Comments on: Warren Buffet Goes All-in With BNSF Purchase

By: Marty Cortland

Marty Cortland — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:14:30 +0000

What private ownership? Did Obama just nationalize my shares of Berkshire Hathaway?

By: Bill Marvel

Bill Marvel — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:51:26 +0000

No reply from B.Lawyer. Let’s hope he’s better at handling business failures than business histories.

By: f bomb

f bomb — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:28:49 +0000

Wrong, Bankruptcy Lawyer. See BNSF > predecessors > Great Northern Railway > privately owned > James J. Hill > Great Robber Baron.

By: Bill Marvel

Bill Marvel — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:33:58 +0000

B.Lawyer,
Huh? I thought I knew railroad history. Tell me more.

By: Bankruptcy Lawyer

Bankruptcy Lawyer — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:55:15 +0000

This might be an historical event in American business. If this deal goes through, it might be the first totally private ownership of a major American Railroad in the history of this country

By: Bill Marvel

Bill Marvel — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:52:59 +0000

Buffet’s money is perfectly safe. Major railroads are as safe a gamble as one can make in the markets. The renaissance of the railroad industry is one of the (mostly) untold business success stories. And — Bill — it isn’t just about coal.

By: Bill

Bill — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:45:07 +0000

Buffet’s poker gamble with BNSF is all about coal. As long as Smokey Joe Barton can keep the coal plants fired up south of Dallas, BNSF will able to charge a premium for the circuit trains it runs from Utah to Dallas. Half the tonnage BNSF moves is coal. TXU customers pay more for coal than anyone else!

By: Jason Heid

Jason Heid — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:09:11 +0000

Hal: Where are the good results in the business history lesson you provided? Maybe the oilmen, depending on how you’re defining that?

When the entire American economy is portrayed as one giant game for a few select players like Buffett to compete in — which, sure, maybe that’s what it is — it’s a little nerve-wracking, yes.

(And I realize that Buffett meant his statement as encouragement for all of us, his expression of faith in our collective future.)

By: Hal

Hal — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:54:31 +0000

I’m not sure of your point, but my point is that gambling is inherent in capitalism, and it has good and bad end results.

By: Jason Heid

Jason Heid — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:43:04 +0000

Thanks, Hal. My point exactly.