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Nobody ever argues that roads, railroads, and highways are an unfair tax burden. It's such a ridiculous straw man. The beef that most Libertarians have with gov
by marknutter 10y ago
Nobody ever argues that roads, railroads, and highways are an unfair tax burden. It's such a ridiculous straw man. The beef that most Libertarians have with government spending is with entitlement programs.
- thebooktocome 10y agoSandy Rios, of American Family Radio, has indeed argued in the past that the Interstate Highway System was and is a waste of taxpayer dollars. So no, it's not a straw man. Some conservatives really do believe this.
- jessaustin 10y agoI'll remember this example the next time some conservative starts ranting about Bill Ayers.
- AnthonyMouse 10y ago> So no, it's not a straw man. Some conservatives really do believe this. Weak man vs. straw man. https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/05/12/weak-men-are-superweapons/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/05/12/weak-men-are-superweap...
- mfringel 10y agoYou have found a pattern. Do you have a point you want to make?
- AnthonyMouse 10y agoPeople frequently say "nobody" when they mean "almost nobody" and it doesn't lead anywhere productive to point out the odd counterexample. A handful of extremists are not representative.
- thebooktocome 10y agoExactly what evidence do you require to demonstrate that this is indeed a thing? AFR were extremists a couple years ago, sure, but the Overton Window recently shifted. You may have noticed.
- AnthonyMouse 10y agoThe point is that it is a thing, but it's not a thing anyone here is defending. There is no point in arguing over the things you already agree about. Here's an example of actual government waste. The ACA provides subsidies for low-deductible health insurance. Those plans are less efficient than high-deductible plans because the plans cost more (to the government and the patient), and because the act of laundering the cost of routine care through an insurance company causes healthcare costs to increase because insurance companies are less price sensitive than patients. The government does this out of regulatory capture. Health insurance companies don't want people using less expensive plans and health provider companies don't want patients to be price sensitive. Do you disagree with that? If so we can have a discussion. There is no discussion to be had about whether there should be public roads.
- Lagged2Death 10y agoWhy don't roads count as an "entitlement program?"
- marknutter 10y agoBecause they are taxed largely based on usage (gas tax).
- chadgeidel 10y agoGas taxes don't cover highway funds. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_Trust_Fund https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_Trust_Fund * https://taxfoundation.org/gasoline-taxes-and-tolls-pay-only-third-state-local-road-spending/ https://taxfoundation.org/gasoline-taxes-and-tolls-pay-only-...