The logic of your assertion about the market externality of highway building seems impeccable, but reality pokes a big hole in it. You wrote, "The only reason we all have cars is because the government built roads for us to drive them on." Really? A close examination of history would reveal that:

1. The national and state highway system as we know it today was built in the 1950's under Eisenhower administration after Bechtel, the construction conglormerate, convinced the administration that a national highway system like Nazi Germany had under Hitler would be beneficial to the rapid deployment of troops.

2. The annual motor vehicle production in 1928 in the US reached over 4 million, today the annual sales (including imports) of US market is about 17 million vehicles. In other words, in the first three decades of 20th century, when roads were mostly maintained at town and municipal levels, and with private funding (especially with bridges), motor vehicle sales increased over four thousand fold (from less than 1000 per year before 1898), with only less than five-fold growth for the seven decades of road building by federal and state governments. People certainly bought cars, millions of them per year, before the federal and state governments got into the road building business in a big way.

3. Turnpikes (for horse-drawn wagons) was big business funded almost entirely in the private sectory in the 1700's and early 1800's. Some say it was bigger than the internet of the late 1990's.

4. Railroad was also a private sector funded form of transportation.

It is far from conclusive that government is the only viable road builder, or that government road building, as opposed leaving road building to the private sector, was effective in promoting automobile sales, espeically considering that gasoline would be less than $1 a gallon now if the government were not levying gasolien tax, and 50 to 60 cents a gallon when it was at $1 at the pump.

posted by 68.160.172...

• Oregon may tax fuel efficient cars., Jim Moncrief, Fri, 10 Jan 2003 11:46:51
  • And outlaw pooping on city buses in Bend!, Crapster, Mon, 13 Jan 2003 16:17:43
    • What about the people who wear enough perfume to, KB88900T, Tue, 14 Jan 2003 01:11:32
  • Just a subsidy for GPS manufacturers, Sieglo, Fri, 10 Jan 2003 17:28:16
  • Will talk to some ex colleagues at ODOT in Salem...., Jorgen Trued, Fri, 10 Jan 2003 16:59:05
  • A few thoughts for some consideration., Texron, Fri, 10 Jan 2003 15:53:24
  • What I heard is that the gas tax was never designed to, KB88900T, Fri, 10 Jan 2003 14:12:46
    • You don't have a clue, do you?, Daanimal900, Sat, 11 Jan 2003 00:28:12
      • Speaking of clues, JimS, Sat, 11 Jan 2003 16:34:45 <-- Viewing This Message
        • Re: Speaking of clues, Daanimal900, Sun, 12 Jan 2003 14:44:06
      • Who the hell are you, the tax collector. I live on, KB88900T, Sat, 11 Jan 2003 00:54:45
    • I agree it will never fly in the USA but I thought, Jim Moncrief, Fri, 10 Jan 2003 15:11:36
      • Re: GPS speed tracking next!!! n/m, JohnK, Fri, 10 Jan 2003 17:15:27
    • But if you vote no on 28... (long), KR, Fri, 10 Jan 2003 14:48:48
      • I support funding the schools and that should be a, KB88900T, Sat, 11 Jan 2003 01:10:16
      • Re: But if you vote no on 28... (long), jp, Fri, 10 Jan 2003 18:24:20
      • standard political blackmail, MJM , Fri, 10 Jan 2003 16:00:06
      • Re: But if you vote no on 28... (long), JimS, Fri, 10 Jan 2003 14:59:25
        • I totally agree!!!!! Best, KB n/m, KB88900T, Sat, 11 Jan 2003 01:12:46
        • I hadn't thought of it that way..., KR, Fri, 10 Jan 2003 15:20:37
          • Re: I hadn't thought of it that way..., JimS, Fri, 10 Jan 2003 15:36:57
  • Outraged Oregon Saab owners unite!, KR, Fri, 10 Jan 2003 12:39:38
  • absurd, just raise gasoline taxes n/m, Aero'ed, Fri, 10 Jan 2003 12:12:07
    • Re: absurd, just raise gasoline taxes n/m, Steve L, Fri, 10 Jan 2003 13:09:26
      • Not easy to raise gas taxes..., Daanimal900, Sat, 11 Jan 2003 00:34:26
        • Logic?, JimS, Sun, 12 Jan 2003 14:49:56
          • Re: Logic?, Daanimal900, Sun, 12 Jan 2003 15:11:16
  • I'd go along with it if..., Eric Law, Fri, 10 Jan 2003 12:02:30

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