“It thus has been demonstrated a priori, to those of us who have faith in the principles of economic science, that the exception indicated above is not justified, and that the production of security, like anything else, should be subject to the law of free competition. Political economy has disapproved equally of monopoly and communism in the various branches of human activity, wherever it has found them. Is it not then strange and unreasonable that it accepts them in the security industry?”
–Gustave de Molinari, The Production of Security
Follow Circle Bastiat
“Why would they make war? To conquer consumers? But the consumers would not allow themselves to be conquered.”
The author fails to go beyond the very surface and makes this easy assumption. It’s nonsensical. When Big Fat Tony’s security force of 1,000 men comes to our town with a couple APC and heavy machine guns and completely over-runs our 20 man security force, then demands I pay him protection money, I don’t have a choice anymore.
It doesn’t matter if I allow myself to be conqured, because I have been conqured.
And this is just a very superficial complaint as the issues can go deeper and deeper than thugary.
How does this differ from what would happen if Tony’s thug force of 1000 over-ran a 20 man police force today?