L'etat c'est moi
That’s what happens when you don’t have robust property rights.
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That’s what happens when you don’t have robust property rights.
An op-ed (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/02/opinion/02MONT.html) in last week's NY Times also draws on Louis XIV's maxim, "L'état, c'est moi," vis-a-vis Saddam:
"As was evident at an Iraqi judicial hearing in Baghdad yesterday, Mr. Hussein will continue to exploit the drama of his special prestige to say, effectively, American puppets may come and go, but, as Louis XIV put it, ''état, c'est moi.'"
Jonathan Rick
http://students.hamilton.edu/2005/jrick/