California teachers fund reviewing private equity gun investment - December 17, 2012 - The California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) said on Monday it was reviewing its investment with Cerberus Capital Management LP, the private equity firm that controls Bushmaster Firearms International, in light of last week's school shooting in Connecticut.CalSTRS had invested $751.4 million with Cerberus by the end of March 2012, according to its website.
They wouldn’t hold stock in Cerebus, but they might have money being managed by Cerebus. Cerebus is a hedge fund/investment advisor, not a public company.
IIRC, there were a fair number of political mediocrities and "former this-or-that" types who were Cerberus investors, but I can't recall where I saw the roll call. I believe Dan Quayle was one, but don't hold me to that. Of course Gyorgy "Spooky Dude" Schwartz's name comes up, but I would imagine he has an investment in everything but the kitchen sink.
(And he might be in that.)
CalSTRS is a good example of how much better the Democrats are at camouflaging their love of filthy capitalist money than are Republicans, and whenever they do get caught, they are absolved by the congregation regardless of how contorted the logic has to get. Much lIke the preacher who rants about the evils of extramarital sex yet practices a little of it on the side (and as H. Allen Smith once said, "Not for research purposes, either"). Well, whatever they can get away with, eh?
Cerberus (more specifically "Freedom Group") might have been a quick way to inject capital into firearms manufacturing, but their QC record is not good, what with them being more bean-counters and ISO/Six Sigma/Lean process & procedure slash-and-burn types than is optimal ("I don't need to know anything about guns, I just need to know how to manage people.") The story of what happened to the assets and quality of Marlin is a great "how not to do it" tale.
Mr. niteowl77