Last edited Mon Jul 2, 2012, 04:03 PM - Edit history (1)
Especially when someone on the right tries to corner me on the better efficiency of privatizing vs. public resources paid through taxes. Kind of goes like this:
"Okay let's try this. Let's say the town you live in decides to sell off sections of paved roads to any homeowner or business that has frontage on a street or road. If they buy a section they would be entitled to charge you a toll to use that section of street even if it's only a few feet long, regardless of the direction you're coming from and they could charge you anything they want. How many homes or businesses do you pass when coming to or from work, picking up the kids at school, dropping of the kids at school, going grocery shopping, picking up that pizza you just ordered, etc... just doing the stuff of everyday life. How many homes or businesses do you pass? 100? 200? 300? More? Does it make sense to you to pay 200 tolls to get to work in the morning? Let's not forget about coming back from work where you would have to pay the same tolls again! Where's the efficiency in that? How is having that sort of system more efficient or cost effective? Where's the common good?
Some things simply work better if they are in the public sphere, paid for by taxation! Sure there are some freeriders, sure there may be inefficiency and some waste, maybe even fraud. Maybe it's the duty of the public itself to ensure that tax revenues are wisely and efficiently spent! Consider it the price paid for being a citizen of a civilized society."
The response I usually get is something like this: "Well...um...I didn't mean to say that we should....blah, blah" And then they start back pedaling.
Some may think it's bullshit hypothetical argument but in my eyes it highly underscores the need for common benefit created by taxation. Turning a society and all of it's assets into some sort of free market utopia does not and has never struck me a solution to all of this country's ills.
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