I’ll bite, here are some reasons you might should choose the government over private industry:
1.) Monopsony: gives the government incredible bargaining power to bring down prices, particularly good when the items are essential like medication.
2.) Monopoly: Imagine if we had let individual companies set up their own power systems. Verizon would use 4 phase 90V and you’d have to buy their appliances, ATT would be the largest and use 2 phase 240V but then go out of business. You’d have multiple sets of power lines. Or one company owning the power lines so no one else can offer electricity. When you move you’d have to get all new stuff. Having the government as a monopoly allows for the establishment of one system, 3 phrase, 60hz, 120V.
3.) Universal part 1: When you want to provide a system to everyone, you end up needing government. Running electrical lines is expensive, leave it to private industry and they’d run the best lines to the most profitable areas, leaving those on the outskirts without power. Similarly the postal system is set up to deliver mail to everyone, even in unprofitable areas. Stamps are one price to go every where.
Universal part 2: Churches are excellent at providing charity–to a select group. Private corporations are great at raising money for a cause–but it’s their chosen cause. As a result, you get examples like breast cancer being able to raise vastly more sums than prostate cancer or pancreatic cancer. But the latter two cause more death. And objective decision would look at where the money NEEDS to go. Private industry needs to do what makes sound business sense; so raising money for breast cancer is good, prostate cancer not so good. You also get cases where funding has conditions like preventing condom use. Government is require to provide services universally, independent of race, religion, etc.
4.) Non-profit: Combined with the above three let’s government provide services is a way that private industry cannot. Removing profit from the main decision process can at times provide better results. Think about the last time you made a purchase, the cheapest rarely provides the best value.
Examples: I mentioned the power grid (3 phase across the country), the highway system (everyone on the right hand side of the road) was also mentioned, education (everyone learns English), health care, even the phone company, public transit, trains, airlines. When you need to provide a system with more universal access, at a lower cost, you need an organization that has more control, and better buying power.
As a funnier example: During the development of Australia, each state set it’s own railroad width, so trains weren’t able to between them. Complicated transfer stations were required. That sort of mess happens when you lack centralized planning. Sydney also has a fun case where the subway line to the airport is privately owned and costs $26! Their public transportation is phenomenal, but not quite universal. The buses are one system, the monorail another, light rail a third. Then there is a subway and ferry system. Put all that under one system has significant advantages.
Conclusion: Private industry has their own specific decision making process, that starts and ends with profit. It works great for quite a few things, but terrible for others. Government, on the other hand, has an entirely different decision making process, terrible at some things but considerably better at others. True *enlightenment *is knowing what tool solves what problem.