I don't distrust the state, because I don't view the state as an "other" that is closed or off-limits to me. I engage politically, and as such play a role in helping guide those regulations--especially at a local level.

Anyone can do this, too, and everyone should. Ultimately, anyone who relinquishes their political power this way gets what they deserve--to have others make their decisions for them.

I trust the state because I'm a part of it.

I have no specific reason to trust corporations, but I certainly don't trust any corporation that wants to engage in policy-making; that is something that should be reserved for the people, not business organizations.

>I don't know why so many people give the state the benefit of the doubt when they mistrust corporations so much. I'm inclined to mistrust both, but at least a corporation has to compete to survive.

They're both competing to survive, it's just that the incentive structures are slightly different. Corporations are trying to make as much profit as possible, and political parties are trying to get a majority of votes.

In theory, a democratic government should be more trusted to satisfy the desires of the people, because it doesn't weight those desires based on wealth. In practice, many democracies are dysfunctional which vastly weakens the incentive structure.