RY TIMBER is the company I work for and Scott Stern is my boss! This debate has direct conseqeunces on my job?
privatize the land and let the owners use it as they see fit.
They are debating details within the context of land communism. If the forests were private there would be no debate. The politicians are trying to play market and pretend to be owners. But the public aspect makes it subject to complicated conflicts between many different parties that have different ideas about what to do with it. Imagine your house was considered public. Any time you or anyone else wanted to turn on a light or run the dishwasher or modify the structure you would have to fight over it with everyone in town. As opposed to you deciding alone and reaping whatever consequences alone.
You guys always make too much sense. It’s no wonder I’m always pissed off at politicians and public debates. How come we don’t have more libertarians out there talking sense to people?
It’s because “people”, the masses, the voters, do not want to hear about “sense”. Thay want to hear about benefits of various kinds to be bestowed upon them and their industries by those they vote for. Simple, really.
Free markets are a public good. Their provision must be selfless and charitable. Even if everyone believed free markets were best, they would still vote in favor of narrow benefits for themselves.