The ORT tax would benefit less than one percent of the people in Washington County by robbing the 99%. The less than 1% who use the bus is clearly a special interest – the people who use subsidized bussing. Drake denies that a tiny fraction of the population who would benefit from robbing the vast majority is a special interest!

Drake makes other dubious claims. He writes, “The simple truth of the matter is that we need more buses and more routes added in our area.” The evidence shows that there is not enough demand for ORT to make it voluntarily in a market. Already they need a massive input of federal dollars to survive. Many or most of their busses have only one or two people riding. Take a close look at the next ORT bus you pass and count. So contrary to what Drake claims is “the simple truth,” there is currently a proven and observable lack of demand – otherwise they wouldn’t be trying to rob their neighbors to fund it.

Of course, the green authoritarians who want to raise your taxes will say that they predict that, someday, there will be a demand. Well, if they think so they are free to fund their speculative venture themselves. They are not free to rob their neighbors to fund it.

Some of Drake’s column is laughable, like comparing a small town in the western Oklahoma semi-desert to bustling northwest Arkansas. Also, he succumbs to the “Columbus fallacy” (i.e. If it hadn’t been for Columbus, America would never have been discovered) when he implies that without government funding there would be no roads or sidewalks or librarie or fire departments. These things have been done privately – generally more efficiently and with better quality, and definitely more morally (if you oppose theft.)

Drake attacks a straw man when he claims that some oppose “the very idea of a bus service altogether.” I’ve been involved with anti-tax people, and I’ve never met anyone with that opinion. What people oppose is a bus system that’s funded by government, funded by taxation. A similar trick is used by those who claim that anti-tax people are against public transit. No – only government subsidized public transit. I have never met any anti-ORT tax person who opposed someone setting up a business giving the general public transport services.

I agree with Drake that things like libraries and inexpensive transportation and fire departments make us civilized. Of course these things can be, and often have been historically, done voluntarily rather than through government violence-power. If Drake thinks that only a government (through taxation) can do these things, he’s falling for the fallacy of government solipotence.

Don’t worry, if/when there is enough demand for a bus system, then entrepreneurs will provide you one through voluntary market means. And they’ll do it without forcing you to foot the bill. So vote “no” on the ORT tax on May 22. Or vote early at the Washington County court house.

It’s “funny” how the corporatist pro-tax people ignore the means – government violence-power. We all want to help people, but not all of us want to do it by coercing our neighbors. Help your neighbor – yes; rob your neighbor – no.

Very well said! It is sad when you have people who are bent on complaining whether it is a special interest group or nay-sayers. I see it so simply..if you want to change something, go VOTE May 22nd, and exercise your rights. Transit does make so much more sense in so many ways…less overall cost, more sustainability, more civilized as you say, and it is necessary for so many people who do depend on bus transportation. The young people at Youth Bridge who are trying to change their lives DEPEND on this transportation as do so many others in the community. I would much rather spend my 1/4 cent sales tax for improvement because I know it has a benefit. Each time I fill my car up with gas and it has inched toward the 1/4 cent increase from 6 months ago, I really can’t see that benefit in the community. Thanks Richard!