People in Oakland are proving a logical fallacy. You’ve probably heard it before. It goes like this: “The government provides X. Without the government, we wouldn’t have X.” It’s not true. If people value something, then they will find a way to meet their needs or desires.
“The government provides police. Without the government, we wouldn’t have police.”
Not so. The people of Oakland have been effectively living without the police for years. Today, in response to the reality around them, 3 crowdfunding campaigns have begun to fund private police. The campaigns are divided by geography and are already about half funded so far with about two weeks to go. Good for you, people of Oakland, for taking personal responsibility for your own security! You are leading by example and showing others what Libertarians have been saying for decades: that it’s not only *possible* to provide police with voluntary funding, it may actually be a cheaper and better service, too!
$82 per household buys 4 months of policing from a private firm called VMA Security. Their armed agents will patrol the streets 12 hours a day, 5 days a week. A common objection to private police is that the poor can’t afford it. But this works out to less than a dollar a day! That’s service everyone can afford. And of course there will be angels who donate more than their fair share, and others who will free-ride by contributing nothing. But note that this is already the case with policing today. Many more people receive services than pay for them.
What do you think? Is your town ready for a private police force? Had you ever considered how cheap such a service could really be? Share your thoughts on the Peace News Now Facebook page.
h/t http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/citizens-oakland-crowdfunding-private-police-force/#axzz2h1yjdkha