Most urban areas have parks that are managed by the city or county. Locally, we have City Park. It is “public” property. Ownership implies selling rights. But last time I checked, I could not sell my share. If everyone owned it, then each resident should be able to sell a small percentage, roughly 1/600,000 of it, assuming New Orleans has 600,000 people. However, I can’t do so. There is no share. The public does not own public property.

Why is it called public? The government controls that property; it can legally sell or rent it. They allow us access to those areas. We are granted an implicit license to enter and enjoy those premises.

The problem with public property is that we all are forced to pay for it, even if some wish not to enjoy the benefits of their forced “contribution.” This is clearly theft. It is not a purchase nor a rental. The payer receives nothing in exchange for money. If you refuse to pay, you are fined or jailed. If it is immoral to fine or jail people for making them pay for goods or services that they do not want, then it follows that public funding is also immoral.

Surely there must be a better way to have parks that respects everyone’s wishes. That solution is to privatize it. Those who want to enjoy its benefits can do several things. They could jointly buy and share the park. This solution would involve splitting the cost of the park into many parts (determined by demand) and would work like a company’s traded stock. Each park stock would give the holder rights to access and enjoy the park. The stock could even be traded or sold. If there’s an increased demand for park services, the total stock amount could be doubled, its price halved, and more people would be able to buy park rights at lower prices. Another way to address the situation would be for the owner of the park to charge entrance fees and function like a fitness club. Those who wish to enter, pay.

Thus, by assigning property rights, the the free-rider problem is solved. Just like no one is forced to pay for others’ gym membership, no one should be forced to pay for park needs. Let individuals do with their money as they wish.