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From: franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams)
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: Re: The free market (and lemons)
Message-ID: <1028@mmintl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 13-Jan-86 03:04:39 EST
Article-I.D.: mmintl.1028
Posted: Mon Jan 13 03:04:39 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 19-Jan-86 01:44:41 EST
References: <589@calgary.UUCP> <4340045@csd2.UUCP>
Reply-To: franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams)
Organization: Multimate International, E. Hartford, CT
Lines: 32

In article <4340045@csd2.UUCP> sykora@csd2.UUCP (Michael Sykora) writes:
>>So the choice between governmental and private solutions depends on the
>>situation.  It may well be that private (if a privately owned public
>>utility counts as private) enterprise is viable to run the roads in Hong
>>Kong, because the authority can get sufficient access to all the cars
>>which will be driving there, and/or to their owners, yet be nonviable
>>elsewhere.
>
>I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "sufficient access?"  I would
>assume that if a driver uses a road and doesn't pay hia/her bill, that would
>be treated similarly to a case of a consumer not paying a bill in general.

All right, I'll spell it out.  Suppose the state of Texas implements such
a scheme.  I live in Connecticut.  I can get in my car, and in about two days
drive to Texas.  If the scheme requires that something be attached to my
car in order to detect the use of the road, then Texas has to either man
the borders, and attach the device, or forbid my entry.  If photographic
techniques are used, they still have a problem forcing me to pay the bill.
I will note that states generally require visitors from out of state to
pay traffic fines immediately, because of the problems trying to collect
from people out of state.  (Most bills are intra-state matters.)  There is
a deeper question here; when did I agree to pay them for use of the road?
For Texas residents, there is an implicit contract involved in the motor
vehicle license.  They had better post signs at every point where one gets
on a non-free road if they want to have any hope of collecting.

All these problems are that much worse as regards someone from Canada.
It is essentially impossible to enforce petty legal claims across national
borders.

Frank Adams                           ihpn4!philabs!pwa-b!mmintl!franka
Multimate International    52 Oakland Ave North    E. Hartford, CT 06108