A few years ago many of my "liberal" (in quotes for reasons that can be explained if necessary, since quotation marks seem to scare some folks on the Internet) could barely stop singing the praise of a fellow named De Soto who, I am told, wrote that property rights, more so than anything else, is the reason for the dominance and success of the U.S.
And the common joke both inside and outside the U.S.A is that this is not only a litigious society but that that is the source of all its miseries. Lawyers, in the view of many, are the founding members of any axis of evil.
In my own naive analysis, the primary difference I see between the U.S.A and some other societies/nations is the ability to litigate, and successfully so. From civil rights to consumer rights, lawsuits seem to have paved the way for the benefits/successes (such as there are) that U.Sers enjoy.
Comments? Are "property rights" a more fundamental attribute that are additionally upheld/implemened through laws and lawfulness? Or am I right in thinking that litigation covers a broader scope of human rights?
--ravi
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