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<h2>pvt-prop</h2>
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<p>THE SANCTITY OF PRIVATE PROPERTY</p>
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<p>By JACOB G. HORNBERGER</p>
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<p>No myth is more pervasive among the people of the United
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States than that which claims that the American economic
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system is based on the sanctity of private property. The
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American people have been taught since the first grade in
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their government schools that America is the bastion of
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private property while the Soviet Union and China represent
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the system of public ownership or control of property.</p>
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<p>Myths die hard. But it is important that they be exploded, no
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matter how painful the result. Let us do so to this myth of
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the American system of "private property" which grips the
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minds of most Americans.</p>
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<p>The significance of the Declaration of Independence had
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nothing to do with the military battles between the colonists
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and the British forces. Instead, its importance lay in one of
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the most dramatic and revolutionary declarations in the
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history of man: that man's rights do not come from government
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but instead come from God. With one fell swoop, and for the
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first time in history, people unseated public officials as the
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source of their rights and replaced them with the Creator!</p>
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<p>The result? With many exceptions (slavery being the worst),
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the Americans implemented the freest society in history: no
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income tax, welfare, social security, licensing, or virtually
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any other law which took money from some, through the
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political process, and gave it to others, or which regulated
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peaceful human behavior. Why? Not because it would result in a
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more prosperous society (which it did). But rather because
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their lives, liberty, property, and conscience belonged to
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God, and it was no business of Caesar how they exercised them
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as long as they did not inflict violence or fraud on others.</p>
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<p>What about 20th century Americans? Maintaining the illusion
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that they are continuing the vision and heritage of their
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American ancestors, they have instead resorted to the age-old
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idea that Caesar should be permitted to have ultimate control
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over these fundamental rights.</p>
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<p>Two thousand years ago, the Prime Exemplar told us that we
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were to render unto Caesar what was Caesar's and unto God what
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is God's. But He did not tell us what belonged to Caesar and
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what belonged to God. He left that up to us to figure out.
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Let us see how Americans--both past and present--have made
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this determination. Let's examine, for example, income and
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the ability to earn income.</p>
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<p>The Americans who lived from 1787 to 1913 believed that the
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fruits of their earnings belonged to God, not Caesar. From
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the very beginning, they did not permit their public officials
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to levy a tax on their income. When the politicians tried to
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do so, the people sued. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of
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the people, and against the government, and declared the
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income tax in violation of the Constitution which the people
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had adopted in 1787.</p>
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<p>Public officials complied with the ruling but immediately
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began persuading the American people to alter their
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Constitution to permit such a tax. The arguments which the
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politicians used were evil and seductive. First, they argued
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that only the rich would be taxed; the poor and middle class
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need never be concerned. It was the perfect embodiment of
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violations of God's commandments against covetousness, envy,
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and stealing. The politicians also promised that the income
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tax would never exceed a minute percentage.</p>
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<p>The American people fell for these evil, seductive, and false
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promises and amended the Constitution to permit Caesar to do
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what their ancestors had fought so hard to prevent Caesar from
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doing: gaining control over their earnings. With the adoption
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of the Sixteenth Amendment in 1913, the American people
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rendered unto Caesar that which had previously been rendered
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unto God: the fruits of their efforts.</p>
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<p>A second example: licensing of occupations, professions, and
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businesses. By and large, the 19th century American rejected
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licensure. So, American society throughout the 1800s was
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highly unusual because, unlike all of the other societies in
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history, a person did not have to seek permission from the
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political authorities before he began pursuing a living.
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Lawyers, doctors, hairdressers, blacksmiths, and so forth
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learned their trade and went into business without asking
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anyone's permission. But consumers, as the ultimate economic
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sovereign, through their decisions to patronize a business or
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not, made the final determination on whether a person would
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continue in his line of work.</p>
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<p>The 20th century American, resorting to the Old World way of
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thinking against which his ancestors had rebelled, rejected
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this dramatically different way of life. He did not want to
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have to make his own decisions on whether people were
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competent or not. He also did not want unrestricted
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competition in his own trade. So, he turned to Caesar and,
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through licensure, rendered unto him the power to regulate the
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ability to make a living.</p>
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<p>Is the real significance behind these two renderings--
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occupation and income--the economic consequences? No! The true
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significance is that the American people, who are so ready to
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worship God on <span class="LOC">Sunday</span>, have chosen to reject Him the rest of
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the week. They believe that God and government should be
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partners with each other with respect to people's economic
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activities, blocking out of their minds that, "Thou shalt have
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no other gods before me."</p>
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<p>The essence of what the 20th century American has done,
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despite the myths and illusions under which he chooses to
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operate, can be summarized as follows:</p>
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<p> "God, we know that You created us. We also know
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that our talents and abilities are gifts from You
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which we utilize to earn our daily bread--our
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property. We also know that our American ancestors
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rendered these great gifts to You and would not
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permit Caesar to interfere with them.</p>
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<p> "But times have changed, Lord. Those principles were fine
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for the simple times of the 1800s but they just don't
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apply to the more complex way of life in the 20th
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century. So, we're placing Caesar--the organized means of
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coercion and compulsion--in partnership with You.</p>
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<p> "Oh mighty Caesar, we render unto you control of our
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talents and abilities and the fruits of our efforts.
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We know that you did not give us these but nevertheless
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we are placing them under your dominion and control.
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Take care of us, mighty Caesar. Decide for us what
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line of endeavor is most suitable for each of us.
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Determine how much of our earnings we shall be permitted
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to keep and how much you need to retain. Provide us our
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security--our daily bread--in times of need because our
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other God sometimes doesn't do a perfect job in this
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regard. We trust you, mighty Caesar, with our lives,
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our liberties, our properties, and our consciences. You
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shall henceforth be partners with our other God, the God
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of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We love you. We adore you.
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We worship you. We give you thanks. We are here to serve
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you."</p>
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<p>Since ancient times, political rulers have hated the existence
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of God. Why? Because they know that our's is a jealous God. He
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demands absolute and total allegiance. Our God does not accept
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partners! Therefore, political rulers, who invariably also
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desire to be worshipped, bear terrible resentment against such
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competition.</p>
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<p>In ancient Rome, the Caesars developed an interesting method
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to circumvent this dilemma. They allowed people to engage in
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different religions but only on the condition that permission
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was given by the State. Most people sought and were given such
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permission. So, although people were worshipping another
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deity, Caesar did not mind because by permitting them to do
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so, Caesar remained the ultimate sovereign.</p>
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<p>However, one group of God's worshippers saw through this scam:
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the Christians. Refusing to take any act which placed Caesar
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above God, they chose not to seek Caesar's permission to
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worship Him. And the price they paid? Their lives.</p>
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<p>Thank God our American ancestors secured the passage of the
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First Amendment which prohibits Caesar from gaining control
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over our churches. If only we 20th century Americans had the
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same strength of conviction with respect to our lives and
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earnings. If only we would truly sanctify private property
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rather than just giving it lip service. If only we would
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render our lives and property back to God instead of Caesar.
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If only we would place God as sovereign over all of our life
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rather than just a small part of it.</p>
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<p>Myths die hard but if we fail to kill them, we shall continue
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to reap what we sow.</p>
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<p>Mr. Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of
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Freedom Foundation, P.O. Box 9752, Denver, CO 80209.</p>
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<p>------------------------------------------------------------
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From the August 1990 issue of FREEDOM DAILY,
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Copyright (c) 1990, The Future of Freedom Foundation,
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PO Box 9752, Denver, Colorado 80209, 303-777-3588.
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Permission granted to reprint; please give appropriate credit
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and send one copy of reprinted material to the Foundation.
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</p>
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