Life, Liberty, and Property

Running Head: Life, Liberty, And Property |

Life, Liberty, and Property |

Abstract

The Law is a short book- only seventy-six pages in length- but its words are canny, convincing, and profound. Bastiat knows the evils of a government out of control, and he does not hesitate one second to express his strong views on this subject. Bastiat warns us not to kid ourselves about a kind, gentle, caring government. Like George Washington, Bastiat reminds us that law means force, and that any appeal to the law is ultimately an appeal to force. In appealing to the law, therefore, we must ask ourselves if we would be justified in using force to defend our appeal.

This book is not divided into chapters. Instead, Bastiat devotes a paragraph or two to the discussion of a specific topic of government intervention in the economy and/or personal decision-making. The book is broken into small parts consisting of titles, with an explanation by Bastiat on that particular topic. Some of the titles include things like "Enforced Fraternity Destroys Liberty", "Socialism is Legal Plunder"“, The Proper Function of the Law"“, The Vicious Circle of Socialism", etc.

With each short topic, Bastiat explains exactly why these government interventionist policies are wrong, coercive, and anti- liberty. Bastiat was a strong supporter of property rights and the right of an individual to express him/her freely and openly, without threat of punishment by government. With property rights, Bastiat dedicates several pages to the evils of legal plunder- that is, the practice by which government steals the property of one person, by force, and then gives it to another. This act can take on many forms, including taxation, protective tariffs, etc. Bastiat felt that plunder was the greatest of all government crimes against the people and it should be wiped out as quickly and swiftly as possible.

When it comes to the law, Bastiat agrees that it is very important that a country has...