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I feel this is a really deep problem in our society that is a core contributing factor to all sorts of problems. We can’t build major public works projects, can

I feel this is a really deep problem in our society that is a core contributing factor to all sorts of problems. We can’t build major public works projects, can’t build enough housing, can’t execute on anti-pandemic measures. Any big public endeavor is mired in veto points where any issue, no matter how minor compared to the upsides, can lead to delays or total failure of the project. It seems like only private companies can get anything done. It’s good that somebody is able to get things done, but it would be better if that somebody had a charter to act in the public’s interest first.

cogman10 6y ago
To add a confounding factor, the public's best interests aren't generally private entities best interest. They know this and lobby/advertise/etc to get public opinion and officials on their side. There's plenty examples of this. For example, early on when nuclear came out fossil fuel companies spent a LOT of money spreading FUD about nuclear. Much of that still exists today. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-nuclear_movement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-nuclear_movement