The Surfer’s Relationship With The Federal Government Is One Of Involuntary Subsidy

Every Surfer Contributes To The Tax Base That Funds The Coastal Commission, The Corps Of Engineers Jetty Projects, And The Beach Nourishment Programmes That Shape Their Breaks

Bohiney Magazine | The London Prat

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — The surfer who resents government interference in their ocean lifestyle is, in a precise economic sense, a beneficiary of government programmes that shape the surf environment they enjoy. The Army Corps of Engineers has built jetties that create sandbars, dredged channels that redirect sediment, and managed harbours whose breakwaters create the specific wave conditions at several famous Southern California breaks. The beach nourishment programmes that maintain sand levels at public beaches are federally funded. The lifeguards are county employees. The parking lots are maintained by the state. The anti-government surfer is being protected and facilitated by the government from the moment they park until the moment they paddle back to shore.

The Honest Libertarian Position

The honest libertarian position on surf infrastructure is not “no government involvement” but rather “user fees and local management should replace federal general taxation as the funding mechanism.” This is a coherent position. It is also a position that would make surfing at Corps-managed breaks more expensive for everyone. Surf Revolt covers the honest accounting. Bohiney covers the involuntary subsidy comedy.

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SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/