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Summary Of Miller Vs Schoene

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The problem in Miller v. Schoene is a classic example of where treating two parties the same will not result in the best outcome. The problem arises because two parties are using the same resources in the same area. Miller wants to keep the state from cutting down his cedar trees. The state wants to cut Millers trees down because they are near an apple orchard and could spread a disease that would kills the apple trees. The decision maker is the government. When the government makes such a decision, they employ a cost-benefit analysis, using dollars as a common measure to make decisions. The government in this case faced a multi-layered problem. Miller’s trees cause the destruction of apples trees, trees that produce a great benefit to the Virginia economy in the form of a million dollar apple orchard business. Miller’s cedar trees are not entirely void of any benefit. They can turn a profit when sold for lumber. However, the apple business produces significantly more economic gain for the whole (i.e. the state and its people) than does the lumber produced from Miller’s trees. …show more content…

At the end of the day, destroying the Miller’s cedar trees is a great harm for him to endure, and just because it will not be felt in near the same magnitude or by as many people does not lessen the personal cost or even make it de minimis. A cornerstone of economic thought is that one person’s “better off” and another person’s “worse off” cannot be compared. In other words, a proper deciding of the case cannot rest on the reason that the people benefiting from the apples are more “better” off than Miller is “worse off.” Economic principles provide no support for such a legal

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