ProIndividual
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- May 6, 2011
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A state is a territorially-based coercive monopoly on the (claimed) legal use of violence against non-victimizers. That is a bit detailed, given most people just say "a geographically-defined monopoly on the use of violence", but that shorter description isn't quite right, even if more popular. A monopoly can be non-coercive (Austrian economics is instructive here as to the difference between consumer-created monopoly and a coercive monopoly - which I link to in the other thread I linked you to), and the state doesn't actually hold a monopoly on the use of violence (only the legal use of it against non-victimizers, as anyone can basically use self defense on an individual level). So I feel it necessary to be more specific. A state is a territorially-based coercive monopoly on the (claimed) legal use of violence against non-victimizers. This how they justify taxing people who haven't first created a victim, drug wars that attack non-victimizers, etc.
For your info..."state" means "compulsory government" generally, whereas "State" means political structures like Texas and Ohio. It's similar to how "libertarian" means someone who subscribes to the philosophy of libertarianism, while "Libertarian" means someone who is in the Libertarian Party. I think that was your confusion with how I used the term "state".
Notice also, the state when coupled with taxation essentially becomes indistinguishable from a mafia coupled with protection racket. Both are territorially-based coercive monopolies on the use of violence against non-victimizers. The state merely differs in that it is strong enough relative to its competing crime families to declare itself legal, and all competitors illegal. Both fund themselves via extortion...the state just uses euphemisms like "taxation" for what is actually extortion, and "preemptive war" for what is actually mass murder. But both are the same type of entity, and both do functionally the same things...they threaten you with violence as a consumer to pay them for a service you may or may not want, like, or use - and if you refuse to pay, or try to offer consumers an alternative choice in provision of the their services in the same territory, it is them you will need protection from (hence, a protection racket). Both are not very transparent, and therefore not very accountable, and both are creating higher than market-level prices and lower than market-level quality of service than otherwise would exist in an open, competitive, and free market for their services...which is the logical consequence of any coercive monopoly, monopsony, or cartel.
The only real difference is the relative (to other mafias) strength of the state makes it able to declare its crimes "legal" and all other competitors "illegal". Then it sets up brainwashing camps called "public schools/state education requirements on private schools" to make children learn to worship the state as a god, in a cult called nationalism. This becomes the religion of statism, and the statists become the cultists. Every mafia wishes they could declare their crimes "legal", and outlaw all competition, while brainwashing children to love the mafia and view taxes as "the cost of civilization". They'd love to brainwash kids who later become adults that this form of slavery is actually "liberty", "freedom", "civilized society", and "justice". It's a fantastic and lucrative scam.
For your info..."state" means "compulsory government" generally, whereas "State" means political structures like Texas and Ohio. It's similar to how "libertarian" means someone who subscribes to the philosophy of libertarianism, while "Libertarian" means someone who is in the Libertarian Party. I think that was your confusion with how I used the term "state".
Notice also, the state when coupled with taxation essentially becomes indistinguishable from a mafia coupled with protection racket. Both are territorially-based coercive monopolies on the use of violence against non-victimizers. The state merely differs in that it is strong enough relative to its competing crime families to declare itself legal, and all competitors illegal. Both fund themselves via extortion...the state just uses euphemisms like "taxation" for what is actually extortion, and "preemptive war" for what is actually mass murder. But both are the same type of entity, and both do functionally the same things...they threaten you with violence as a consumer to pay them for a service you may or may not want, like, or use - and if you refuse to pay, or try to offer consumers an alternative choice in provision of the their services in the same territory, it is them you will need protection from (hence, a protection racket). Both are not very transparent, and therefore not very accountable, and both are creating higher than market-level prices and lower than market-level quality of service than otherwise would exist in an open, competitive, and free market for their services...which is the logical consequence of any coercive monopoly, monopsony, or cartel.
The only real difference is the relative (to other mafias) strength of the state makes it able to declare its crimes "legal" and all other competitors "illegal". Then it sets up brainwashing camps called "public schools/state education requirements on private schools" to make children learn to worship the state as a god, in a cult called nationalism. This becomes the religion of statism, and the statists become the cultists. Every mafia wishes they could declare their crimes "legal", and outlaw all competition, while brainwashing children to love the mafia and view taxes as "the cost of civilization". They'd love to brainwash kids who later become adults that this form of slavery is actually "liberty", "freedom", "civilized society", and "justice". It's a fantastic and lucrative scam.
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