lazarus@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (Andrew J &) (10/11/86)
OK, let's look at the following true story. In 1874 (+-1) the government sent an assay party into the Black Hills. At that time the land was occupied by the Sioux tribes, who had no sense of land ownership. They also had no metallurgical training and did not use gold coinage. When the assay party found extensive gold deposits, the government set about taking the land from the Indians, which they accomplished with a fraudulent treaty. The Indians were paid a pittance. Even the fair market value at the time, however, was much less than the eventual value of the minerals thereon. "Fair market value" is a legal term referring to the price between a willing buyer and willing seller, both informed. How you determine such for a large chunk of the Plains, I'm not quite sure.... Settlers and prospectors rushed into the territory. Eventually over $1 Billion was taken from the Homestake Mine alone. This certainly seems like creation of wealth, by the government. Do Libertarians believe this wealth was stolen from the Indians? (Even though they had no use for gold, except possibly as a bargaining chip with the whites?) Question 2. Suppose the expedition had been to Antarctica? Then who would the wealth have been stolen from? Penguins? andy