Five examples that show we don't need the state for public services
We often hear the argument that we need the government to provide us with essential public services, such as roads, hospitals and various emergency services like the fire department. If the state didn't exist, many will say, we could not live in a civilized society.
However, this is not the case. It is fairly naive to think that just because something takes a little organization and planning, there needs to be an institution that coerces people into paying half their income in order to realize it. In fact, the state often fails in satisfying us by providing many goods and services in a highly inefficient manner. Since exchange of goods (tax money for public services) is not voluntary in the case of services provided by the state, it lacks the incentive to deliver a quality product to the people that "paid" for it.
What's even more ironic, is that the state tends to outsource the services they claim to provide to private companies. This means that the collected tax money partially fades away through an inefficient, slow, bureaucratic system, after which it ends up in the hands of non-state actors that could have received the money in the first place. Now, the only excuse for the state would be that only they, the all-knowing magical government, can make decisions about how certain services should be coordinated. This is, of course, not true at all, because the demand for those services is determined by the people who ask for them.
To illustrate the theoretical part above, let's kick in some examples.
1. Muh Roads
If you are an anarchist, you will have heard the question: But who will build the roads?!
Adam Kokesh builds his own roads!
Source: YouTube | video of@adamkokesh
Portland, Oregon anarchists start fixing potholes because the government won't
Read the article here
Source: Facebook page 'Portland Anarchist Road Care'
2. Private Security
Today, there are more people active in private security than in police departments.
- Private security firm defends vessel from Somali pirates
Source: YouTube
3. Private Law and Arbitration
Many people already choose for private arbitration with different laws instead of government jurisdiction, as Professor Bryan Caplan explains in this video:
Source: YouTube
4. Healthcare
Today many people want to see "free"healthcare provided by the state, which means you pay for it anyway through taxation, but that's not the point. The thing is that it's just not necessary.
- Take a look at the past
Source: Wearsmyliberty.com
5. Charity
In 2016, the American people gave $ 390 BILLION to charitable organizations (source: charitynavigator.org). And that is in the United States alone.
Imagine how high this amount would be if people were not forced to give half their income to the highly inefficient and violent institution called the state. People would be able to easily pay for services themselves, while also coordinate projects with members of their own community to ensure that everyone benefits from it.
@rvanstel