Muh roads

The most common, eye-roll eliciting rebuttal to libertarianism or anarchism is: “without government, who will build the roads?”  And the typical response to that is: private companies will institute a toll-based system to build and maintain them.  That is likely true, but I intend to take a somewhat different approach to the issue.  My response is that most roads will not be built at all, and I don't think that's a bad thing.  

Libertarians understandably, and rightly so, focus mainly on the ethical nature of government.  However, little thought is given to the aesthetic ugliness that central planning results in, but we experience it every day.  Walking through the endless asphalt jungle that is Toronto constantly invokes in me the thought: “this is irreversible”.  I always feel a sense of unease walking through the loud, bustling suburban streets of my neighborhood.  There is little space for the peace, serenity and stillness of nature.  Even in most public parks I am not far removed from the concrete jungle, and can still hear the rumbling buzz of the city.

 I once saw a picture of my neighborhood from the 1950s, and it might as well have been a different planet.  Farmland stretched into a virtual eternity.  That is now replaced by an endless sprawl of repetitive housing and condo developments, an aesthetically dull landscape symbolizing the height of urban mediocrity.  Productive farmland has been converted to cracking pavement.  Our roads, perpetually under construction, perilously support multiple hour commutes to and from corporate jobs and overpriced houses.  As all of us who look less than an inch under the surface know, this system is entirely unsustainable.  And government funded roads are a huge contributing factor to this ugly situation. 

If huge industrial developments such as roads could not be funded without a government - as the statists suggest - perhaps this reality informs us of a very important truth.  We don’t need a massively intricate, centrally planned system of roads to achieve a harmonious and sustainable society.  In fact, the existence of this leviathan stands directly in the way of such a goal.  Imagine the creativity and environmental sensitivity that would be needed to transport goods without the freight train that is government, mercilessly ramming through the peaceful, beautiful communities that could emerge in the absence of coercion.  Imagine a community where all our essential resources, services, friends and family are within walking distance, and our economy is harmonious and integrated beautifully with nature. 

This vision is entirely possible, and may be necessary as our artificial society comes crashing down.  The creativity and vibrant beauty that manifests itself in the absence of state power and proliferation of peaceful human interaction never fails to take my breath away; it is worth a lifetime of fighting for.