Murray Rothbard, For a New Liberty

My favorite part of my favorite book:

"The libertarian who wants to replace government by private enterprises is thus treated in the same way as he would be if the government had, for various reasons, been supplying shoes as a tax-financed monopoly from time immemorial. If the government and only the government had had a monopoly of the shoe manufacturing and retailing business, how would most of the public treat the libertarian who now came along to advocate that the government get out of the shoe business and throw it open to private enterprise? He would undoubtedly be treated as follows:

People would cry, “How could you? You are opposed to the public, and to poor people, wearing shoes! And who would supply shoes to the public if the government got out of the business? Tell us that!

Be constructive! It’s easy to be negative and smart-alecky about government; but tell us who would supply shoes?
Which people? How many shoe stores would be available in each city and town?

How would the shoe firms be capitalized? How many brands would there be?

What material would they use? What lasts? What would be the pricing arrangements for shoes?

Wouldn’t regulation of the shoe industry be needed to see to it that the product is sound? And who would supply the poor with shoes? Suppose a poor person didn’t have the money to buy a pair?”

These questions, ridiculous as they seem to be and are with regard to the shoe business, are just as absurd when applied to the libertarian who advocates a free market in fire, police, postal service, or any other government operation. "

• Murray Rothbard- For A New Liberty