Along with the Myth of Authority – the idea that being ordered about by other people is legitimate so long as those people have given themselves titles or wear uniforms – there is this idea that absent government, we'd never have things like roads.

Much less plowed roads.

It snowed hard over the weekend and I got to thinking about it as I watched the government plow trucks do their thing.

They do it very expensively.

It seems "free," of course. The trucks rumble by and you aren't sent a bill . . . for that. But you're sent a bill – via the IRS, via your state-level IRS – for many other things, most of which (unlike roads and plow trucks to clear them when it snows) you probably don't use, don't want and – quite reasonably – would therefore rather not

Like, for instance, the estimated 10,000-plus nuclear warheads possessed by the federal government. Even if you're not a Libertarian, it probably strikes you that a few hundred of them are sufficient for "defense."

But we're all forced to pay for as many nukes – and carrier battle groups – as the federal government decides it wants, even though we have little if any use for such.

The "defense" budget amounts to around $610 billion annually – nearly three times what China spends (appx. $216 billion) and more than seven times what Putin-rearing-his-head spends ($84.5 billion).

If the U.S. "defense" budget were to be cut in half, we'd still be spending as much as the dreaded Chinese and 4-plus times as much as the Russian bogeyman. Surely, sufficient for "defense." Just imagine how much more money would be available for roads and plows to clear them. Things most of us probably would be willing to pay for and would pay for voluntarily . Because we could afford to do so.

If that is, we weren't forced to pay for so many other things – like "defense" spending that amounts to more than what Russia and China and the entire axis of evil spend together.

Oddly, many Americans (especially Republican ones) believe "our military" is mendicant, like the ragtag Colonial Army at Valley Forge. That "we" must rebuild it. Because of Putin, et al. Who – with his single operational Typhoon is going to challenge Uncle to nooklear combat, toe-to-toe, per Major Kong all those years ago.

People buy this stuff.

Literally.

They pay for "rebuilding" (endlessly, excessively) the military – and lately, on top of this, the Homeland Security apparat. So there is less available to pay for things like roads and trucks to plow them.

Much less.