[ExI] Acceleration of the wealth gap

[Dan TheBookMan]

On Jun 9, 2020, at 1:06 PM, Darin Sunley via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
> To an inner city drug dealer, it absolutely applies. That Rolls is the result of maybe a few really good deals, and could be gone tomorrow. Ownership does not necessarily instill a responsibility on a Hobbesian state of nature. Here today, gone tomorrow.

I've read, too, that the _average_ drug dealer isn't making a fortune -- not enough to be buying at sticker value that SUV. However, it's usually enough to justify the risks given the lack of other lucrative opportunities. (I recall reading a Quora member mentioning making tens of thousands of USD a year. This was a lot of money for that person, but it's not like someone making a six figure salary in a decent job with a retirement fund, paid medical, etc. is going to quit to start dealing on the street.)

By the way, the problem you talk about — securing property rights when one is involved in a black market — is a problem Hernando de Soto covered in his _The Other Path_. He wasn’t dealing with the recreational drug trade, but things like housing and street vending in Peru. 

Regards,

Dan
   Sample my Kindle books at:
http://author.to/DanUst
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