Its not the motive that makes someone a criminal/heroic, its the act.
Block makes his criteria for being a hero quite clear.
The act must not violate the rights of innocent people
The act must be of great benefit to large numbers of people
The act must be performed at great personal risk.
The (nongovernmental) counterfeiter meets all three reqirements.
No, he doesn’t. He’s a scumbag like the ‘legal’ counterfeiters.
I read that Block book some years ago. It has to be taken with a grain of salt. It’s an interesting bunch of counter-exaggerations.
Suppose that “legal tender” was abolished. Everyone who could would print the existing money into oblivion. It is difficult to argue that a new set of goons sapping everyone elses purchasing power to nil is beneficial to large numbers of people despite leading to the replacement with a sounder money. It isn’t so much good as merely better than the status quo.
Good point.
Just in case you are not convinced…
Counterfeiting transfers ‘purchasing power’ from honest holders of currency to counterfeiters. That happens regardless of the counterfeiting being done by the state or by private parties. If you are going to argue that counterfeiting doesn’t violate property rights, then you’ve no grounds to complain when the state prints money to pay its bills.
It is not. As a matter of fact, inflation is detrimental for the majority of people.
Legal tender laws and taxes are all I complain about, number 1 stands!
Nongovernmental counterfeiting, if allowed, would completely destroy the government’s own system of counterfeit money. The degree to which nongovernment counterfeiters are active is the degree to which the effectiveness of the government’s own system of counterfeit is decreased. Since, as you agree, counterfeiting is harmful, this is helpful. So yes, a few individuals may be harmed from nongovernmental counterfeiting, but its more beneficial overall.
Okay, you are hopeless. I guess your level of independent thinking doesn’t go beyond parroting whatever nonsense Block happens to write. Have fun.
If there were no legal tender laws, counterfeiting would not be ‘profitable’ because fiat money would not exist. I don’t expect you to really grasp it, but I thought I’d mention it anyway.
Its Blocks criteria for being a hero, why shouldn’t you use it, when defending Block?
And IF there wasn’t a government there wouldn’t be a nongovernmental counterfeiter, and IF…
If is obviously irrelevant.
Counterfeiters do not oppose the gov’t, they do not oppose legal tender laws (legal tender laws benefit them), they do harm people by counterfeiting money, and do not help reducing or eliminating government.
Counterfeiters can either get a honest job, or profit thanks to the fiat-money system put in place by the gov’t. They choose the latter - they steal from the public, just like government does. They are net ‘tax-consumers’.
You could half argue that smugglers provide a valuable service. At least they exchange goods for money, instead of creating money out of thin air, like counterfeiters do. Of course, smugglers are usually in bed with the government since their ‘business model’ relies on free-trade being banned. Same thing for drug dealers.
If you are just going to completely ignore opposing positions could you say so beforehand?
Did I mention that all you did was parrot Block’s mistakes ?
Yeah, and I replied. I guess you ignored it.
I think both Juan and Mr. Block are right. Mass counterfeiting would destroy the currency, but this would hurt people who worked hard for this currency( as illegitmate as it may be). The government would probabley just issue a new fiat currency and only trhe honest hardworking people would be punished.