The Privatization of Roads and Highways - Ludwig von Mises Institute

Aiding and Abetting Road Socialism 397
government on the most efficient way of rapidly influencing
the money market is thereby committing himself to the desirability
of government manipulation of that market. The economist
cannot function as an adviser without committing himself
to the desirability of the ends of his clients. 38
The point, here, is that, in giving advice to the state about
roads, Poole is “thereby committing himself to the desirability of
government” action in this regard. Does this mean that the libertarian
can never advise the state? No. If he confines himself to
pointing out the economic inefficiency, immorality and other
related problems, he does no violence at all to libertarianism. For
example, if he is called upon to testify about rent control or the
minimum-wage law, and limits himself to pointing out the errors
and flaws of this legislation, he is on firm ground. But if he
attempts to fashion a “better” or “more effective” law, he
diverges from this philosophy. If he gives counsel on taxation, he
must call for a reduction, or elimination. And, returning to our
present concern, if he advises government on highways, qua libertarian,
he must content himself with showing its defect, and
calling for privatization. Not contracting out, but privatization.
Certainly any attempt to play the role of efficiency expert for the
bureaucrats would be ruled out of court on the basis of this criterion.
OBJECTIONS
In this section, we consider some objections to the thesis
maintained above, to wit, that Poole’s (and Reason’s) support for
government, surface-transportation arteries cannot be reconciled
with the freedom philosophy.
38 Murray N. Rothbard, Man, Economy, and State with Power and Market,
Scholar’s Edition (Auburn, Ala.: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2004), p. 1362.