Well, the state is the one who started the whole ordeal by making drugs illegal. So I would argue that in a real free-market no engineer would have been kidnapped in the first place.

That is an interesting point! But in failed states (where de facto nothing is "illegal" as there is no rule of law), life is hardly peaceful. The source of the strife may be drugs in this case, but it's just because that's what pays well enough to approximate a lack of a strong state enforcing rule of law, even in a Western country like Mexico.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Fragile_St...

I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on John Hasnas' "Myth of the Rule of Law".

http://faculty.msb.edu/hasnasj/GTWebSite/MythWeb.htm

I thought it was an interesting article. Bu then, I didn't realize it's in a legal journal...

I only think that the author has much more faith in the Free Market than it's warranted. We are exactly now talking about a cartel.

Anyway, the government could be leaner.

I'd like to refute your succinct list by posting this incredibly long essay. If you don't read it fully then you don't get to disagree with my point.

Effective!