In the Biden era, and the Obama era before that, making the case for an expanded government role in America’s capitalist economy has been a priority. President Obama’s quip “you didn’t build that”, referencing how business and the private sector piggyback off of government investments in infrastructure, education and research, struck both a chord and a nerve and got to the heart of one of the country’s fundamental debates — what are the appropriate roles of government and private enterprise?
But supporters of the Biden and Obama approach should be able to admit that while government does support business and the private sector, it is a two-way street, and the private sector has as an important role in government.
One glaring and ironic example — in the context of Obama’s point — is that of the country’s infrastructure, which by most accounts is subpar at best and failing at worst. The model used in the United States to fund infrastructure has for