I was reading a discussion on another message board and was curious as to what people here thought about it.
This happened on a reality tv show recently (I'm simplifying some of the details):
John Doe suspects Bob Smith is stealing his food. The next time John orders food, he pees on it, then wraps it back up. Bob steals the food and eats it.
In your ideal world, should Bob be able to collect damages? What if John had put broken glass in the food instead? What are your general thoughts about these types of booby traps? Another example would be a home security system that's rigged to shoot intruders.
Of course not, that's ridiculous. If I feel like making a broken glass sandwich and leave it in the window, I have a right to do so. If someone is dumb enough to steal it, it's his problem. It's just like that burglar who sued a home owner after he fell through a window in the ceiling and broke his leg or something.
Ludwig von Mises Institute | 518 West Magnolia Avenue | Auburn, Alabama 36832-4528
Phone: 334.321.2100 · Fax: 334.321.2119
contact@Mises.org | webmaster | AOL-IM MainMises
Mises.org sitemap