There’s a line in the recent OPM memo that should have set off alarms for anyone paying attention:
“The way to greater American prosperity is encouraging people to move from lower productivity jobs in the public sector to higher productivity jobs in the private sector.”
This statement isn’t just a harmless opinion — it’s a dangerous ideological belief that devalues public service, distorts what “productivity” really means, and pushes a false narrative that the private sector is inherently superior to the public sector.
What Is the Public Good?
The public sector doesn’t exist to turn a profit. It exists to maximize well-being and serve the Public Good — the shared benefits that make a functional, fair, and livable society possible.
Think about what government provides that the private sector never could — or wouldn’t, unless they could extract massive profits:
- ✅ Clean air and water (EPA regulations, public sanitation)
- ✅ Public schools (education for all, not just the wealthy)
- ✅ Roads and infrastructure (highways, bridges, mass transit)
- ✅ Social Security & Medicare(safety nets that keep millions out of poverty)
- ✅ Emergency response (firefighters, FEMA, disaster relief)
None of these things are designed to make money — they’re designed to serve people. Judging them by private-sector productivity standards is like asking a doctor to turn a profit on an ER visit or a firefighter to justify their cost-per-call.
The Lie of ‘Higher Productivity’ in the Private Sector
When the OPM memo claims public sector jobs are “low productivity,” they’re not just making a statement about economics — they’re making a value judgment. They’re implying that public service is less worthwhile than private enterprise because it doesn’t generate direct revenue.
But let’s look at what happens when profit becomes the priority:
- 💰 Healthcare run by corporations = sky-high prices, record-breaking profits, and millions left uninsured.
- 🏠 Housing treated as an investment asset = unaffordable rents, mass evictions, and homeownership out of reach for working people.
- ⚡ Privatized utilities = price gouging, energy failures, and people freezing in Texas while companies rake in billions.
Does that look like ”higher productivity”? Or does it look like profits over people?
The Real Agenda: Undermining Public Institutions
This mindset isn’t new. For decades, corporate interests and their allies have been waging a war on government — not because government is ineffective, but because it competes with their ability to extract wealth.
- They tell us government-run healthcare is “inefficient,” while private insurance companies rake in record profits denying claims.
- They say public education is failing, while funneling tax dollars into unaccountable for-profit charter schools.
- They argue public services should be privatized, then cut funding so they fail, and point to that failure as proof they were right.
This is a deliberate effort to erode trust in public institutions and shift more power to the private sector, where profit — not the public interest — dictates decisions.
Serving the Public Isn’t ‘Low Productivity’ — It’s the Highest Calling
To call public service “low productivity” is an insult to teachers, first responders, social workers, transit workers, and every person who dedicates their life to making society better.
The goal of government isn’t to maximize profit — it’s to maximize well-being. And that should be the measure of our success:
➡ Are people healthier? ➡ Are they safer? ➡ Are they educated? ➡ Do they have what they need to live with dignity?
That’s what matters. That’s what we should be fighting for. And that’s why we must reject the lie that profit-driven “productivity” is the only thing that counts.
A better world is possible — not by gutting public institutions, but by strengthening them for the people they serve.
