Govvernments were established to do for the people what the people could not do for themselves. Private contractors later did for governments what governments could not do for themselves as well or as cheaply. Most recently, governments have begun to do for themselves what the private would not do. 

Of late, then, public bodies have adopted the methods and the ethos of the private entrepreneur. But far from advancing the prosperity of the people, such governments seek to securing the prosperity of governments by swelling the tax base. This is a perversion of government's purpose; as I note in more than one of the pieces below, what is good for, say, the City of Springfield often is not good for the city of Springfield.