RESTORING THE PUBLIC GOOD

Restoring the Public Good: A Call to Reclaim What Was Ours

Since the Reagan era, America has suffered from a slow, calculated erosion of the public good. Under the banner of “small government” and “free markets,” we have privatized what should never have been for sale. Our most essential public services, healthcare, energy, transportation, education, and social welfare, have become profit centers for corporations and hedge funds. In doing so, we have not only weakened our democracy but also betrayed the very idea of a shared society.

The result is the America we see today: fragmented, selfish, overworked, and uncaring. It is a place where greed has replaced community, and the ethic of “every man for himself” has become our cruel new national motto.

It is time to reverse course. It is time to restore the public good.

What Is the Public Good?

The public good refers to society's collective well-being, a shared commitment to the welfare of all citizens. It means having institutions and services that are not for profit but for people: universal healthcare, clean energy, public transportation, fair education, livable wages, clean water, and safety nets for those in need.

These are not luxuries. They are the pillars of a civilized society.

Yet, over the last forty years, the public good has been sacrificed at the altar of privatization. Greed has hollowed out the middle class, stripped rural and urban communities alike, and turned human needs into revenue streams for the wealthy. The free market was never meant to be the final judge of justice, fairness, or care.

What Went Wrong: The Privatization Era

Ronald Reagan famously said, “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” With that, a campaign began, not to improve government but to dismantle it, defund it, and sell it off piece by piece to private corporations.

• Healthcare has become a for-profit industry, where illness is profitable and prevention is discouraged.
• Energy was deregulated and handed to monopolies that profit from pollution and price gouging.
• Transportation was underfunded or turned into toll systems, inaccessible to those who needed it most.
• Education was disinvested and replaced by charters and vouchers, draining public school budgets.
• Welfare and relief programs were slashed, rebranded, or offloaded onto churches and nonprofits.

Since then, we’ve learned that the market has no conscience. It chases profit, not justice, and it fails us in matters of human dignity every time.

What Must Be Restored

To rebuild the nation, we must recommit to the public good, expanding it beyond what it was even before Reagan. It’s not enough to reclaim, and we must reinvent the public sphere for the 21st century:

1. Healthcare as a Right, Not a Commodity

No one should go bankrupt because they got sick. A publicly funded, universally accessible healthcare system is not radical; it’s rational. It’s more efficient, humane, and just than the nightmare we now endure.

2. Public Ownership of Energy and Transportation

Energy and transport are lifelines. They should not be subject to the whims of profit-seeking monopolies. Public investment in green energy and reliable, affordable transportation will serve everyone and protect our planet.

3. Universal Education and Lifelong Learning

Education is the bedrock of democracy. Public schools, free college, vocational training, libraries, these aren’t expenses. They’re investments in a functioning society. They must be funded, defended, and elevated.

4. Community Welfare and Human Dignity

Food security, shelter, elder care, mental health, and addiction recovery are public goods, not private ventures. No child should go hungry in the wealthiest nation on Earth. No elder should be left without care.

5. Civic Engagement and Community Control

Democracy doesn’t stop at the ballot box. We must empower local communities to participate in the decisions that shape their lives. Town halls, participatory budgeting, and cooperative ownership are the tools of a renewed republic.

Project 2029: A Blueprint for Restoring the Public Good

Where Project 2025 seeks to dismantle government and privatize everything, Project 2029 seeks to restore democracy by restoring the public good.

It is our declaration that:

• The people come before profit.
• Government exists to serve all, not enrich a few.
• We are stronger together than we are alone.

Project 2029 calls for:

• Public investment in healthcare, education, and housing
• The re-nationalization of critical infrastructure and utilities
• A guaranteed minimum standard of living for all Americans
• Civic institutions that educate, organize, and empower the people

It is a plan to bring back care, compassion, and common sense to our politics.

The Moral Case for the Public Good

We cannot build a just society based on selfishness. We must reject the poisonous lie that freedom means being free from responsibility to others. In truth, freedom only flourishes in the community, with shared commitments, shared burdens, and shared prosperity.

We are not just taxpayers or consumers; we are citizens. The role of a citizen is to look beyond the self. The public good reminds us that we are connected, that our futures are bound together, and that democracy cannot survive without care.

Restoring the public good is not nostalgia, and it is a necessity. It is the only antidote to a nation sick with greed, disconnection, and despair. If we are to save this republic, we must revive its soul. We must invest in one another. We must believe again in the power of people coming together to solve common problems.

William James Spriggs