One of our tasks as human beings is to constantly discuss and develop alternatives to society’s dominant institutions. Obviously, for leftists, one of the first institutions that comes to mind is the state. Of course, elementary questions remain when examining the role of the state. For instance, how can the state be transformed in order to fulfill the needs of poor people? Or, should the state be abolished and replaced? Replaced with what? How can the existing state be made more democratic? These have been age-old questions, without definitive answers.

Here, there are two important points to make. First, the modern state has been converted, neoliberalized, not diminished, in order to transfer immense quantities of wealth from the poor to the rich in a technologically advanced and militarized fashion. And, secondly, the modern state is an extremely complex entity, completely dependent upon highly educated and trained specialists.

The Size of the State

To be clear, in our neoliberal milieu, the state has been mutated, not reduced. In the US, at the beginning of the 20th century, government spending as a percentage of GDP hovered around 7%. During the height of World War II that number ballooned to over 50%. Today, government spending accounts for around 40% of the US’ total GDP. In brief, the US State has consistently played a significant and undeniable role in the overall economy, especially since the Second World War, varying slightly throughout the decades, but remaining solidly entrenched in an economic relationship inherently dependent on state investment, research and development, legal mechanisms, etc.

Indeed, capitalism and capital cannot survive without the state apparatus and its infinite capacities. Many intellectuals, including Noam Chomsky, call this arrangement State Capitalism. The distinction, albeit minor, is useful. Indeed, the current functioning of the state within the realm of capital is a drastically distorted version of Adam Smith’s theories, including those of his predecessors. That aside, if for no other reason, it’s worthwhile to discuss this dynamic in order to illuminate the innate relationship between the state and capital, particularly in the neoliberal context.

Further, people in the US endure a militarized, hyper-security state, incapable, at least in its current form, of providing even the most essential services and goods to society’s most impoverished communities, especially in times of dire need. The US State’s response to Hurricane Katrina serves as a prime example: municipalities and various government agencies deployed weapons and military gear to New Orleans, not humanitarian relief. In short, the US State responded with militarism. Why? Because the state has been virtually reorganized, its mechanisms fully inundated with militaristic capacities. No longer can citizens expect the state to respond to natural disasters with adequate shelter or food.

Ideologically speaking, many people have been convinced that the US State has been reduced, or diminished in size. Of course, there is no empirical evidence to prove such a theory. In fact, the state is larger than ever, at least in terms of its potential scope and actual reach. For instance, the security state alone is virtually beyond comprehension, entirely unfathomable to even the most ardent 19th century civil libertarian. However, many on the Left still assume that the state has been deteriorated by Right-Wing forces, as opposed to revamped, its resources reallocated. While it may seem as though the state is diminished, since it fails to provide social services to broad swaths of society, it has simply morphed into a more rigid, violent entity.

Interestingly, one of the things neoliberalism has taught us has been the state’s ability to transfer vast sums of wealth from one segment of the population to another. Unfortunately, that transfer has been the opposite of what the leftists would prefer, as the rich have successfully utilized the state to rob the poor. The amount of wealth that has been redistributed from the lower classes to the upper classes has been astonishing, with 1% of the population in the US now owning more wealth and assets than the bottom 90% of US citizens. This is, in many ways, the primary function of the neoliberal state: to transfer wealth.

On the other hand, as mentioned above, that’s not the only function of the neoliberal state. The neoliberal state is also a militarized state hell bent on implementing a form of Military Keynesianism. Again, this process is not a reduction in the size of the state, it’s a repurposing of materials, capital and manpower. Instead of preparing cities for increasingly powerful and potentially deadly natural disasters as a result of climate change, the state is weaponizing, spying, torturing, imprisoning, drone-striking and killing, both domestically and abroad. Since 9/11, the militarized state has grown more powerful than at any point in the history of the US.

Today, as a result, when many people think about the state, they imagine a bloated bureaucracy, loaded with middle-management types who pander to official interests. In some ways, they’re not incorrect: many government officials occupy meaningless, often oppressive positions of power. Consequently, many US citizens, and many people around the globe, do not trust or admire the state, and for good reason: in its neoliberalized version, that state represents a tool for the rich and powerful, a violent entity, as opposed to a social arrangement, more or less democratic in nature, capable of delivering needed assistance.

The Complexity of the State

From the anarchist or libertarian perspective, the state is an inherently oppressive project, unable to produce desired results. According to many anarchists, any discussion about possibly reallocating state resources, or altering the way the state functions, is ultimately meaningless. They insist the state is incapable of functioning for the benefit of working-class and poor people. However, this ideological perspective is too simplistic. In the context of human history, the state is a relatively new social institution, yet its presence is felt in almost every aspect of our daily lives.

Accordingly, it would be wise to note the vast complexities of the modern state apparatus, especially in the developed world, but also, increasingly in the developing world as well. For instance, think about water treatment or sewage facilities. Both services require massive infrastructures in order to successfully operate. Moreover, those infrastructures require constant maintenance and repairs. All of this requires highly trained specialists who can properly run these facilities and machines. Most importantly, since these services are essential to our modern survival, it’s critical for leftists to reflect on the ways in which the state functions in our daily lives.

Right now, it’s an afterthought that toilets are supposed to flush and faucets are supposed to dispense water. Every morning, people wake up, get ready for work, cook breakfast and send their kids to school. But do they truly understand the mechanisms that are needed in order to make this process smooth and successful? Doubtful. Honestly, many people, including myself, forget about the extremely complex and sophisticated processes that are constantly functioning while we go about our daily routines. In our modern world, these services are expected to function, regardless of one’s political persuasion or ideological tendencies.

To be fair, these may seem like obvious observations, but it’s clear that the Left is lacking a nuanced view of what, exactly, the state does. For instance, the operation of medical facilities and disease control: in order to contain potential and actual viruses, political movements seeking radical change must develop ways to organize and manage medical treatments and basic sanitation. Again, these services are essential if humanity hopes to avoid major social catastrophes. Without the ability to contain diseases, one can only imagine the future. Without clean water, or access to medical care, the 4 million people who live in Chicago would perish very quickly. To be clear, those examples only scratch the surface of what the state provides.

A recent NPR investigation noted that, on average, the people of Chicago produce enough feces in a 24 hour period to fill a professional football stadium three times over. Without doubt, an expansive network of pipes, electronics, steel, aluminum, copper, titanium, and plastics, maintained and constantly updated, literally keeps the modern world functioning. Without the deployment of satellites, our modern navigation and logistical control systems would immediately come to a halt. Hence, essential services would cease to exist. When people casually discard the operations of the state, these examples immediately come to mind.

Questions for the Future

Do many anarchist collectives or workplace cooperatives have the capacity to oversee the deployment of satellites or aircraft? Can these groups and their members and organizers run water treatment facilities? Again, such questions shouldn’t be approached cynically, for these systems, machines, technologies and institutions now dominate our daily lives. When leftists, and those on the Right, casually say, “What does the state do for people?” We should respond with, “What doesn’t it do?”

In other words, there’s no reason to glorify the state, yet there’s plenty of reason to better understand it. Right now, people are being told that the state is smaller than ever, diminished in size. They’re being told that the state doesn’t really provide much, that it’s impotent and useless. This is the highly sophisticated propaganda of the neoliberal state. Those in high places understand that the state is more powerful than ever. In fact, it’s their favorite tool to employ when in search of new wealth, resources or more wars.

How can we better understand, and accept, that in a world of what will soon be 8 billion people, it’s increasingly difficult to simply discard an institution as large, complex and essential as the state? Sure, let’s criticize, reform and hopefully replace the existing state. That should be the ongoing and ultimate emancipatory political project. Yet, in the meantime, let’s remember just how the state has been transformed, and in what ways the state functions in our day-to-day lives. Here, we can have more interesting conversations, as opposed to constantly regurgitating blanket statements like, “The state is oppressive and should be abolished.”

Vincent Emanuele is a writer, activist and radio journalist who lives and works in the Rust Belt. He’s a member of UAW Local 1981. Vincent can be reached at [email protected]