Roads and Infrastructure

The ends do not justify the means. Roads and infrastructure are an asset to the people who use them, but that does not justify being financed through taxation - a form of extortion.

Roads are of enormous value to people. It is impossible to imagine life without them. Government, though, is an agency of force. It need not use force if people would voluntarily act. So the usefulness of roads is an argument against government involvement, not for it. If roads are of as much value to people as they believe, they would be willing to pay for them.

Since the roads are owned an operated by the government, there is the problem that people's lives have become dependent on them. Selling the roads to the highest bidder, for instance, could cause enormous problems. Since people expect free access to the roads, they have built their houses and businesses accordingly. To prevent them from using the roads would subject them to the ruthlessness of the owners.

If roads were always private, long-term contracts could be made with the owners of the roads. In this way, as long as you were willing to pay, you would have assured access to the roads. If more roads were needed, there would be profit to be made in making the roads. There is no need for government intervention in roads and infrastructure. There presence there now merely obscures this point.


Copyright © 2001 by Jeff Landauer and Joseph Rowlands