In "Power and Market: Government and the Economy," Murray N. Rothbard delivers a radical critique of government intervention, arguing that the state is inherently harmful and unnecessary for societal progress. He asserts that true free markets rely on voluntary exchanges grounded in absolute property rights, where individuals own themselves and the resources they transform through labor. Rothbard challenges conventional economic thought by advocating for free-market defense services, proposing that protection could be competitively supplied without state coercion, much like other market goods. He dismantles objections to this idea, suggesting private defense agencies, insurance companies, and competitive judiciaries as viable alternatives. Rothbard critiques state interventions – such as price controls, minimum wage laws, and monopolistic grants – for creating inefficiencies, distortions, and conflicts, contrasting them with the market’s harmonious, self-correcting nature. He also rejects taxation as inherently coercive, dismissing principles like ability-to-pay as flawed. Ultimately, "Power and Market" urges a reevaluation of the state’s role, advocating for a society where voluntary market solutions replace government coercion.

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