[ExI] Serfdom and libertarian critiques (Was: Call to Libertarians)

Damien Sullivan phoenix at ugcs.caltech.edu
Thu Mar 3 18:50:26 UTC 2011


On Wed, Mar 02, 2011 at 08:33:11PM -0500, Rafal Smigrodzki wrote:
> On Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 11:34 AM, Damien Sullivan
> <phoenix at ugcs.caltech.edu> wrote:
> >
> > If 10% of my income goes to build a private palace, that's theft. ??If
> > 50% of my income goes to zero-fare public transit, universal health
> > care, funding for basic research, good law enforcement, safe housing,
> > and many other public services, I may consider that a good deal.
> 
> ### But public transport, especially zero fare, as well as universal
> (I presume you mean "free") health care are highly inefficient as a
> way of apportioning resources - and of course, provision of services

Proof or evidence required.

> by a public (i.e. monopolistic, non-accountable) authority is also
> highly inefficient. You are very unlikely to get a good deal if it's

A public democratic authority is accountable through democracy.  Some
more so than others, depending on how agencies are set up; I posit that
directly elected transit boards would be more responsive than appointees
with a couple links of indirection.

It is private or autocratic monopolies that are truly unaccountable and
inefficient.  Competitive markets may be more accountable than democracy
but not all markets are stably competitive or account for all costs.

-xx- Damien X-) 



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