The Gateway Objectivists’ May Meeting:
“Could School Choice Save St. Louis?”
– A
presentation by Dr. Joy Kiviat
St. Louis city public
schools are failing by every measure. Despite millions spent
on the desegregation program, the schools are among the nations most
segregated. Middle class families have long since opted out of city
schools, with millions fleeing to the suburbs in recent decades. Can the school system be reformed from
within, or is it time to allow parents a voice by enabling them to choose
alternative schools without financial penalty?
Joy Kiviat will discuss
school choice and look at the future of public education in St. Louis. The
meeting will be on Saturday, May 20, at 8 p.m., at the home of Joy &
Jeff Kiviat. Call (314) 469-2723 for directions.
“Property: Bulwark to Liberty”
At our last meeting, Bob
Greene lectured on the evolution of property rights and how private
property was an essential institution in the rise of Western Civilization.
Drawing on information from “Property and Freedom” by Richard Pipes
and “The Noblest Triumph” by Tom Bethell, Bob explained the types of
property rights and how they have developed through history.
Bob differentiated state,
communal and private property rights and how these were implemented in
Greek, Roman and feudal European times. Much of Roman law is still in use
today, as evidenced by the frequency of legal phrases in Latin. In Ancient
Greece, Plato and Aristotle debated the merits of public and private
property.
Throughout most of history,
ownership of property consisted primarily of physical possession. But for
secure private property rights, there must also be a recognized claim or
title to the asset. The right of alienation, or to sell or trade the
asset, must also exist. A legal code is required for these property rights
to be secure.
To trace the development of
modern property rights, Bob focused primarily on England from the Middle
Ages to the United States’ independence. He discussed feudalism, the
abolishment of serfdom, common law, and the establishment in 1689 of the
English Bill of Rights.
Bob also noted a recent
shift in America’s view of property rights in property seizure, takings,
antitrust and anti-discrimination laws. All of these have diminished
property rights.
Since all other rights
depend on property rights, we must understand them and protect them.
The screenplay for the
“Atlas Shrugged” miniseries should be ready in about two months.
Jeannie Williams of USA Today reported on April 25 the latest updates from
producer Al Ruddy. He said they are currently considering directors but
have not yet begun casting. The website www.atlasshrugged.com will
be available soon and will have updates about the production.
With Appeals, All Things Are Possible
The U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals ruled that Ohio’s state motto, “With God, all things are
possible,” is a violation of the U.S. Constitution, according to an
April 25 story by the Associated Press.
The American Civil
Liberties Union had appealed a 1998 ruling that the motto could stay as
long as its biblical origin was not mentioned. The Ohio attorney general
contended that the motto did not necessarily have a religious connotation.
But the appeal decision was based on the apparent endorsement of the
Christian religion.
Former Ohio Governor George
Voinovich, now a U.S. Senator from Ohio, conceived the motto while on a
trade mission in India after seeing a sign with the phrase,
“Government’s work is God’s work.”
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