[triceratops]

> If the government owns something, it will be tempting to intervene if it loses value.

Valid point. I'd propose that if the government owns anything it only gets non-voting shares. And it should never own a controlling share of anything.

> And when he government needs money, they often sell at stupid prices.

I'd apply some kind of indexing algorithm. Leaving it to individual managers is bound to lead to corruption.