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RE: Rent-Seeking and Wealth Destruction
This is slightly different than outright theft, which simply transfers wealth from one to another. Rent-seeking actually destroys wealth while enriching one person at the expense of the other.
Are you (most likely unknowingly) suggesting rent seeking is possibly worse than theft? And even that theft doesn't destroy wealth?
It seems more like what you're refering to here is extortion, rather than simply the "seeking of rent" which in of itself would not be destructive. Indeed, even blackmail comes at a cost; Theft is free of all money cost, but is still destructive to the economy.
Rent in the economic sense is distinct from rent in the sense of payment for temporary use. Ben is knowingly stating that rent - in the economics sense - is more destructive than theft.
Theft is indeed bad for the economy. Wealth is illegitimately transferred from one individual to another, and the one from whom wealth is stolen suffers. There is no intent to avoid this subject.
However, rent-seeking in the economic sense destroys wealth my using it in pursuit of theft. Extortion is a subset of rent-seeking as described in the article above. Racketeering was the first example given.
I'm thinking we probably won't find agreement on this issue, but it's good to see you've made such clear distinction as to what you mean.
Be well
/Thomas