This trade off concept is a popular belief but completely fictitious and dishonest.
The state is not fundamentally better than the people as a whole. They just have more focused resources.
More resources to brainwash their subjects about how their power is always such a great and wonderful thing and is only ever used for good, and definitely better than people exercising power themselves.
Oh and also much more resources to gas people to death in camps, starve them to death, blow them to bits (but always for completely good and justified reasons of course).
I disagree. Centralizing power absolutely has the potential for providing more safety. Its up to those with the power to decide whether to provide it, and to whom they provide it.
I whole heartedly agree with your underlying argument that granting power to the state is never worth the trade off though.
The state is not fundamentally better than the people as a whole. They just have more focused resources.
More resources to brainwash their subjects about how their power is always such a great and wonderful thing and is only ever used for good, and definitely better than people exercising power themselves.
Oh and also much more resources to gas people to death in camps, starve them to death, blow them to bits (but always for completely good and justified reasons of course).
Complete crock of shit, it is.