Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers.[...]Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. Clever financial ploys are what have made billionaires of the industry’s veterans. “Operational improvement” in a portfolio company has often meant little more than promising colossal bonuses to sitting chief executives if they meet ambitious growth targets. That model is still prevalent today.
In the 1500s, people had to do things by hand, but today we have electric can openers.
Today is the day we'll fix this once and for all.
Yesterday, upon the stair / I met a man who wasn’t there / He wasn’t there again today / I wish, I wish he’d go away …