Being a library has nothing to do with being non-profit or government-run.

The first libraries were private. Sometimes they were opened to fee-paying members. Netflix is a library.

Public libraries are the "new" thing. But not the only thing.

Well other than the cost its essentially the same experience for the user

Again, no. Try writing Netflix and ask if they can add something to their "library", they won't. Libraries adds stuff based on user requests all the time, and even have 3rd party loans so you can borrow books from another library via the one you have access to.

All Netflix cares about is profits. All libraries care about is sharing. They are two very different entities except for the fact that they deal with media. They are more different than they are similar.

you pay a (usually) flat fee and get to borrow (no change of ownership) stuff.

The library costs you money too, in the form of taxes. At least Netflix only charges its actual users. I'm forced to pay for the two public libraries in my town even though I've never been in them.

Your taxes also maintain roads you never drive on. And yet you still benefit because the trucks that supply your grocery store or the plumber coming to fix your sink might use those roads. That’s the point of taxes: we all pay in, and we all reap the rewards.

Are you really having issues with paying extra taxes in order to help people afford reading more books and gaining knowledge for themselves?

Capitalism has really fucked us up if this is a common sentiment.

The cost of civilization. It appears lost of many.

Fortunately, those whom civilisation just doesn't rub off onto are still farily easy to spot.