By Walter E. Block
Vancouver is beset with problems, seemingly on all fronts. It is still one of the most beautiful cities not only in Canada, but on the entire planet. There are very few metropolises that can engage in “Sea to Ski” events; where lovely mountains and lovely ocean expanses can be found cheek by jowl. But “Hollywood North” now has more than its fair share of difficulties. Let us list just a few of these glitches. 1. Air quality. Not too long ago, it was worse than China’s, and that is saying something. Upon occasion blue skies and white clouds can be seen. But, when the wind shifts, it becomes grayish and smells heavily of smoke. Say what? There are often numerous and serious forest fires which rage in the interior of British Columbia. 2. Animals. There are coyotes in Stanley Park, the “Jewel in the Crown” of downtown Vancouver. They are actually biting people, and not just a few of them; children too. There are bears roaming around in North and West Vancouver. Happily, they have not killed anyone yet, but still; they are far more dangerous than coyotes. Ancient Romans would sometimes pit one bear against two lions to make up a “fair” fight. 3.Traffic. From where the ferries let off vehicles in Horseshoe Bay, all the way down to the cut leading into the Second Narrows Bridge (don’t even ask about the snarled Lion’s Bridge), and all the way out to Chilliwack and sometimes beyond on Highway #1, there is bumper to bumper traffic. If you want to get around by motor vehicle, best try at 3AM. What do all these doldrums have in common? Government. According to leftist economists, one of the main market failures are external diseconomies, or negative externalities. The typical example used as a stick with which to beat up on the free enterprise system is pollution. The private polluter sells steel to his customers, but negatively impacts the lungs of third parties with dust and soot. But in the cases of air quality and dangerous animals now impacting Vancouver, it is government, not entrepreneurs, who are responsible. Who owns the forests in the interior of British Columbia? Why, it is the government, that’s who. If they were in private hands, and there were any justice, within limits (acts of God don’t count) the owners would get their pants sued off for trespassing smoke particles onto the property and into the lungs of other people. Would private forestry companies do any better than their public counterparts in quelling these disturbances? Of course they would. They would benefit from laissez faire capitalism’s “weeding out” process: those who did a good job would earn profits and be able to expand their base of operation; those who did not would go bankrupt and be forced to take up other occupations to which they might be more suited. There is no such “fail safe” mechanism that works anywhere to the same extent in the government sector of the economy. It is for this reason that West German and South Korea could produce pretty good shirts and housing and keep themselves well fed, while the economies of government bloated East Germany and North Korea could not. It is same thing with wild and dangerous animals. They, too, are emanating from state-controlled areas. There is no question but that if these timberlands were privately owned, their proprietors would be in serious legal trouble for not keeping their bears and coyotes to themselves, even under present legal arrangements. Is anything like this now occurring? Of course not. Instead, those involved in this area are bemoaning the fact that the authorities had to kill seven bears, finally, finally. They are also bitterly complaining that people leave garbage about that attracts the bears. Really? Yes, really. As for traffic, private highway owners would institute peak load pricing. You want to get onto these thoroughfares during rush hour (pretty much all day from 6am to 10, with crests from 6am to 9am and from 4pm to 6pm) it is going to be pricey for you. Go get some friends, car pool, and share these heightened expenses, or take the bus! This is the system widely used throughout the private economy by ski lodges, restaurants (dinner costs more than lunch, other things equal) and movie theaters (lower prices for lightly attended Tuesday afternoons). It simply makes no sense for people to be able to jog faster than cars and trucks can move on our congested highways. The solution: privatize, privatize, privatize!
Bears:
https://www.nsnews.com/in-the-community/terrible-terrible-time-north-shore-bear-advocate-bemoans-death-of-seven-bruins-in-july-despite-education-efforts-4218075?utm_source=Email_Share&utm_medium=Email_Share&utm_campaign=Email_Share Bears versus lions: https://www.google.com/search?q=ancient+romans+bear+and+lions+fight&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS724US724&sxsrf=ALeKk00BfuRDv5kbcVNwC8Gtb2ZgL6vIng%3A1629050088588&ei=6FQZYfquI5DL0PEPvo2UoAs&oq=ancient+romans+bear+and+lions+fight&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAw6BwgAEEcQsAM6BAghEApKBAhBGABQjn1YwYoBYMafAWgBcAJ4AIAB-AGIAf4FkgEFNi4xLjGYAQCgAQHIAQjAAQE&sclient=gws-wiz&ved=0ahUKEwj6wue-zLPyAhWQJTQIHb4GBbQQ4dUDCA4 Coyotes: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/coyotes-in-vancouver-s-stanley-park-have-attacked-3-people-this-week-1.6141471 Block, Walter E. 2021. “Coyotes in Stanley Park.” April 19; https://www.econlib.org/coyotes-in-stanley-park/ Air quality: https://www.google.com/search?q=air+quality+in+Vancouver+worse+than+China&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS724US724&oq=air+quality+in+Vancouver+worse+than+China&aqs=chrome..69i57.11454j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Traffic: https://bc.ctvnews.ca/vancouver-has-the-worst-traffic-congestion-in-canada-again-according-to-this-ranking-1.4790325 Private highways: Block, Walter E. 2009. The Privatization of Roads and Highways: Human and Economic Factors; Auburn, AL: The Mises Institute; https://store.mises.org/Privatization-of-Roads-and-Highways-Human-and-Economic-Factors-The-P581.aspx; http://www.amazon.com/Privatization-Roads-And-Highways-Factors/dp/1279887303/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336605800&sr=1-1;
When Liberty is sacrificed, authoritarians destroy. When authoritarians destroy, they never (ever) "build back better." When authoritarians destroy, everything stays destroyed, until Liberty is returned. It's not "different this time." It's never different.
Andrew Wiggins of The Golden State Warriors was forced to make a decision that no one should ever be forced to make. He did not want the vaccine, but was cornered into taking. He's understandably concerned about what the shot may do to his body in the future.
By Ron Paul
During last week’s Virginia gubernatorial debate, Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe promised that as governor he would prevent parents from removing sexually explicit books from school libraries, because he doesn't think “parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” McAuliffe's disdain for parents who think they should have some say in their children’s education is shared by most “progressives,” as well as some who call themselves conservatives. They think parents should obediently pay the taxes to fund the government schools and never question any aspect of the government school program. School officials' refusal to obey the wishes of parents extends to the anti-science mask mandates. Mask mandates are not only useless in protecting children from a virus they are at low risk of becoming sick from or transmitting, the mandated mask-wearing actually makes children sick! Yet school administrators refuse to follow the science if that means listening to parents instead of the so-called experts. Replacing parental control with government control of education (and other aspects of child raising) has been a goal of authoritarians since Plato. After all, it is much easier to ensure obedience if someone has been raised to think of the government as the source of all wisdom and truth, as well as the provider of all of life’s necessities. In contrast to an authoritarian society, a free society recognizes that parents have both the responsibility and the right to provide their children with a quality education that reflects the parents’ values. Teachers who use their positions to indoctrinate children in beliefs that contradict the views of the parents are the ones overstepping their bounds. Restoring parental control of education should be a priority for all who believe in liberty. If government can override the wishes of parents in the name of “education” or “protecting children’s health” then what area of our lives is safe from government intrusion? Fortunately, growing dissatisfaction with government schools is leading many parents to try to change school policies. Parents are also responding by pursuing alternatives to government schools, including the option hated most by authoritarians: homeschooling. The unnecessary coronavirus lockdowns and the teachers union officials’ support for keeping schools closed have also contributed to the growth in homeschooling. Parents looking for a homeschooling program that includes an introduction to the ideas of liberty should consider my homeschool curriculum. My curriculum provides students with a solid education in history, literature, mathematics, and the sciences. It also gives students the opportunity to create their own websites and internet-based businesses. The curriculum is designed to be self-taught, with students helping, and learning from, each other via online forums. Starting in fourth grade, students are required to write at least one essay a week. Students also take a course in public speaking. The curriculum teaches history from a pro-liberty perspective, and the economics section is taught from the Austrian viewpoint. But, unlike government schools, the curriculum does not compromise education quality, distort facts, or undermine parental authority in pursuit of an ideological agenda. Students using my homeschooling program develop a love of learning, study superior communication skills, and gain real-world business experience. They also develop critical thinking skills that will enable them to succeed in whatever career paths they choose. Parents interested in giving their children a well-rounded homeschool education that includes an introduction to sound economics and the ideas of liberty can get more information about my curriculum by going to RonPaulCurriculum.com.
Big Pharma Merck is set to rake in billions of dollars from its new "not-ivermectin" Covid treatment - despite the US taxpayer paying for the drug's original development. Also today - no wonder Attorney General Merrick Garland loves Critical Race Theory: His family is set to make big bucks from pushing the curriculum to classrooms across the country.
President Biden's "Justice" Department has directed the FBI to investigate parents attending school board meetings to protest mandatory mask mandates and the teaching of Marxist "Critical Race Theory" for possible "domestic terrorism." Is this about protecting school boards...or silencing political opposition? Also today, the debate over "natural immunity" is heating up.
The illogical and tyrannical idea of "vaccine passports" are having the very predictable effect of crushing business in NYC. All people and businesses outside of NYC should take note. For everyone besides the authoritarians, no good outcomes should be expected from "vaccine passports."
The usual "debt ceiling" theatrics have reappeared. We're again greeted with the propaganda that if the most indebted government in the history of the world doesn't continue to go deeper into debt, the world would grind to a halt. But economic "crisis," which is really a painful return to economic reality, is inevitable. The real "crisis" is continuing to dig a deeper hole. So it's certainly time to think about getting one's own person financial house in order.
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