One of the most common objections against a private property order is the issue of roads. "Roads are a public good! Government must be in charge of them," says the skeptic. "What if someone didn't want to give up their property? Government must use force to make them cooperate. Won't there be toll booths every five feet? What if a fat cat buys up every single road and charges a hundred dollars per mile to use them?"
Of course I urge all libertarians to check out Walter Block's great work on the marketization of roads and prepare themselves to challenge this objection head on, explaining why people voluntarily interacting in the market would find a way to handle them, as they did for most of America's history before government monopolized this service.
But I believe an even better response is to simply point out the prehistoric nature of roads and advocate for their abolishment completely. The time of the flying car is now and debating how the market would provide some relic of an old world is just stupid.
All government roads should be sold off and the proceeds given back to the taxpayers according to who paid the most for the roads and all regulations concerning flying cars should be abolished. I suppose I'll sell out and take the moderate position that there may be a one or two year transition period allowed.
Every major breakthrough in transportation came from entrepreneurs: James J. Hill, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Henry Ford, and now the heroes of PAL-V are on the edge of providing us with the next transportation revolution.
So, without further waiting, the flying car:
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Response to a reasonable objection:
A friend responds that she likes driving and isn't crazy about flying around. Her loss, but no worries. Private entrepreneurs will cater to this niche market of people clinging to their roads. Just as we have scissors for left-handed people and soy burgers for wimpy people, roads will exist for those who want roads. Believe it or not, you can even still buy VCRs.
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