Buffett backs InBev bid, Belgian newspaper says

reasonable man why don’t you think about all of the other companies here in town not just AB that this would affect. you take away the advertising dollars, the sponsorship money, and all of the other aspects such as technology for the brewery (computers,copiers,printers,and supplies). This not only affects AB it affects alot of other companies that depend on Ab for their survival because of the pure size of AB. But of course your closed simple minded brain can’t comprehend that.

Regarding the sale of the house being subject to taxes (I think flyover said this)…most people do not pay taxes on the proceeds they make from their house. If it’s their first house, they can roll that into their 2nd house. Otherwise, the profit realized from the sale of the house has to exceed a certain threshold (i believe it’s $250K for singles and $500K for married couples). I can’t be certain of this because I had read this a long time ago and it doesn’t apply to me, but the irs website explains it very well.

This has nothing to do with America—it has everything to do with the Busch family’s terrible leadership of the company. Busch III had an opportunity to purchase both ImBev and AmBev several years ago. He turned it down wanting to wait instead for ImBev to go bankrupt so he could get it at a lower cost. The decision not to expand internationally put AB on a course to be acquired. The sad part is Busch III and IV will make a lot of money and a lot of workers will be hurt.

I love AB, the quality beer as well as the contributions, as much as the next St. Louisan, Missourian, etc. However, Warren Buffett lives in a free market society just like the rest of us. You cannot be mad at him for this situation. WE all had the opportunity to elect honest politicians to promote the strength of the American dollar, to invest in renewable energy which would make our investments in the Middle East useless. Our economy would not be drained by war and AB would be making bids at InBev instead.
Boycott the foreign companies and brew your own beer if this upsets you so. I have brewed my own beer for years (It’s fresher, cheaper, and best of all I won’t sell my company to InBev!)

Ok, This is some bullshit because August Busch IV hasn’t even met with Buffett and this has no credibility. This Beligium newspaper is obviously trying to boost their moral and trying to cut America down. It’s crucial to have Anheuser-Busch stay in the U.S., not only for our economy but also jobs and everything it stands for.

Reasonable man, I think you are missing that middle america, decent wages, and reasonable compensation are what is rapidly disappearing from the USA before our very eyes. It gives shareholders an extra buck today, but over time corporate America is convincing people like you that most of us should work for peanuts, have no vacation, and have no job security. Is a solid local company where employees are actually happy and secure a bad thing? Only if the shareholder can make an extra buck.

Billiecircus - put the beer down and step away from the keyboard before your parents catch you and take away your allowance for underage drinking.

John- You must have gone to community college, that is how people respond when they have nothing intelligent to say. If you could please value size my value meal. keep up the good work.

No wonder why he backs the deal…he stands to make 140 million because of it…..

Unnamed sources in Belgium? What kind of hype is that? I would guess that the anger being expressed here toward Warren Buffett, might better be expressed at the Mr. Busch the CEO of A-B.

If the Buschs really enjoyed running this business the way old “Auggie” did, they would have protected it. They would have purchased more stock for their own accounts. They would have a rotating board of directors rather than one that has all of its directors elected each year. They would have been thinking about how the falling dollar (certainly they were well aware of that as a company that is trying to go global) would make their business ripe for a hostile takeover. And, the part of the Busch family that loves coming to work everyday and running this great business would have started buying out the other parts of the Busch family who want to sell so very badly. This is more about a slow and deliberate Busch family feud rather than Buffett. For the Busch family to own less than 5% of this business, weaken the protective bylaws of the company, ignore the impact of a weaker dollar (public knowledge since 2000) and most importantly not be united as a family behind this wonderful business, was like lowering the drawbridge and rolling out the red carpet for a company like INBEV.

Mr. Buffett simply saw a great company with a great future at a good price. He had zero control over the management of the business or over the commitment of its CEO. Warren Buffett is not Carl Icahn. Nor does Berkshire Hatheway have the cash to out bid INBEV. Unlikely though it might be at this high price…wouldn’t it be interesting if Mr. Busch asked Mr. Buffett to be the 400 pound gorilla in this scenario? Instead of slamming Mr. Buffett, perhaps with his history of never selling a company or a stock, we might wonder what might happen if Berkshire Hatheway offered a combination of cash and Berkshire stock to buy enough shares to keep A-B in St. Louis? Dreadful longshot that it is, but he bailout ABC for Tom Murphy when it was in play years ago.

The CEO of A-B dropped the ball in not protecting this company. Buffett bought shares to keep forever; no exit strategy; just happy to own a great brand and watch it grow. Buffett didn’t launch a raid on A-B. He didn’t weaken the corporate barriers to takeovers. So now he is the bad guy?

He only owns 5% of the stock. How much power is that? If 90% of the shareholders (including Busch family members, and mutual fund managers) accept the INBEV offer and Buffett “keeps” his 5% out of loyalty to St. Louis, just how is that supposed to work for Mr. Buffett when the company changes hands?