Comments on: Introduction Chapter from Lost Rights (1994)

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:42:42 +0000

Ray, and the sad thing is that I was still a youthful optimist when I wrote Lost Rights.

By: Ray

Ray — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:00:58 +0000

Jim, the long list of government abominations and stupidity you described in Lost Rights exemplified the truth of what Mencken wrote:

“Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under.”

If it’s even possible, I’m even more embarrassed 15 years later.

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 02:31:55 +0000

“Bloke” - thanks for asking about a possible 15th anniversary update. I don’t have any plans to update it now but would not be averse to it. The subject is a motherlode.

On the George Washington header quote - the cite I used in the footnotes for Lost Rights is “Quoted in H.L. Mencken, Prejudices 2nd ser. (New York: Knopf, 1924), p. 221.”

By: Jean

Jean — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 09:00:53 +0000

That word has replaced the former word that most Mainers use when agreeing with another person when discussing politics. It simple means, “Yes sir, by Jesus, you’re right”.

By: Black Bloke

Black Bloke — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 04:49:49 +0000

There’s almost no way “Jill” just happened to accidentally find her way here, most likely she is a libertarian pretending to be a ridiculous statist in order to parody them.

Jim - is it at all likely that you’ll be penning a 15th anniversary update to this book? I’d greatly look forward to it.

Also, the George Washington quote has no source, and is likely to be spurious.

By: Jim

Jim — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 00:09:54 +0000

Well, that doesn’t sound French to me.

AHHHH YUP means what?

By: Jean

Jean — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 00:05:07 +0000

Jim, is the word AHHHH YUP” in your book as well. That word is part of the Websters Official Maine Dictionary.

By: Jean

Jean — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 00:03:16 +0000

Jill, whether you want to believe or not, private property rights are the best friend that the enviornment could ever have.
That, along with a legal system that helps to settle differences, and punish those who destroy other people’s property is a far better and more efficient system for protecting the enviornment.
I mean, come on now, asking the federal government to protect the enviornment, when the feds are the worst polluters in the world. Please, give me a break.
Take some time, and put some hard thinking to it, and read Jim’s book. I would make a bet with you that you couldn’t read 20 pages before you are boiling mad.

By: Jim

Jim — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:35:50 +0000

Jill - you might want to take a gander at the extensive discussion in the “Seizure Fever/Property Rights Violations” chapter on how the feds have manipulated wetlands definitions to plunder property owners.

The “glancing geese” test is especially a hoot.

By: Jim

Jim — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:34:33 +0000

Kevin - neutering was spelled correctly when I submitted the Intro chapter way back in ‘93.

What we have here is one of the miracles of modern copy editing.

On the other hand, if the word ‘boarhawging’ was used as a verb and spelled that way, that would be solely my responsibility.

By: Jill

Jill — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:19:06 +0000

Bull.
Individual property rights do not allow you to do anything you want on your property.
The cumulative effect of no regulation would be disaster. If you don’t want regulations, don’t buy a wetland. If you do buy a wetland know that development on that property will be limited.

By: Kevin Craig

Kevin Craig — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:18:29 +0000

You have the word “newtering.” Is this a Gingrich-ism, or a misspelling of the word “neutering?”