> a private monopoly that owns a bridge you have to drive over functions exactly the same as a government monopoly
No, it doesn't. Unlike private companies, governments:
* Ban competing private bridges from being constructed altogether.
* Force people to pay for the bridges, even if they never use them. (Government projects also receive funding from general tax funds, not just tolls.)
* Ban/restrict competing services, such as private ferries / private aircraft.
* Employ unionized labor, who receive legal privileges that private employees don't receive.
* Subsidize risks, by forcing taxpayers to be on the hook for any cost overruns.
* Subsidize risks, by immunizing government employees from misbehavior.
* Waste money, since they're spending "other people's money" extorted at gun point, not their own money, or money received from willing investors.
* Sluggishly adopt innovations, since government officials gain less by doing so. For example, bridges would flow faster, if they implemented congestion pricing.
* Fail to prevent bad actors from harming others. Private bridge owners have a stronger incentive to stop bad drivers, carjackers, and sideshows, since they lose money if they don't.
