General Discussion

Ken Burch

(50,254 posts)

75. I'm 51 and thanks for your condescension.

Wed Apr 25, 2012, 05:47 PM

Apr 2012

The problem in the Soviet Union wasn't the lack of property rights...it was the lack of democracy in the power structure. Having a right to private property wouldn't have made that country any freer...things were just as repressive under the czars as they were under Stalin.

And in El Salvador in the Eighties and Chile under the generals, there was private property and dictatorship that was as brutal as any Stalinist state. No one has ever been protected from repression through property rights.

The way to fight repression is to run society democratically from below...not to encourage people to have the mindset of the landed gentry.

The answer is democracy, transparency and equality-not fetishizing private property. In every country where it exists, strict enforcement of property rights pushes everything to the right. It was invoked by segregationists in our South, by fascist machine politics mayors like Richard J. Daley and Frank Rizzo, and by every slumlord in every slum. Why on Earth would you ever want to be on the same side of history as people like that?

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116 replies

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No Vacancies: Squatters Move In [View all] xchrom Apr 2012 OP

She made a commitment to squat in a house? Are you kidding me? dkf Apr 2012 #1

... xchrom Apr 2012 #3

the banksters raped this country 2pooped2pop Apr 2012 #4

exactly dana_b Apr 2012 #5

If the house is owned by the city, does that change this? nt Snake Alchemist Apr 2012 #6

Not much 2pooped2pop Apr 2012 #8

If people do not pay their taxes, they get their property seized. Snake Alchemist Apr 2012 #9

So what? It's better they do that then remain homeless and exposed to the elements. Zalatix Apr 2012 #14

Who is responsible if the house burns down due to faulty wiring? nt Snake Alchemist Apr 2012 #18

That could happen even if it's unoccupied. It could get burned down due to arson. Zalatix Apr 2012 #19

Who gets their pants sued off if a squatter comes to an unfortunate end in someone else's house. cherokeeprogressive Apr 2012 #23

All the more reason to either tend to your property or give it up. Zalatix Apr 2012 #25

The city is hoarding houses? nt WinniSkipper Apr 2012 #74

What else do you call it? Zalatix Apr 2012 #79

It sounds like you are saying WinniSkipper Apr 2012 #80

not if they're rich, not for quite some time. there was a story about all the special deals in nyc HiPointDem Apr 2012 #66

There are some laws on the books in some states that cover this. I'm not sure, shraby Apr 2012 #7

Varies widely state to state ProgressiveProfessor Apr 2012 #10

Yes bongbong Apr 2012 #11

dkf will just LOVE that such a law is in the books. 2ndAmForComputers Apr 2012 #21

heh. SammyWinstonJack Apr 2012 #32

He was evicted from that house tammywammy Apr 2012 #34

You were actually serious when you wrote that? Really??? Zalatix Apr 2012 #13

How about your solution to the vacant housing/homelessness situation? Earth_First Apr 2012 #15

Save a 20% downpayment, same as our parents did. dkf Apr 2012 #26

Wow. proud2BlibKansan Apr 2012 #40

How did you do it? I bet you have a house. No? dkf Apr 2012 #44

And a job and a supportive family. proud2BlibKansan Apr 2012 #45

Everyone deserves a lot of things. Health and wealth and happiness. dkf Apr 2012 #47

It's almost impossible to OWN a house without a job Ken Burch Apr 2012 #63

Without structure there is chaos. dkf Apr 2012 #68

The way to promote working hard Ken Burch Apr 2012 #76

That actually isn't the tradition my parents passed down from their parents. dkf Apr 2012 #78

I think the consensus among classical apologists is that pride is the worst sin. LanternWaste Apr 2012 #89

"Sin" is now worshipped! The "sins" of greed, fraud, corruption, selfishness, covetousness, riderinthestorm Apr 2012 #92

Let me see if I understand this... KansDem May 2012 #111

The first time? Squatting on the Lower East Side. n/t Chan790 Apr 2012 #101

ROFLMFAO... SomethingFishy Apr 2012 #55

ROFLMAO! lonestarnot Apr 2012 #70

That's kind of easy to do when you have a job. If you don't have a job, there's your problem. nt Selatius Apr 2012 #81

there are many hard working people who don't have the opportunity to cali May 2012 #113

Is it "thievery" if you take something that someone has left abandoned on a sidewalk? KamaAina Apr 2012 #16

So the house next to my uncle's has not been lived in for years. dkf Apr 2012 #27

The building hasn't left the building. So yeah they can and they did! lonestarnot Apr 2012 #71

Where did it say the bank did not foreclose legally? badtoworse Apr 2012 #73

Well then you don't read. lonestarnot Apr 2012 #82

It's not there. badtoworse Apr 2012 #83

Ok so what now you're asking me to provide you with 50 million links? lonestarnot Apr 2012 #84

Not every foreclosure was illegal,... badtoworse Apr 2012 #86

If even one was bad and they stole one fucking house from one fucking American that's too many! lonestarnot Apr 2012 #93

The OP is about squatting, not foreclosures... badtoworse Apr 2012 #94

Yes my point is relevant. The first deed was that of the banksters for theft of homes. lonestarnot Apr 2012 #96

If the borrower defaults on the loan and the bank forecloses, that is not theft badtoworse Apr 2012 #98

"The only situation that would qualify as theft would be one where the bank foreclosed on a lonestarnot Apr 2012 #100

Fair enough. How does that justify the squatter? badtoworse Apr 2012 #102

If we are no longer secure in our land/property holdings, don't you think as Americans, we are going lonestarnot Apr 2012 #105

So that is your justification for a squatter stealing someone else's property? The Indians? badtoworse Apr 2012 #106

Would you prefer guillotines? lonestarnot May 2012 #110

Have a nice day. badtoworse May 2012 #114

:) lonestarnot May 2012 #115

In the case of a house, the answer is yes. badtoworse Apr 2012 #33

So with you, property trumps humanity. Ken Burch Apr 2012 #39

YEP! Rex Apr 2012 #42

Wait, what? Neofeudalism? KamaAina Apr 2012 #46

Oh...sorry...didn't mean to aim that at you thenl. Ken Burch Apr 2012 #51

So a bike on the street is free for the taking? JustABozoOnThisBus Apr 2012 #97

How long has it been there? KamaAina Apr 2012 #99

In DC, yup 72:00:01 after posting a query of abandonment. Chan790 Apr 2012 #103

My neighbor is a big timber company. lumberjack_jeff Apr 2012 #85

False equivalency KamaAina Apr 2012 #87

Because this isn't theft. Ken Burch Apr 2012 #22

Because I believe in private property. I guess you don't. dkf Apr 2012 #28

It's different when someone is a victim of the class system Ken Burch Apr 2012 #35

So who gets to decide when it's OK to take someone's property and when it isn't? badtoworse Apr 2012 #36

They moved into a house that's the BANK's property now Ken Burch Apr 2012 #38

That didn't answer my question badtoworse Apr 2012 #48

I'm not sure who "it's up to"-but the banks are responsible for tricking too many people Ken Burch Apr 2012 #49

After reading your response, I am more thankful than ever for the 5th Amendment - nt. badtoworse Apr 2012 #53

Well, this is a forum for humane, progressive ideas Ken Burch Apr 2012 #54

So private ownership of property isn't progressive. Who knew! badtoworse Apr 2012 #56

You're just here as a Free Republic heckler...we've all picked up on that by now Ken Burch Apr 2012 #58

No, we won't. You're for the rich, I'm for the majority of the human race. Ken Burch Apr 2012 #59

General consensus is that banks do. Doesn't leave many options LanternWaste Apr 2012 #90

They don't have that option if you aren't in default badtoworse Apr 2012 #91

If you don't have legal title to something and you take it,... badtoworse Apr 2012 #31

The article gives no information about them Ken Burch Apr 2012 #50

Why? Because once respect for private property disappears, we're on a very slippery slope. badtoworse Apr 2012 #52

If you tie freedom to property, you create a society Ken Burch Apr 2012 #61

As a country, we have existed for well over 200 years with strong property rights badtoworse Apr 2012 #62

Property rights do NOT make you free Ken Burch Apr 2012 #64

The absence of property rights won't make you free either badtoworse Apr 2012 #72

I'm 51 and thanks for your condescension. Ken Burch Apr 2012 #75

You raised the question of freedom, I didn't badtoworse Apr 2012 #77

What a joke. Rex Apr 2012 #41

I wonder lunatica Apr 2012 #43

How about asking, 'how can we accuse a thug of thievery if do not hold sabrina 1 Apr 2012 #57

The Government needs to reopen psychiatric hospitals NOW!!! FrodosPet Apr 2012 #60

OMG. lonestarnot Apr 2012 #69

how can we accuse Rove as leading us into a criminal war if we do 70mph on the highway...? LanternWaste Apr 2012 #88

what the fuck is wrong with your response? Everything. cali May 2012 #112

With respect, this is corporatist/bankster spin. Orsino May 2012 #116

Romney should be able to spare some accommodations since he thinks he's RKP5637 Apr 2012 #2

Better than the house rotting from vacancy. Houses need tenants. Liberal_in_LA Apr 2012 #12

Occupancy does not forestall rot due to age or environment. n/t cherokeeprogressive Apr 2012 #24

it does if the occupier heats it and does basic repairs. an unoccupied house degrades faster than HiPointDem Apr 2012 #67

True, but there's a fine line there bhikkhu Apr 2012 #37

My old roommate was way ahead of the curve on this KamaAina Apr 2012 #17

DURec KG Apr 2012 #20

So I sat in the car today, as my husband pumped gas and and I watched a man- BeHereNow Apr 2012 #29

Guerrilla Gardening EmeraldCityGrl Apr 2012 #65

Who has legal title to the house? badtoworse Apr 2012 #30

This message was self-deleted by its author JonLP24 Apr 2012 #95

But, some millionaire might lose some of their boarded up property. Chaos! The Midway Rebel Apr 2012 #104

"unemployed workers� councils " <yay! upi402 Apr 2012 #107

+ 1 Thanks. NT Mc Mike Apr 2012 #108

If I lived in a neighborhood that had several empty houses, I would welcome squatters nadine_mn Apr 2012 #109