Through the Broken Window

With implicit permission, and a bit editing, here are Student's questions -- and good ones at that:

1) What do you mean when you say you have the "right" to the "value" of your property?

What do you mean by value? Is "value" the price you can receive for your property on the market? Or something else? Why? If something externally lowers the market value of your property, is that a violation of your rights?

To make getting answers to these questions a little easier, let's use some examples. In the case of land, do you have the "right" to the "value" of the land before or after you make improvements (like adding a home)? Both?? What if the land's market value changes for "external" reasons?

For example, let's say Disney World moves in a mile down the road, dramatically raising the market value of your land. Do you have the right to that extra value? Or Does Disney?

Or what about Tyler's example? What if a more competitive restaurant moves in next to your restaurant and puts you out of business? Are your competitors violating your rights by lowering the value of your property? What if you go out of business because customers decide they don't like your food and they stop coming? Are THEY violating your rights?

2) Even if we decide you do have a "right" to the "value" of your property, what gives you the "right” to take compensation from people that destroy it??

In Tyler's example, what about the rights of the art thief? Doesn't he have a right to HIS property? Why should we allow you to violate HIS rights?

And before you answer, If our rights really are derived from reason, given to us by God, or delivered by magic, how can you lose them?