Rothbard sets forth an argument that all occurrences of "The State" are wholly bad for society, by demonstrating how each and every function provided by the state impedes rather than advances the welfare of its subjects. Further, the book describes how that all of the Rights which the state is supposed to protect (or even provide) may be reduced to two basic pieces: property rights and the right of non-aggression. Regardless of whether one subscribes to Libertarianism or not, it is a worthwhile exercise to read this text since the author has a great deal of experience on the topic. It may also interest one to learn that the Ludwig von Mises Institute offers the full text both online and in PDF format, plus a freely available audiobook reading.