OK, I'll give you the police and fire department and add the military too. But my point is that the government should mainly be in the business of creating a level playing field. Then, allow private citizens and business go to work. Government should stay out of picking winners and losers, subsidizing, etc. Politicians think they're too important. That the world can't run without them.
The problem with what happened in Flint is that government doesn't care, not really. FEMA's a joke. Look what happen in New Orleans and with Sandy. I worked for a city government department for 14 years. I figured out this great way to reduce costs and went to my boss to explain my idea. When I started to tell him about it, he interrupted me. He looked me straight in the eyes and asked, "What do you care what it costs?"
That's government!