The "Washington Examiner" notes it is the private sector that arrives to combat the increasing supernatural activity in New York, for a fee, while the government is incapable of doing anything. As "Vox" notes, the mayor, a government representative, is motivated to release the Ghostbusters to defeat the godly threat after being reminded that their success will save the lives of "millions of registered voters", a cynical view of an official who is motivated mainly by what will allow him to retain his position. Both Aykroyd and Reitman have confirmed these are intentional allusions. Reitman, in particular, considers himself a "conservative-slash-libertarian".