The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible - Bastiat Institute

Chapter 7
Best Laid Plans
Dull two- and three-storey wooden row houses lined the streets
of the town. Then Jonathan noticed one grand, elegant home,
standing apart from everything, isolated on an expansive green
lawn. It looked solidly built, adorned with attractive latticework
and freshly painted white walls.
Curious, Jonathan approached the house and found a crew
wielding heavy sticks, attacking the back of the home and trying to
tear it down. They weren’t very enthusiastic and moved very slowly
at the job. Nearby, a dignifi ed, grey-haired woman stood with her
hands clenched, visibly unhappy at the proceedings. She groaned
audibly when a piece of the wall came down.
Jonathan walked over to her and asked “That house looks well
built. Who’s the owner?”
“That’s a good question!” the woman shot back vehemently. “I
thought I owned this house.”
“You thought you owned it? Surely you know if you own a
house,” said Jonathan.
The ground shook as the entire back wall collapsed inside. The
woman stared miserably at the cloud of dust billowing up from
the rubble. “It’s not that simple,” yelled the woman over the noise.
“Ownership is control, right? But who controls this house? The
Lords control everything – so they’re the real owners of this house,
even though I built it and paid for every board and nail.”
Growing more agitated, she walked over and ripped a paper off
a single post left where a whole wall had stood moments before.
“See this notice?” She crumpled it, threw it down and stamped on
it. “The offi cials tell me what I may build, how I may build, when
I may build, and what I can use it for. Now they tell me they’re
tearing it down. Does that sound like I own the property?”
“Well,” ventured Jonathan sheepishly, “didn’t you live in it?”