > highest law of the land, the U.S. Constitution. > > Okay, that's fine -- but the only way to include someone in a contract > who does not consent to be included in the contract is to FORCE that > person to be included in the contract. You argument wasn't that > tariffs were constitutional, it was that they weren't initiations of > force. > > Tom Knapp > ForumWebSiteAt http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
