From: R
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2018 7:38 PM
To: Walter Block <wblock@loyno.edu>
Subject: Re: Private Property

Dear Walter,

My friend posited those points as proof that if all property is private, chaos ensues. He also praised public parks. What’s a rebuttal?

My friend said he’s going to buy the property surrounding my house. I won’t be able to get in or out of my house because he won’t let me onto his property.

He also said he’s going to pollute the river he bought even though it’s well stocked with fish and frequented by fisherman.  He said he can do that because it’s his property.

Regards, R

Dear R: Maybe you should get better friends?

You pose three important challenges. Here are my responses:

1. On someone entrapping you in your house, read this:

Block, Walter E. 2009. The Privatization of Roads and Highways: Human and Economic Factors; Auburn, AL: The Mises Institute; http://www.amazon.com/Privatization-Roads-And-Highways-Factors/dp/1279887303/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336605800&sr=1-1; available for free here: http://mises.org/books/roads_web.pdf; http://mises.org/daily/3416; http://www.walterblock.com/wp-content/uploads/publications/radical_privatization.pdf; audio: http://store.mises.org/Privatization-of-Roads-and-Highways-Audiobook-P11005.aspx; http://www.audible.com/pd/Business/The-Privatization-of-Roads-and-Highways-Audiobook/B0167IT18K?tag=misesinsti-20; http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=bf16b152ccc444bdbbcc229e4&id=6cbc90577b&e=54244ea97d

http://www.sanfranciscoreviewofbooks.com/2017/09/book-review-privatization-of-roads-and.html

2. On river pollution, read this:

Block, Walter E. and Peter Lothian Nelson. 2015. Water Capitalism: The Case for Privatizing Oceans, Rivers, Lakes, and Aquifers. New York City, N.Y.: Lexington Books, Rowman and Littlefield; https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781498518802/Water-Capitalism-The-Case-for-Privatizing-Oceans-Rivers-Lakes-and-Aquifers. https://mises.org/library/case-privatizing-oceans-and-rivers

scathing review: https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1SMO4B0T1AWM5/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1498518826

3. On the case for privatizing parks, read this material:

Block, Walter E. 8/2/01. “Hunt Farms,” https://archive.lewrockwell.com/orig/block3.html

Block, Walter E. 1992. “Stanley Park Task Force,” Fraser Forum, October, pp. 40-42.

Block, Walter E. 4/9/90. “Safety in private parks,” Thunder Bay Ontario Daily.

Block, Walter E. 7/17/89. “How much parkland?” Thunder Bay Ontario Daily.

Block, Walter E. 1989. “Parkland,” Fraser Forum, August, pp. 23-24.

Block, Walter E. 1977. “Public Parks: the New York City Case.” The Libertarian Forum. Vol. 10, No. 10, October, pp. 6-7;http://www.mises.org/journals/lf/1977/1977_10.pdf

Block, Walter E. 2005. “Government and Market: A Critique of Professor James Buchanan’s What Should Economists Do?” Corporate Ownership & Control, Vol. 3, No. 1, Fall, pp. 81-87; http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1880184; http://www.walterblock.com/wp-content/uploads/publications/block_gov-market-critique-james-buchanan-2005.pdrberg

If it moves, privatize it; if it doesn’t move, privatize it. Since everything either moves or doesn’t move, privatize everything.

The Best of Walter E. Block