  Olson notes that very many politically provided goods, such as highways and public safety, roughly have the qualities of Samuelson’s public goods and therefore face the problem of free riding that undercuts supply of the goods. Note that the supply of such goods by the state overcomes the free rider problem because voters can vote on whether everyone is required to pay toward the provision, as in the case of national defense. If I am voting whether the good is to be provided, I cannot free ride and I need not worry that anyone else can either. We can all vote our overall preferences between supply at the relevant individual cost versus no supply and no cost of provision, so that democratic choice turns our problem into a simple coordination—if we are all in agreement that a relevant good should be collectively provided.