Agreed. You should stick to your principles whether it's convenient or not.

First of all, the Hallings here D and K maintain that (a) patents and copyrights are intellectual property rights; and (b) all property is the result of the productive human mind; therefore (c) all property rights logically - though not historically - depend on the recognition of ideas as property.

That said, it is true that many claims about rights, natural rights, human rights, unalienable rights, etc., etc., are historic and traditional, and are not rooted in a consistent development based on the nature of humans as rational, volitional beings. A case in point is your Seventh Amendment right to trial by jury in any civil suit involving $20 or more. Even if we could move that $20 forward to make it about $3000 today - stability of gold plus standard of living - or even $30,000 (jet planes! hot water on tap! computers!) - the fact remains that you probably have no such natural right because it depends on your neighbors being dragooned into jury duty.

We can posit a society where all such cases would be tried purely by market entities, rather than government. In fact, if you read almost any contract you have for your home mortgage, automobile loan, credit or debit cards, property, casualty, or life insurance, etc., you will see that you agreed to _arbitration_. I have signed such agreements just for simple employment.

So, yes, it would be helpful for someone to _prove_ that the government _must_ run the police force as a patrol and enforcement agency, since, in fact, the word "police" appears nowhere in the US Constitution. (The Federal Marshals were created as the first act of the Senate in 1789.) I have said elsewhere that the government should license such agencies or forces and hold a force of _law_ superior to them, but perhaps need not have any (or many) of its own patrol officers on staff.

Also, depending on whose pockets are to be lined, I have heard it argued that schools are more important than police because educated people tend not to harm each other. I also heard that libraries are more important than schools because you can learn what you want, not what you are told. (Just, you know... hanging out with teachers and librarians...)

Good ideas.
Just a thought- (many of?) the arguments put in favor of keeping a small number of government services are essentially pragmatic (utilitarianism?) not derived from human freedom or property rights. (Same as for most of the arguments put fwd here about copyright, patents). I do not disagree but observe there can be conflicts.

Another interesting article. The program that was furloughed in Hawaii was the teachers a few years ago. It was my first year teaching so I never noticed the pay difference but pay was reduced by the hours furloughed. Let's give it a try.

Standardized test scores increased that year too! I loved the 4 day work week and 3 day weekends.

When it comes to essential services, like police fire EMS and rescue, those are the first things that the politicians hold as a hostage to budget cuts in state and local governments. Then they hold the children's education hostage followed by not making repairs to public roads, and on and on and on. Never do they cut shit like the national endowment for the arts or AMTRAK.
Nice article sir.
Cheers

You got a thumbs down from someone on that. I pointed you back to 1. It is why I am against voting, especially the Down votes. I disagree with you, of course; but nothing in your reply was impolite or ignorant.