Re: Public Resource vs Private Ownership

[CraigSimon@aol.com]

Garret Hardin's conclusion regarding the tragedy of the commons was stated
this way: "Freedom in the commons brings ruin to all."
http://dieoff.org/page109.htm

In an age when it seems that we have put up "Everything for Sale," as Robert
Kuttner describes the triumph of the market system, it is intriguing to still
find people asserting the virtue of treating certain resources as things that
can be shared and husbanded. (I think the IETF lingo is "protect and foster.")
Declaring an entity to be part of the public trust is perhaps the second step
toward trying to avert the tragedy of the commons. The first is recognizing
the potential for its abuse.

I would argue that no consensus has been established on whether the TLD space
should be treated as a commons or not. The MoUvement states it should be, as a
regulated non-profit monopoly, while the GP and RSC models would open it up to
hallowed competition, granting "pioneer preference" to the first on the spot.
My sentiments have been tilting toward the MoUvement (perhaps because I think
I see the idealism in them), but it does seem like the prevailing historical
trend is headed top speed in the other direction.

Craig Simon