Herself [listening to the news on the radio at breakfast]: What is all this about public sector and private sector?
Mr. Waffle: Well, there are some jobs where people are mostly employed by the government and those are in the public sector like people who work on the roads for the council or teachers who work in schools or doctors who work in hospitals. There are other jobs where people work to make a profit for a company; those create employment and provide services people want but generally their principal aim is to make money.
Her: And doesn’t the public sector make money? Can’t they work to make money?
Him: Well, generally no, for example, the army could work to do things to make money but I think most people wouldn’t want to live in a country where the army rented out its services to whoever could pay.
Her: Why not?
Him: Well think of the things the army might do to make money.
Her [pause]: They could run cake sales.