★ The Miracle of the Commons

"I always hear about how inefficient government is. And yet all around me, I see these examples of public assets which are thousands of times more efficient than their private counterparts. Just by the miracle of sharing, a single book in a library, or basketball hoop in a park, or seat on a bus, completely destroys the efficiency of its privately-owned counterpart  Can you imagine the huge collective cost if everyone bought their own computers and books and other media, just to build a personal library? Or if we all drove our own personal vehicles everywhere instead of using the cheaper and more environmentally-friendly public transportation? Oh, wait."