Underestimating long-term consequences of cryptoanarchy

[Tim May]

On Friday, May 9, 2003, at 12:04  AM, Bill Frantz wrote:

> At 6:44 PM -0700 5/7/03, Tim May wrote:
>> On Wednesday, May 7, 2003, at 01:01  PM, Bill Frantz wrote:
>>> 120-130 years ago, there was a privately owned toll road between Los
>>> Gatos
>>> and Santa Cruz.  Now there is a publicly owned road, with no toll, 
>>> and
>>> I
>>> haven't heard much call to go back to the old days.  Why are the vast
>>> majority of people happy with the current situation?  Some ideas:
>>
>> Why would anyone waste time arguing for something which absolutely
>> could not happen in today's world?
>>
>> I'm serious. People spend time on things they think could be changed.
>> This is why there is "not much call."
>
> There have been some proposals to build privately owned toll roads in
> California.  One proposal was from the San Francisco Bay area to
> Sacramento.  As far as I know, that one died from lack of interest.  I
> think there was also one in the LA area, but I know less about it.  The
> idea is a private toll road would have less traffic, and be faster.

There is indeed a private toll road, Highway 73 going from a point near 
San Juan Capistrano to a point near Irvine. It passes mostly through 
part of the former Irvine Ranch, mostly uninhabited. Basically, 
contiguous with part of the Laguna Hills. (Consult a map if interested. 
Yahoo will show it by entering "Irvine, CA".)

I've taken it a few times, at the suggestion of my younger brother, 
ever-impatient with any delays. We did not take it during rush hour 
periods. Frankly, it cut a few miles off the normal I-5 route, and was 
slightly faster.

This private toll road would be very hard to build in any other place, 
as the ownership of the large tract of undeveloped land made it 
possible. Private developers rarely are granted eminent domain (seizure 
of lands or property for the people's democratic socialist use) and it 
is virtually impossible to conceive of a developer acquiring rights of 
way for a highway through thousands of farms, houses, ranches, schools, 
shops, etc.

(I know about auctions, but there are some markets that don't "clear." 
There are people who simply refuse to sell. Even when The Donald 
(Trump) sought to build a casino in Atlantic City there was one parcel 
owner who refused to sell. Once the state of NJ refused to condemn the 
property to give it to the Donald, he built _around_ it on three sides.)

Even when the population was a fraction of what it is today, this was a 
problem building railroads. Of course, though the books on free 
enterprise are light on mentioning this, the private railroads got the 
land rights by coercion, threats, burning out settlers, bribing state 
officials, etc. "Blazing Saddles" was not far off the mark.

Today, a private toll road could basically not been be built in areas 
where they are most needed. Q.E.D.

>
> In fairness, these proposals are "government-private partnerships", 
> and not
> true private roads.  The government provides the eminent domain, and 
> the
> private provides some of the capital.
>
> I never heard a large amount of enthusiasm for these proposals.

As I discussed in my reply yesterday, people don't rally enthusiasm for 
things which are just not going to  happen anyway, anywhich, anyhoo.

And any emergent enthusiasm would be met with a vast counter-reaction 
from the neighbors, the affected land owners, etc.


--Tim May