The Road Not Taken

Statists’ reaction to anarcho-capitalism is usually the hackneyed: “But who will run the roads?”

Yet even a toddler could do a better job than Leviathan has, as anyone traveling on the East Coast can testify. Drivers there suffer horrific congestion that worsens to a twice-daily apocalypse at rush hours; budget-breaking, jaw-dropping tolls (the George Washington Bridge into New York City extorts $15 from every car and more from trucks; driving from there to Maryland robs vehicles of another $40); and third-world conditions (potholes, streets arbitrarily closed, etc). Indeed, we might suppose that “Who will run the roads?” would be the best of all arguments for ridding ourselves of political leeches.

Perhaps even statists will soon agree that it is, thanks to said leeches in Leonia, New Jersey. “Officials” in Leonia, which festers near the George Washington Bridge, have “approved a measure to close dozens of streets leading to the bridge to drivers who do not live or work in town. They are doing this to control”—as if they don’t already—“the heavy traffic in Leonia during the morning and evening rush hours. Town officials say that smartphone traffic apps like Waze are rerouting drivers through Leonia when traffic near the bridge is backed up.”

Congrats, commuters! You’ll now share the agony of childless homeowners: forcibly paying for a “service,” whether roads or schools, you can’t use.

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11:25 am on January 22, 2018