> 'competition fixes everything' argument. Not making this argument, just pointing out that it helps to surface information. > Private firms generally have fa

> 'competition fixes everything' argument. Not making this argument, just pointing out that it helps to surface information. > Private firms generally have far less internal accountability as far as I can see - Fannie and Freddie had been exempted from releasing public financial records for several years prior to the financial crisis of 2008. - Wikileaks revealed that information about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was classified solely to help support the government's narrative about the success of the war effort and the lack of Iranian involvement, etc. With those two examples alone, we see that significant corruption exists on a massive, world altering scale. In terms of accountability, private firms have an obligation to shareholders to behave ethically and legally, and to behave in a responsible way with the capital provided by shareholders. Specific behavior (such as dumping pollution into public waterways) is dependent on laws and on the enforcement of those laws. Why do we still see smoke stacks leaking disgusting filth into the environment? Why do we still see pipes carrying all sorts of waste into the oceans? Because the firms doing the polluting are friends of the lawmakers and help keep them in power. The lawmakers are certainly not the "good guys". Also, notice that in US newspapers there is a steady stream of stories talking about how bad it is to live in other countries. People would leave to find better regulated, less corrupt places, so there is a pretty significant theme of "America is the best country on Earth", and for some reason Americans like reading about problems in other countries and ignoring our own problems.