Tokyo

Rashad Gray

Economics Pop Puzzle
Econ 201


1. What is the relationship between law, liberty, and justice for Bastiat? Humans derive three rights from their natural state and needs. Life, liberty, and property. Life is self-evident.

Although Frederic's Bastiat's essay "The Law" has several different interpretations, one perspective is that in the essay Bastiat describes how the perversion of the law is used to benefit those in power who make the law (lawmakers) and exploit the individuals that the law is truly meant to protect. In the essay, Bastiat discusses the principles that the idealistic law should have and how the law should maintain stability in a society, and how the law is perverted to benefit the few lawmakers and oppress the many citizens. Bastiat also discusses how one of man's inner most goals is to achieve his desires at the expense of other individuals. Throughout the essay, Bastiat extensively describes that the idea of a man utilizing the resources of other individuals for his own personal gain is known as the concept of plundering. He then finishes by discussing the concept of plundering and how it negatively impacts the structure of a society.

From their natural state of existence and their personal earthly needs, human beings own three inalienable civil rights. These are specifically the rights of life, liberty, and property. Bastiat mentions that all of these factors have a direct relationship to the prinicple of law. Additionally, law makes sure that each of these three rights are equally distributed secured in society. The law is critical in deciding whether the rights of one individual have not been violated by another individual.

In the words of Bastiat, the relationship between these three subjects is that the fundamental purpose of the law is to uphold justice in a given society. One of the principles of law is to maintain order between individuals or groups of individuals. It is the standard for what is right or wrong in a society. What is legal or illegal according to the law. The law is also supposed to protect the people according to Bastiat. THe citizens of a socity depend on the law to protect them from harm or danger and to guard their property from theft. The law is also responsible for protecting the liberties of the people. Liberty is required to proceed in a way that individuals view acceptable. People don't want any of their liberties limited, but liberty must be restricted when it threatens to disrupt the order of society. People want the right to practice their freedoms without hinderance from other individuals. Yet, the law must protect them when individuals want to have the freedom to harm others. And last, but certainly not least people want the law to protect their property. Property does not exactly have to be monetary wealth in Bastiat's viewpoint. Property can be land, personal items, or anything the individual considers valuable. In this case, the law has to act in a manner fitting enough where they feel protected from losing their property or having it stolen. From this perspective, Bastiat describes that the basic civil right of every individual should be protected by the law. Injustice, tyranny, and oppression endanger these rights. As long as the law prevents these evils from entering a society, individuals can manage life in a society sucessfully. Social interactions, and civic engagement occur without interruption. The public welfare is sustained.


2. What does Bastiat mean by "legal plunder"? Does it have any relevance today? Give examples.

One issue , Bastiat mentions in his essay, is a misinterpretation of the place of law in the lives of citizens. Bastiat describes that in a perfect society law maintains order so that the life, liberty, and property of all citizens can be protected. Yet, Bastiat explains that sometimes in a society the law can be perverted to benefit some individuals while disregarding or taking away from others. This perversion of the law as described by Bastiat, gives power and resources to the lawmakers.

One critical rule of the law is that it must protect citizens of a state from each other. As a result, every human individual may have the three basic rights that were previously stated. Yet, under the law, one human being cannot restrict, remove, or violate the three essential rights of another individual. However, when the individuals in power or the lawmakers pervert the law, they use the law to profit from the labor of other individuals. This is the concept Bastiat refers to in his essay as plundering. Bastiat elaborates that the instinctive goal of man is to achieve pleasure while completely avoiding pain. Therefore, man will resolve to plnder as a means to sustain his existence and improve his own personal situation. Bastiat described in his essay that their are two types of plunder which can be identified as legal plunder and illegal plunder. Of course, the category of illegal plunder can be theft, burglary, robbery, or fraud. Alternately, Bastiat excellently details what is contained in the realm of legal plunder. In Bastiat's opinion, legal plunder can be enforced by the government or the lawmakers in the form of tariffs, fees, and taxes. These forms of legal plunder will not be single individual acts which occur in the category of illegal plunder, but will be instilled into the system of a society. Legal plunder will become part of the daily interactions and transactions of the common people, for they are the true victims of plunder while those in power play the role of plunderers. when questioned about the sanctions and accused of legal plunder, individuals who benefit from legal plunder while strongly defend the perverted law and vigirously claim that the law benefits everyone in society. even though himself and the few individuals in positions similar to him are the only ones who see significant profit from the altered law. that it is able to benefit everyone in society. THe results of legal plunder is that the common people will rebel against. astiat states that it is natural for individuals to rebel against injustices commit against them. By this statement, Bastiat means that the individuals who do not profit from the law and are exploited because of it will attempt to have it changed or altered so that their class can share in the benefits of legal plunder. They may even wish to join in the legal plundering with the lawmakers and take profit at the expense of other lower classes even though they were once victimized themselves. The concept of legal plunder has plenty of relevance in today's world. Executives at large companies like Enron and Arthur Anderson were arrested by federal authorities for participating in actions similar to legal plundering. Company executives regularly embezzled corporate money and stock funds to benefit themselves while these finances were due to the hard work of their employees and investors. Executives at World Com were sent to federal prison for money laundering and fraud. People complain that the U.S. government imposes higher and higher taxes only to benefit corrupt senators and politicians. Individuals also believe that because the U.S. government is capitalistic, the government favors the wealthy americans and businessowners and ignores the needs of the lower classes in society. Individuals believe that the government purposely cuts government funded programs that poverty-stricken Americans desperately need only to keep the money for themselves.






Enron, Arthuer Anderson. World Com. Corporate embezzlement and fraud.