The Privatization of Roads and Highways - Ludwig von Mises Institute

Aiding and Abetting Road Socialism 399
opposite. There is simply no comparison between this sort of
activity and Reason’s promotion of statism.
What about the propriety of a libertarian such as myself
working for the state apparatus in the first place? Just as “the
Constitution is not a suicide pact” neither is libertarianism.
According to the “logic” of those who see a contradiction in such
an act, so would walking on the public sidewalks, driving on the
streets, using the post office to mail a letter, and perusing a book
at the public library be incompatible with this philosophy. But
that would mean that the advocate of the free market could not
live in society, and this is by no means required by the nonaggression
axiom. For one thing, the taxes of libertarians, along
with many others, were taken so as to finance these goods and
services. It seems harsh to condemn him for using them, after he
has been forced, at the point of a gun, to pay for them. For
another, according to this theory, the government has stolen from
him the wherewithal to fund these items. Therefore, it is a virtue
to seize them back from these criminals. 40
GIVING AID AND COMFORT TO THE ENEMY
Let us now posit, if only arguendo, that many of my previous
publications, and, indeed, the contents of the present book, give
hints on better road management. For example, I suggest that
automobiles damaged in traffic accidents be placed on poles
adjacent to the highway, as a warning to motorists. How, then,
am I different than Poole/Reason, which, as we have seen above,
offers a plethora of advice to the National Highway Safety Traffic
Administration (NHSTA) and the Department of Transportation
(DOT). We both, seemingly, are guilty of the same offense.
40 For more on this see Walter Block and Gene Callahan, “Is There a Right
to Immigration? A Libertarian Perspective,” Human Rights Review 5, no. 1
(October–December 2003).