I hate to bring it up, but it truly is amazing how many people reply to any number libertarian arguments with “What about the roads?” They even do it with a smirk because they think libertarians aren’t bright enough to think about it on their own.
Here’s the thing—most libertarians went through a transition period to libertarianism, which probably involved their own “What about the roads?” questions and then subsequent answers. Heck, Walter Block wrote a book about the privatization of roads and highways called, well, “The Privatization of Roads and Highways.”
If you have never really tried to imagine a system that didn’t use or need the government to manage the roads, that’s fine. But if you do not want to be laughed at or given short, sarcastic answers, don’t act like your debate partner has never thought about it either. Chances are he’s thought about and answered it on numerous occasions. If you are curious or want to know what a libertarian thinks about private roads, by all means, ask away! Just try to be somewhat respectful of their intelligence when you do it.
like David I too get all my news from Fox LIve. I understand they call it Fox News, but I think my title is more appropriate. Also, I think my definition of news is appropriate here, although not actually included herein. And, in actuality, I haven’t viewed anything from fox for months.
This guy cracked me up. Thanks for the introduction.
(Is it not obvious that increasing gas taxes could adequately cover any cost of bridges without requiring privatization? I don’t really know what people think about things because I don’t generally ask or care. Further, if gas included some externalities and was near $20 per gallon, would that not stimulate local manufacturing all the while?)
I haven’t watched Fox News in ages. It’s pretty bad–the alternative cable news networks? They’re all the same. I guess it depends on whether you want your lies colored with a red tint or a blue tint.
As far as taxing gas to a rate of $20 per gallon, I see what you’re suggesting, but I surely prefer the market to allocate where resources go. The problem with central planning is that there are no alternatives if they choose the wrong course of action. Get ideas flowing and make mistakes on your way to picking what is best for you. I go further into detail in this old article: https://www.mcfloogle.com/2013/02/12/a-fundamental-flaw-of-central-planning/
And yeah, David Angelo’s stuff is great. I highly recommend his other videos.