Lizard wrote:
But what we actually have is countless pluralities voting to rob each other. The game would work, except for entropy, in the form of transaction costs. With each theft from one group to the other and back again, some money is lost -- so the tension between groups increases as each demands a larger share of a smaller pie.
No -- you've got it *almost* right -- the negotiating pluralities, entropy (as metaphor!), & all... but the pie is growing (at between 2% & 3% per annum). So nearly everyone's content -- enough not to shoot each other, anyway. Paul Her name was Julie; she wore Batman sneakers, And she laughed when she sang, "Money can't buy me love!" North of Petaluma where the 1 meets the 101 -- Oh man, we took a lot of drugs...