Bad at Math

Some years ago, someone told me that my deficiency in mathematics (their words, not mine) would prevent me from obtaining an MBA, let alone a MS in Business Research, a position as a management consultant, a position as a business teacher, or indeed most of the things I have done for a living over the ensuing twenty years. When I asked why, he informed me that a manager who has poor math skills will be prone to making erroneous statements and actual operational errors which, no matter how earnest or well intentioned he or she might be, would doom his or her operations as well as making him or her look like a complete idiot. Having just viewed the most recent gaff made by the Republican presidential frontrunner, I believe I may owe that long-forgotten adviser an apology…

If you haven’t seen it, you can view the basic clip here; I’ve watched the longer segment from which this clip was taken, but regrettably this does not appear to have been taken out of context. Governor Romney really is discussing “getting rid of” Planned Parenthood, a non-profit organization over which he has no control, and of which some 69% of all Americans approve and want to continue funding. This may be considered pandering to the nation’s conservatives, many of whom make occasional efforts to de-fund the agency, but can’t be considered a realistic goal for any Federal official (even the President), given that not only does two-thirds of the agency’s funding come from private and foundation sources, but also considering that Planned Parenthood provides any number of services that the Federal government would otherwise have to provide…

Now, I realize that I don’t usually discuss political issues in this space; none of my degrees are in law, political science, public policy, or even finance (much less medicine), and I try to leave such topics to those better equipped to discuss them intelligently. In this case, however, Mr. Romney is trying to represent himself as a successful businessman, and arguing that this factor makes him the superior choice for President – and this is, clearly, nonsense. While the former governor may, in fact, be a competent manager (I can’t tell without auditing his books, and neither can you), he seems to be unclear on the basic math of the situation – that 69% is larger than 31%, for example, or that defunding 32% of a non-profit agency will not force it out of operations, or even that the majority of the voting population of the United States is female…

Even worse, in my opinion, is Mr. Romney’s apparent lack of understanding regarding Law or Government. Short of passing a Federal statute that outlaws everything Planned Parenthood does – not just abortions, but contraception, family planning, education, basic health services, the works – there is no way the Federal government can do anything to “get rid of” the agency. And the President can’t even do that; the Executive Branch does not pass laws, and attempting something so wide-ranging by Executive Order would be problematic at best. This isn’t a math issue, of course; it’s more a matter for Civics class or perhaps American History. Unfortunately, both of these subjects are also taught in elementary school, and any reasonably bright ten-year-old in America would realize that this is just as idiotic from a Government point of view as it is from a Mathematics standpoint…

This doesn’t even consider the cost-benefit analysis of a government action that would anger and offend more than 70% of the population, or the probable cost to one’s political campaign of coming out in favor of such an action, but I think you take my point. Anybody who can’t grasp that for every person you’re pandering to with a specific promise you’re offending two others would have difficulty running a lemonade stand, let alone a country. And I certainly wouldn’t want him serving as the CEO of any company in which I’ve invested money…