This post is the second in a series.
Before I could determine if Ayn Rand was correct in claiming that “without property rights, no other rights are possible,” I had to understand what property rights really means. Sure, I could recite the definition: “The right to property means the freedom to produce, use, and trade material values.” But I wanted to understand what that means in real life. I wanted to understand how the freedom to produce, use, and trade material values is actually put into practice. So, I began looking at free market solutions to problems, as well as free market alternatives to government programs and policies.
When I began this intellectual journey, I had a full-time job. Eighteen months into my studies, I decided that I was going to pursue my dream to be a writer. I saved money and developed a plan. And then I quit my job and began a career as a freelance writer. It was a short-lived career (about two years) financed largely through savings. I was successful in selling many articles, and in some months I made enough to pay my bills from my writing.
I wrote for a variety of publications, including The Freeman, Kiwanis Magazine, and Reason Magazine. I wrote on a variety of subjects, including private libraries, aquaculture, bed and breakfast inns, and Houston’s private tunnel system. Many of these articles required me to get out and talk to the people involved in producing values, and that alone was eye-opening. These were people who were passionate about producing some value, and they were willing to invest time and money to do so. They didn’t need government subsidies or some other political favor. All they needed and wanted was the freedom to produce and trade.
Looking back, I think that is when I really began to appreciate the importance of property rights. The freedom to produce and trade enabled these individuals to pursue their dreams.
The Declaration of Independence states that all individuals are endowed with certain rights, namely the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Rights pertain to freedom of action, the freedom live as one chooses, to take the actions one deems best, to pursue the values that bring one joy and happiness. The right to property is the means by which we do this.