Once upon a time, before the advent of universal suffrage, consumer rights, government in the sunshine and the Freedom of Information Acts, the primary task of public officials was to dole out public assets and resources to their supporters and friends. They accomplished this task by allocating "rights:"
grazing rights
fishing rights
water rights
mineral rights
etc.
Consequently, when the public started demanding such things as civil rights, rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights, our public officials were a bit confused. And then, just about the same time, it came to their attention that, other than development rights and air rights, the cupboard from which to dole out benefits had gotten rather bare.
So, it actually turned out to be a convenience that the public made demands for services and, mirabile dictu, was willing to pay for them, because, under the guise of efficiency and lower cost, our public officials could now hand out contracts to their supporters and friends, which, unlike the natural resources, were not likely to dry up, run out, or blow away. "Privatization" had arrived, but it was really just a new wrinkle in an old suit.