Ownership Creates Personal Responsibility

By Douglas V. Gibbs

After more than a hundred years of experimenting with various forms of government, the founders of this nation determined that the best way for the United States to be prosperous was to allow the citizens to be individuals, self-reliant, and keep more of what they earn. In line with that thinking, which was heavily influenced by the teachings of thinkers like John Locke, Aristotle, and Thomas Aquinas, the central tenet of a successful society is where not only the people keep more of what they earn, but that they own what they use. After all, we tend to take better care of the things we own. In other words, property rights inspire people to act responsibly, which in turn leads to us treating each other with more dignity, and respect. In a society where the citizens are property owners, self-reliant, and keep more of what they earn, the creation of wealth becomes a central part of the economy. When achievement is encouraged, more citizens gain personal wealth, and in turn work to help others create wealth for themselves as well.

Personal ownership also extends to things that are not necessarily "physical." When referring to the political debate, our entitlement system is included in the debate. To own the responsibility for taking care of oneself, obtaining one's own education, preparing for one's own retirement, and providing for one's own health care, the individual is more apt to be responsible, while enjoying the liberty of choice. Ultimately, a society that encourages individual choice is more likely to build a prosperous society, and take care of that society with care.

To understand how ownership encourages personal responsibility, all one must do is consider the way rental cars are treated. Though it is "right" to treat a rental car no different than you treat your own vehicle, generally people do not. The reason for the mistreatment of rental cars is simply because the driver does not own the vehicle, therefore the same personal care to ensure the car is well taken care of does not go into how the vehicle is treated.

The obvious conclusion is that ownership induces people to act responsibly. When ownership is in a communal manner, such as in the case of the rental car, the care afforded to the thing lessens. People care for their own things more than things commonly owned. In turn, to look after one's own possessions, peace is ensured, for people are content with their own property, while they quarrel over things that must be shared.

In our society we tell people to "own up" to their responsibilities. That is because we are expected to be responsible, and to accept the consequences for our actions. We are also expected to be able to benefit from the wise use of our property, which in turn gives us more incentive to take proper care of it.

As much as we are likely to care for what we own, as an owner, we tend to respect other people's property as well. While excluding others from access to what belongs to us, we naturally seek the consent of an owner before taking any action that may affect what belongs to others. And as property owners, our respect for others encourages the creation of laws, just to ensure that anyone who may not respect ownership is stopped.

Ownership is in our nature. We are all encouraged by the incentive of acquiring personal property. This is because we are naturally individuals, and we naturally yearn for our own property, be it physical, intellectual responsibilities, or our own personal rights.

Rights, as personal property, are a gift of God, and the direct connection between rights and property was even recognized by one of America's Founding Fathers, James Madison, who said: "as a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights" (March 29, 1792).

"Property," and "Rights," were indeed virtually interchangeable during the early years of this nation. The ownership of printing materials made available the freedom of the press. The ownership of land and structures enabled the freedom of association, freedom of religion, and the freedom of just about any other action one can think of. In other words, the private ownership of property, be it material or other, enables the existence of a free society.

With the ownership of material property, markets formed. With the rise of markets, prosperity became possible. The incentive of ownership created markets which allowed for the opportunity to prosper, which in turn increased the desire to be personally responsible in order to protect that prosperity. Being personally responsible with one's opportunity to be self-reliant then enabled the opportunity for the individual creation of wealth. And with the creation of wealth for an individual, the desire to increase that wealth encouraged expansion of the endeavor, which in turn created jobs, and more opportunity for others - all because of private ownership.

In a free market, the exchange of property rights exists. Prices emerge, increasing the benefits of prosperity because of the concept of individualism and private ownership. Such an exchange of property through a free market then brings together people who otherwise would have nothing in common. Each participant in the market has their own independent purposes and desires. Through the workings of the free market everyone who is involved, if they participate in the market of goods, labor and ideas, draw from it what they need to satisfy their needs.

As the cooperation in the market among the participants increases, millions of people unknown to each other work to create their own benefits and prosperity. Wealth is then created, and prosperity widens. The foundation upon which all of this sits is individualism, ownership, and personal responsibility.

When the ownership of things is taken away, and placed under the control of a government system, such as through programs of entitlements, and socialist policies, the level of personal responsibility drops. The entitlement benefits become expected by the receivers of the entitlements, and the individual stops working for those things as a result. Incentive and the desire to be self-reliant is hampered, and the desire to take good care of what they receive becomes nothing more than how one would treat a rental car. The loss of personal ownership leads to the reduction of personal responsibility, which reduces the incentive to maintain the ownership of the things that create prosperity. In short, if we aren't owning up to our responsibilities, and hand over the ownership of those things in our life (like our personal welfare, health care, etc.) to a governmental entity, in the long run it literally spells the end of a free society.

When a free society ceases to exist, it becomes the opposite. Freedom lost is slavery. The creation of wealth ceases, and only the political elite maintain any kind of position in such a system. Ultimately, two classes form - the haves, and the have-nots. In a system where the government seizes control of what is supposed to be owned, the poor remain poor, and the elite becomes ruthless rulers.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary