In the next chapter of U S History, we must resolve that there are some things that are essential to the society that the public sector should underwrite, while leaving the things that are non-essential to be underwritten by private funds.
Transportation systems, utilities, public safety, health systems, national defense, communications, public education, environmental quality, child care and government services are among the things that should be considered essential to the society. While things that satisfy individual tastes and preferences can be left to each individual to acquire according to their ability.
The fact there is still a debate within and among political parties and among members of the public at large, about the public share of certain costs, indicates that public policies are based more on ideology than pragmatism.
Some things ought to exist for the general public good, while private businesses exist for their more narrowly defined stakeholders.
This article from an Indiana source illustrates what usually happens when the private sector is relied upon to fill a gap that should rest with the public sector: http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2017/06/18/mike-pence-donald-trump-public-private-partnerships-mitch-daniels-interstate-69-isolux-bloomington/388756001/
This is not an argument for Socialism, but for common sense. It is quite possible, even more likely, that the private sector can remain robust only if we stop fussing over whether the expense for essential services, crucial to the fundamental operation of a cohesive, functioning social order should born by all of us.
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