Theft and violence are always wrong. Being the State does not magically free you from this.
“If something is wrong for you or me, it is also wrong for the cop, the soldier, the mayor, the governor, the general, the Fed chairman, the president. Theft does not become acceptable when they call it taxation, counterfeiting when they call it monetary policy, kidnapping when they call it the draft, mass murder when they call it foreign policy. We understand that it is never acceptable to wield violence nor the threat of violence against the innocent, whether by the mugger or the politician.” ― Lew Rockwell
Monopolies are not always to be feared. If someone is providing the best services at the best prices and no one can do better, what is there to complain about. Its only an issue if they are preventing others from competing, or you are forced to by their garbage product because no one else provides it. The best way to do that is through state power, regulations etc. In order for a monopoly to sustain itself in a free market they have to out compete everyone else with the value and efficacy of their product. With a state, all they need do is pass a law that makes it difficult of terribly expensive for competition to comply with all the red tape.
"If you can't trust people with freedom, you can't trust people with power" If people are ultimately corruptible, power hungry, greedy, SOB's. Why would we want to give a organization full of people the ability to govern our lives. Give them the ability to burn down our house, kill our children, wreck our business, confiscate our wealth. They'll tell you its for equality, and fairness; for the greater good.
"If men are good, you don't need government; If men are evil, you don't dare have one" -Robert Lefarve
Equality is not the goal. Its not even desirable. If it doesn't matter what I do, how hard I try, how much effort I put into a thing; If at the end of it all we are all to be made equal by the force and power of the state. What reason is there to do anything.
One point she raised that I hadn't considered is that even if the average health of the population improved, a large wealth disparity will still cause resentment and bitterness which results in higher stress levels and worse illnesses. She thinks wealth disparity will be just as bad or worse in a free market, as the people are not 'guaranteed' an education and a baseline level of healthcare.
This sounds like she might be at odds with herself. You can't have improved average health and worse health at the same time. "will still cause resentment and bitterness" if people can't manage their own emotions, the solution is not to have other people manage them for you. People will always be envious of their neighbor. As I said before equality especially where by force, is not a desirable goal. At least in a free market you have every opportunity to make things better for yourself. Lemonade stands and all.
I don't agree at all with the assertion that wealth disparity would be worse. Without a state, you would not have a printing press. Think of how much wealth is created today simply via proximity to this eternal spring.