Thursday, October 20, 2005  Propertarianism III: Revisiting the
Estates General  I must constantly make clear that these are not
lefty-rants I am offering. If you think that, then you are
seeking comfort in reassuring delusions. You are not actually
reading or exploring, and you are not trying to see things from
a fresh angle. (As if this "you" applies to any of the
modernists who haunt this place! ;-)  In fact, I'm a big
promoter of market-based solutions to problems. Like many of my
honest-modernist conservative friends, I deeply believe that
expanding a sense of market involvement among the world's poor
will help us all. My paper on accountability arenas focuses
specifically on the vital importance of Liberal Competition, not
only markets but also science, democracy and courts, which
enhance progress through reciprocal accountability. ("Liberal"
in this case is in the classic and truer usage, going back 200
years.)  But that's the point. Mystical Propertarianism is not
about markets. Nor is it about achiev