On the road again

Even free-market believers predisposed to like the idea of the privatization of government services can get a little skittish when we start talking about something so long associated with the public sector, like roads. And, naturally, people who are against privatization on general principle will think of lots of reasons to oppose Gov. Mitch Daniels' plans to lease the Indiana Toll Road for nearly $4 billion and 75 years. (Masson's Blog raises many of the objections.)

But consider a little historical perspective. Most of the roads in the early part of this country were, in fact, private. People wanted to move ever westward, and government efforts to accommodate them were, to put it kindly, inadequate. In the 1790s, roads were opened up to private concerns throughout New England and the mid-Atlantic region. Companies built and operated the roads, for a profit, collecting fees at tollgates. Our first efforts at expansion were made possible mostly by private roads, not public ones.

Free markets mostly work, both to allocate resources and equitably distribute the costs. Always have, always will.