Sellin of America comapny by company

self | 4/30/06 | Drypowder

[drypowder]

I have two family members who work for PG&E and in different grid zones. They've both heard through the PG&E rumor mill that China wants to or is going to purchase the PG&E Company. Any of you Freepers heard of this?

Aside from another American company being sold to a foreign invester/country Yolo County will soon be voting to keep PG&E or to let SMUD take over as the electrical service provider. If this China buy out is true I'm certain the Yolo County voters would want to know about it. Maybe someone from a news org will look into this.

[MeanWestTexan]

I am currently in Midland, which is where I office. (I am an oil man by trade, rancher by birth.)

The family ranch stretches (non-contiguosly) from San Angelo to Rankin/Big Lake and then into New Mexico.

[Old_Mil]

The only time you have any say so is if you own stock in the company.

Actually, there's one time you have more say so than when you own stock in a company: when you are the customer. If the PG&E board wishes to sell the company to the Chinese, that is their choice. If customers choose not to do business with them because of it, that is the customer's choice.

Unlike ports and defense contractors, it would not appear as if there were any national security issues involved in the sale of a power company to a nuclear-capable nation.

[durasell]

Sledge is okay. There's something about the repetitive motion of the PHD that creates inhuman pain at the end of the day. When I did that work I actually dreamed about digging holes at night.

[durasell]

Thanks...

Here's a Texas joke from NYC (my home town)

A New Yorker goes to visit his friend's ranch in Texas. As they're entering the property he asks, "How big is your ranch, anyway?"

The Texan puffs up and says, "Well sir, I can drive and drive and drive, day and night, and I won't reach the other side."

The New Yorker answers, "Oy, I used to have a car like that..."

[MeanWestTexan]

These activities are probably more to your liking.

http://www.longfellowranch.com/index.html

Not that my kin want Yankees.

[durasell]

I don't take vacations...but have you heard of this school?

http://www.deepsprings.edu/

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Those who think economically are forever victims of those who don't.

[njwoman]

Actually, there's one time you have more say so than when you own stock in a company: when you are the customer. If the PG&E board wishes to sell the company to the Chinese, that is their choice. If customers choose not to do business with them because of it, that is the customer's choice.

The competitiveness of the power market and the available choices to the customers are driven primarily by the region in the electricity market and existing over- or under capacity for electricity generation. A similar recent transaction was announced few days ago. Australia's Babcock and Brown Infrastructure proposed a $2.2 billion buyout of NorthWestern Energy, based in South Dakota. The Public Utilities Commission of South Dakota is decelerating the transaction requesting more information on the international company in order to ensure that ratepayers' interests are protected under the new international company.

[Nowhere Man]

When I ping, I still ping Willie out of respect plus he might still be lurking out there. He's one of us.

[drypowder]

I agree and I should have added that SMUD stands for Sacramento Municipal Utility District. It's a special district, non profit, not a corporation and is essentially governed by the people. The SMUD board has approved the expansion but the Yolo voters first have to approve it as well. All I'm saying is that many people probably won't want their money supporting a foreign gov. It's bad enough that we have to indirectly support OPEC but we have no choice, in this matter we do.

[Wuli]

"It is not the the business of the voters to get involved in the corporate activities of a company. The only time you have any say so is if you own stock in the company. It is risky to turn business into political campaigns, as its never a good thing when government interfers with business operations."

If China were a free country, and the buyer was a politically independent "free enterprise" private company, I would not complain.

But China is not a free country, a company owned or controlled by the Chinese government is not a free and independent private company and there is never anything apolitical or non-political about any thing that the Chinese government does.

Allowing Chinese companies owned and/or controlled by the Chinese government to operate in the domestic economy of the U.S. is disadvantageous to U.S. companies who can only raise capital privately.

Allowing Chinese companies owned and/or controlled by the Chinese government to operate in the domestic economy of the U.S. rewards the political economic model of China, which is state-capitalism, not free market capitalism. If you're looking for an example, the last nation which fully adopted this economic model was Nazi Germany - "capitalism" under the complete control of a dictatorial state. And while China has become very "free er" in how it raises and spends capital, it remains a dictatorship and anything resembling economic "freedom" in China is known by everyone in China as no more than priveleges that are revokable by the state whenever it sees the need.

You are not looking at political and economic reality if you are comparing a Chinese government owned and/or controlled company as something equivelant to a free, private company in the U.S. They are not the same. And you are fooled if you think the Chinese stock market means anything, because the stock that is sold is never, and will never, represent "control" of the Chinese company, government or private.

You are being fooled by appearances, if you think it is free or fair competition when one company can rely on it's government's treasury, state-owned and politically run banks, and it's government's power for its resources and you think it's 'equal' competition against a private American company. It's not.

I think America should be open to all foreign investors and companies THAT ARE 100% PRIVATELY OWNED AND OPERATED in their home countries. That would be FAIR.

[MeanWestTexan]

No vacations? The world is too wonderful not to enjoy.

And no, I have never heard of that school.

There are several like it seeded through New Mexico, though.

[durasell]

I agree the world's wonderful, but I enjoy it through work. The idea of doing nothing for days on end throws me into a panic.


Deep Springs is an interesting school. It's very much a working ranch, tuition is free. Since it's only a two year school, the Ivies actively recruit the graduates since they tend to be scary smart and motivated. I've known a couple guys who went there. One was an old line Bostonian who could trace his family tree back to the pilgrims and some of America's first banks. The other was the son of hippies who grew up on communes.

[Ditto]

I'm sick to death of watching our jobs go to other countries ....".

Mittens, just out of curiosity, do you know what kind of company PG&E is and how China is going to move those jobs?

[jpsb]

"private corporate decisions"

All companies in Communist China are government owned. So what we have here is selling a private company to the Communist Chinese government. But there really is no choice but to sell them whatever they want since millions of wal-mart shoppers send of US dollars to the Chicom every year.

[Accygirl]

"All companies in Communist China are government owned. So what we have here is selling a private company to the Communist Chinese government."
China and UAE are two different countries in case you haven't heard.

"But there really is no choice but to sell them whatever they want since millions of wal-mart shoppers send of US dollars to the Chicom every year."
Yep... bordering on socialist, just as I thought. So basically, you want to shut down Walmart because the plastic bath thongs that one might buy there are from China??? That type of comment not only contradicts the basic tenets of capitalism, but is also very anti-American consumer. It isn't the American consumer's fault that other stores aren't capable of selling cheap crap for the low price that it should be sold at.

[jpsb]

Today,

"China is also planning a multi-billion-dollar deal to buy Iranian Liquefied Natural Gas when it comes onstream in return for an upstream stake in a huge southern Iranian oilfield."

Hope you enjoy your "cheap" Chicom imports made with slave labor and soon to be paid for in American blood.

[Accygirl]

"Hope you enjoy your "cheap" Chicom imports made with slave labor and soon to be paid for in American blood."
Like China would be stupid enough to attack the U.S.

Also, I'd like you to explain why exactly you think that working class people should be forced to have a lower standard of living, so that Walmart can be shut down as a traitorous, EVIL company. It's not Walmart's fault that it provides its customers with low prices.