I get the sense that the main reason Republicans use the "Run it like a business" excuse is precisely because they are more aware than anyone that you can't make a profit running a government service.

Project 2025 is a perfect example. They say in that document, "Privatize NOAA!" as if some company is gonna start marketing a service for tagging Beluga whales or measuring the disappearing Antarctic ice flows.

But, see, they know no company will dive into a business like that. So, privatizing government services is a way to shut them down, because that's the end game.

Getting the general public to realize seems to be very difficult these days.