This paper studies accountability structures and strategy in the Province of Alberta, Canada. The Alberta government has presented performance measurement and reporting as an accountability technology, but a theoretically informed analysis suggests that performance measurement could be understood otherwise. Argyris’s notion of “espoused theory" vs. “theory-in-use" is used to illuminate Latour’s analysis of Plato’s Gorgias Dialogues and the combination is applied to highlight possible unintended consequences of the use of scientific managerialist techniques in the public sector. By mapping elitism of knowledge and elitism of special position (Right and Might) onto the Alberta experience, we make visible techniques that distance Albertans from their government. Questionably designed survey instruments have produced data interpreted by government as meaning Albertans are satisfied with government’s heritage efforts. Publication of such results has the effect of telling voters that they are happy with what they have, instead of asking the people what they want.