It is impossible to introduce into society a greater change and a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder. - Frédéric Bastiat

the price of labor, like the price of everything else, is governed by the relation of supply to demand.

Law is common force organized to prevent injustice — in short, Law is Justice. It is not true that the legislator has absolute power over our persons and property, since they pre-exist, and his work is only to secure them from injury. It is not true that the mission of the law is to regulate our consciences, our ideas, our will, our education, our sentiments, our works, our exchanges, our gifts, our enjoyments. Its mission is to prevent the rights of one from interfering with those of another, in any one of these things.

Now since man is naturally inclined to avoid pain — and since labor is pain in itself — it follows that men will resort to plunder whenever plunder is easier than work.