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Jay's Tuesday Free Enterprise Quote - 13 December 2011

By
Home Inspector with Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC 3380-000723

"It is impossible to introduce into society a greater change and a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder."

"Sometimes the law defends plunder and participates in it. Thus the beneficiaries are spared the shame and danger that their acts would otherwise involve... But how is this legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them and gives it to the other persons to whom it doesn't belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. Then abolish that law without delay ... No legal plunder; this is the principle of justice, peace, order, stability, harmony and logic."

Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850)

Notice how things happen little by little?

And then they become accepted?

And sooner or later people get fed up, begin wondering how "we" ever got into this circumstance and then go about complaining and trying to change it?

"We have given you too much power!  You have taken (or are taking) too much money!  There is too much spending!  We have to roll this back, now!"

What do the administrators do, and how do the administrators act, when the complaining, kicking and screaming, rabble (that's you and me) begin their rants?

They say, "Well of course, my dear electorate, I (we) hear you!  You are right!  This is heinous!  Things must change and things must change now!"

Then speeches are made, "news" shows present talkers with their talking points, a law or two is implemented, taxes are "reduced," and the rabble is appeased.

AND?  WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT?

We begin finding out how the gubment simply cannot function on such little money!   Why, well-received and desired services will have to be cut!  Which ones?  Certainly fire, police, trash collection, education - you know, the ONLY things gubment does for us.  (Think carefully - when did the federal gubment ever provide those "services" to us rabble?)

Then we hear, "What we need is a well-defined plan to balance spending and a new infusion of cash, and investment, a participation in our future, or ... (whatever sexy marketing terms they come up with)!"  And the debate starts!  Both sides participate because, after all, "We only want to hep yew [sic]," is the catch phrase.

And the cycle begins anew!

We are hearing those very words now!  They are defining the law ... again.

Learn baby learn.  That should become the new mantra.  And the words, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss..."  Substitute increased taxes for the word boss and you got it right.

 



Posted by

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC  

Based in Bristow, serving all of Northern Virginia.

Office (703) 330-6388   Cell (703) 585-7560

www.jaymarinspect.com


Comments(17)

Maria Morton
Platinum Realty - Kansas City, MO
Kansas City Real Estate 816-560-3758

Jay, we do need to remain vigilant. The thing I dread to hear is another law/rule/inconvenience that the government wants to implement to "keep me safe" !!! I value FREEDOM over SAFETY. Every time we, as a nation, choose safety, we lose a little more freedom.

Dec 12, 2011 08:46 PM
Michael Thornton
RadnorLake Video - Nashville, TN
Nashville Area - Photography & Videography

Good morning, Jay. Kinda reminds me of the old frog in the pot bit. But then, the "Fools on the Hill" will always do what they deem is best for them and us underlings...

Dec 12, 2011 09:06 PM
Bruce Hicks
Best Homes Hawaii - Honolulu, HI
Your Best Hawaii Realtor!

Jay, you shook me up this morning with this Active Rain Blog.  We must be persistent and keep on keeping on.  I think there was some kind of song about that.  Mele Kalikimaka from the Land of Aloha.

Dec 12, 2011 09:53 PM
James Dray
Fathom Realty - Bentonville, AR

And the cycle goes on.  Very good post as always but tell me what got you so riled up this early?  Haven't read the paper yet or watched the news so something is up

Dec 12, 2011 10:02 PM
Dale Terry
Yadkinville, NC

The quote and explanation pretty much includes every law made over the past 200 years.

Dec 12, 2011 10:25 PM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Yes, Maria, thus said Ben Franklin.

For them always, Michael.  For us sometimes.

I'm glad Bruce!  I have over 80 of these on AR!  We have a sand dollar Christmas tree ornament with "Mele Kalikimaka" written on it!  It took me a while to learn to pronouce it!

Nothing James!  I just love to quote Bastiat!  We would have much more from him, but he died at 49 from Tb.

Maybe not every Dale, but bunches and bunches!

Dec 12, 2011 11:10 PM
Broker Nick
South Florida Real Estate & Development, Inc. - Coconut Creek, FL
Broker Nick Relocation Broker Service

Featured Post Silent Majority - This post is now featured in Silent Majority Group of Active Rain!

Dec 12, 2011 11:43 PM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Not again!  Thanks Nick...    ;>)

Dec 13, 2011 12:52 AM
Lisa Von Domek
Lisa Von Domek Team - Dallas, TX
....Experience Isn't Expensive.... It's Priceless!

Good morning Jay,

Wonderful quote, so apropos - reblogging, I don't want anyone to miss this one!

Dec 13, 2011 03:13 AM
John Mulkey
TheHousingGuru.com - Waleska, GA
Housing Guru

Jay - The majority of those who need to understand the concept of plunder will never see this post; and some who do will fail to grasp the significance. I fear we've passed the point of correction and are sliding towards an outcome, the results of which will be painful at best.

Dec 13, 2011 04:09 AM
Don MacLean
New England Real Estate Center Inc. - Easton, MA
Realtor-Homes for Sale- Easton, Mass 02356

Jay, you said it cycle, rabble and we hear you. Constants that will always be and nothing truly done about.

Enjoy the day

Dec 13, 2011 04:22 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Well, thanks Lisa.  Don't expect it to go very far though!  I also post these here, and since August it has landed on Google's first page!

John - there are too many who think that "somebody else" pays the taxes.  That is a very, very bad circumstance.

Don - and the pot grows bigger and bigger.  It will soon eat us alive, simply in interest payments!

Dec 13, 2011 09:34 AM
Steven Cook
No Longer Processing Mortgages. - Tacoma, WA

Jay -- thank you for your thought provoking and "gubment" tweaking blog again this week!  It helps to show that we are not all just one dimensional characters here on the Rain.

Dec 13, 2011 11:25 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Thanks Steven, but it is Bastiat who is thought provoking!  He is one of my favorite economists.  I highly recommend you read "The Law," by Bastiat.  It is a very short book.

Dec 13, 2011 07:56 PM
Suesan Jenifer Therriault
JTHIS-Professional Home Inspection Team - Blakeslee, PA
"Inspecting every purchase as if it were my own".

Jay, what both saddens and angers me is that too much of our population simply doesn’t get it. It’s now gone so far that I fear, as John said, that we can no longer correct were this is heading…all that’s left now is to pay the consequences and God willing at some point begin the reconstruction.

Even then, I don’t think our grandchildren will ever get to experience the America you and I grew up to know and love.

Dec 14, 2011 02:20 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Jay - I agree with Suesan - and I think it's scary that so many don't understand this.

I'm reblogging and tweeting... Thanks!

Dec 14, 2011 07:50 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Sue - this tax and oh, look!-we are drowning in debt!-we need to raise taxes to cover our debt!-what will the children do!-cycle has to stop!  But how can it.  Our debt is approaching, if not already reached, our GDP.  That is serious stuff.

Marte - thank you!  And you are right, what can be done?  No politician has the cajones to do what really, really needs to be done.  Thanks for the reblog and tweet!

Dec 14, 2011 08:18 AM