[alecbenzer]

> weather data, gps, even that old chestnut, the internet, the postal service

I think it's a stretch to say that these things "couldn't possibly [have been] brought to market by a private company" -- especially not only because it was government that happened to fund those things (I mean, doesn't the existence UPS/FedEx pretty strongly imply that a private postal service is/would have been viable?)

> so we collectively decide to pay for basic research with the understanding that some chunk of it might be useful at some time

That's not quite what happens. _Some_ collectively decide that _all_ should pay for basic research.

[glenra]

People also forget about things like "the pony express" (a creative effort by a private delivery company to fill a niche market), Spooner's American Letter Mail Company and other wuch precedents. The post office would have been driven out of business by private companies long ago if it were legally permitted to undercut their rates.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Letter_Mail_Company