But Who Will Build The Roads

"You will find that the State is the kind of organization which, though it does big things badly, does small things badly, too." - John Kenneth Galbraith



Generally, when people are presented with the idea that the government is essentially unnecessary, and only is created by powerful people in order to continue and try to legitimize their power, one of the most common questions is something like, "But who will build the roads?"

I find it very interestesting that government is looked upon much like some kind of Deity, as if we're saying that it's okay if we destroy the world, government will build us a new one. It is as if 'government' is the all inclusive, all knowing (well, they're getting there), all powerful, giver and taker of all things. As much as they would like you to believe that; as much as we have been taught to believe that, by the government, the media, our schools and institutions, our parents and their parents, and so forth, it is absolutely untrue. Government is itself a fallacy. Government is a bunch of people who either decide to take power, or have inherited it, in one fashion or another, from others, whether by family or some kind of contractual arrangement.

The question of WHO will do something if there is no government simply shows how weak minded we have become. Who will feed me? Who will clothe me? Who will change my diapers? The truth is, unfortunately, that if and when the government fails, the vast majority of people WON'T know what to do, as all they know how to do is totally worthless in the REAL world - how to plant or gather food, how to make clothes, how to fix something. Hell, these days most people can barely cook something out of a box from the grocery store. Let alone, actually pick it or shoot it, and prepare it as food. Mostly they eat out of waxed tubs or boxes from the take-out joint!

But the answer to the question of who does things, is PEOPLE. When you ask who will build the roads? The answer is the same exact people who do it now. However, it will be done more efficiently and for far less money, most likely.

We had an excellent example, although small, of that here recently. We live in a slightly rural area, for which there is a local newsletter that gets sent out. In the most recent issue, there was a perfect example of who will build (or at least fix) the roads. There is a particular county road, small enough or remote enough, or something, which the county wouldn't cough up any money for, even though it was filled with potholes. So, the locals, those who actually USE the road, pitched in and decided to fix it themselves. Now, I'll be honest - I don't know all the specifics about it, but I do know that with volunteer help and donations, they were able to patch up their road, and it cost them under $500 for the whole thing, including EIGHT TONS of asphalt. Now, not knowing all the costs that the government would incur for such a job, my guess is that they would have FAR exceeded $500 even before anyone got out to take a look and make a decision. One worker would probably have exceeded $500, even if he did nothing but supervise. In other words, they saved taxpayers probably many thousands of dollars by getting together and doing something they needed done.

And that, of course, is another big part of the problem. The government spends billions upon billions for things which don't need to be done, and for the most part, we don't WANT them to do. And yet, we keep claiming we want our government so we won't have to grow up, and do things ourselves.

For instance, the military. For the most part, our military is for invading other countries that don't want us there. We don't want our military there, and yet there we are, destroying the infrastructure and killing and wonding thousands - hundreds of thousands - simply in order to maintain power and control. We don't need a standing military, for, as one of my friends pointed out, if anyone tried to send troops in to conquer our country, they probably wouldn't get more than a few blocks before the millions upon millions of Americans who currently own guns would go to fight them. That is assuming we don't lose our rights to own guns here.

Similarly, in situations like Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina, common people did their best to help one another, while the government did nothing except hamper assistance. Government doesn't help us, it actually just gets in the way. That which is supposed to protect our "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness," seems to be expert at doing exactly the opposite.