Hillbilly wisdom: If it is essential for the public, then it should be owned by the public. The covid pandemic taught some very tough lessons. Covid, as handled in America, divided businesses into essential and nonessential because it was an emergency. The effect of those decisions continues today and tomorrow. Those essential businesses allowed to remain open, while not price gouging, benefited from lack of competition. My question is: if the business is essential why isn’t it a public service at least for the duration of the emergency? Short of nationalization, the short term profits gained from being open without competition should go into the public coffers.

Declaring an emergency allows setting aside normal rules. Emergencies are now a part of almost legislative business. If a business is too big to fail, does this mean it is essential? Who should own essential business?

Big Beautiful Bill followup

“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases he budget deficit,… and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.” Musk. Who is this person? Why would we listen to him?