Calling our monetary system “murderous” would be a gross category error, misidentifying the object taken. Similarly, labeling slavery merely as “stealing” overlooks its essence; what is taken is not property but a person’s very dignity. Taking twenty dollars from someone’s wallet steals their property, but debasing that twenty-dollar bill steals the work, the stored effort and time, that the bill represents.

— Neal Flesher, Modern Chains (Chapter 1)

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