> Yes but one can't just ignore the federal government itself, as if this wasn't an organization. The comment you're responding to specifically indicates priva

> Yes but one can't just ignore the federal government itself, as if this wasn't an organization. The comment you're responding to specifically indicates private organizations. Public organizations are publicly accountable. > While a democratic state is different than a private organization in that it derives legitimacy from its voters Accountability, not legitimacy, is what's at stake here. If the local mining company is polluting the river, there's nothing you do anything about it. What, are you going to take hostile action & organize a global aluminum boycott? No. But if the local government is polluting the river, you can vote them out, at least in theory. Not every democracy is healthy, and failed democratic states are certainly little better than private organizations. But a healthy democracy is substantially different from any other institutional framework, and democratic governance is the only real alternative to private oligarchy.