I think it makes sense for a community to own its local roads, the last mile. But I don't think government control makes sense for highways, except perhaps where there is no competition. There are many ways to get to most places.

Even with a monopoly, there is a price level where the road makes the most money. You can't raise prices above that without losing money.

Even then, it is possible for communities to have contracts with road providers that pay a provider for each mile travelled but that give the community the proceeds of the surge pricing. And certainly communities have to agree to connect to and use a road for it to be profitable.

And we certainly don't want to have a situation like that privately owned bridge connecting the US and Canada where there are no other bridges nearby. But I pay an even higher bridge toll to drive to Queens.

I'm all for maximizing the benefits. That is the reason we should have to pay to use roads, especially at peak times. Because we waste a lot of time on them when they are free.

It's not about collecting the most money for the government. It's about maximizing the flow of traffic when demand is highest.

And yes, its hard to eat in places without strong markets and property rights. And things have improved greatly over the last 30 years where people now have more rights and markets set the prices for food rather than political decisions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo

The more accurate prices are, the more sensible our decisions can be and the more opportunity there is, especially for the poor.