Defenders of the State are quick to contend that society
would be plunged into crime and violence without the State to
hold back the floodtides of depravity.
But it is not merely the case that the State does a poor job of
protecting us from criminals (as opposed to private
security agencies), but The State is the Greatest
Criminal.
Most capitalists and all anarcho-capitalists are quick to
point out that it is the State, rather than private
criminals, that has caused most of the violence in the world.
In fact, more bombs are thrown by “archists”
than “an-archists,”
and more crimes against property are committed by “archists”
than common “private sector” criminals.
The bureaucratic violence of the State depersonalizes all of
our lives. Lord Acton said “power corrupts.” While he spoke
primarily of those who wield that power, it also corrupts those
who are subject to the power. The State legitimizes vengeance,
theft and a “might makes right” philosophy in the eyes of
its citizens, especially in a democracy, where “we the
people” are said to be “taxing ourselves” and protecting
our rights through violence. Forgiveness and other
distinctively Christian traits are "privatized"
and die the death of a thousand political and other more
"realistic," or "practical" qualifications.
Christian living becomes diluted in the face of "the
banality of evil" which the State engenders.
Would the complete abolition of the State result in an
outbreak of widespread crime and lawlessness? Not if the
State abolishes itself. Sure, if criminals overthrew the
State and gave themselves free reign to compete with the State
(whereas before the State had a protected monopoly in certain
criminal endeavors), crime would increase. But if those
criminals who currently hold political office were to publicly
repudiate their acts of theft and murder, the message that
would be sent to everyone is "Thou shalt not steal -- even
by majority vote." As long as the State is in business, a
mixed message is sent to society: some crime --
some theft, some murder -- is OK, if you're among
the "in" crowd.
The Fruit of the State:
Many people look to "the government" to solve
social problems, but "the government" always makes
these problems worse. A prime example: The Government's "War
on Poverty." Over 5 TRILLION dollars have been spent
in the "war" since the Johnson Administration, and by
every statistical measure, poverty
increased.
The government has stepped up to solve the following
problems (or is looked to as the answer to these problems, even
if those in the government might actually be dedicated to
increasing them!), and has arguably made them greater problems
than they were, and undoubtedly kept them from being solved by
widespread decentralized voluntary solutions:
next: Campaign Finance, Corruption
and the Oath of Office
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