Salerno Essay Research Paper 1 In

Salerno Essay, Research Paper

1. In an anarcho-capitalist regime, people indeed would own their ownneighborhoods, since the streets and all other “public” services would beprivately provided. Of course, the precise size of the optimal”neighborhood” would vary according to technological circumstances andconsumer preferences. But every residential area would feature tightlyrestricted immigration just as hotels, condominium and townhouse complexes,and leisure villages do today. Thus only individuals who were specificallyinvited by the private property owners of the neighborhood to visit, shop,rent or buy would be permitted to “immigrate” to the neighborhood–and thenonly on the precise terms specified by the property owners. For example animmigrant may be permitted to purchase a residence in the neighborhood onlyon the condition that he refrain from practicing a particular religion orindulging a dietary custom that the resident-owners found offensive. Or aparticular group, defined by age, religion, race, gender, etc. or acombination thereof, may be debarred from shopping in the neighborhoodbecause its members are thought to be particularly prone to criminality. 2. Thus, as Hans Hoppe has pointed out, in a marvelously insightfulunpublished article, restricted immigration, and not “free” immigration, isthe libertarian counterpart of free trade. Both free trade and restrictedimmigration rest on mutual consent and benefit; free immigration is on allfours with restricted trade as an invasion of private property whichunilaterally benefits the immigrant or the protected industry. Contrary toSteve Horwitz’s point, the immigrant’s wishes in moving into a neighborhoodshould count for no more for the libertarian than those of U.S. Steel’s whenlobbying for a tariff. 3. This brings me to the question of the proper immigration policy for anation in which the State has appropriated ownership of streets, highways,parks, airports, etc., and has grossly restricted the freedom of associationinherent in private property through antidiscrimination laws. Thesecircumstances strengthen rather than weaken the case for restrictedimmigration. Given that streets and other publically-owned spaces arescarce resources, they have a multitude of competing uses. No one (exceptBryan Caplan) would deny that the government as de facto owner of theseresources should define and enforce rules for using them. Preventing peoplefrom defecating, copulating, bowling, erecting shooting galleries etc. inthe middle of the street is hardly a violation of libertarian principle. These activities would most likely be prohibited on privately owned streetsalso. Indeed, as pointed out above, a libertarian neighborhood would beeven more restrictive in setting rules for the use of its streets and parks,determining not only WHAT activities take place but WHO may perform them. Preventing a noncitizen from walking or driving on a town’s street is nomore illibertarian than preventing a bum from sleeping on a park bench ormandating that teenagers cannot roam city streets after midnight. Admittedly