HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
Mar. 11, 2006 Amid pressure from the U.S. Congress, DPW (Dubai Ports World) agreed to sell their interests in the controversial terminal operations at key U.S. ports. This came just hours after Congress voted to stop this deal. The vote was 62 to 2 to stop DPW's deal even though President Bush vowed to veto any such bills. President Bush afterward said that he felt this sent the wrong signal to the Arab world who has been a close allay since 9/11. What happens to DPW now? I'm not so sure this means that DPW is really out of the game. Let's take a closer look at some of the possible contenders for this job and where DPW fits into it. SSA, out of Seattle, WA. is the second larges port terminal operator and they said they had not been contacted about bidding on this contract. Blackstone Group out of NYC is another possibility. They are a private investment firm that began with a merger and acquisition focal point by raising investment funds. They have holdings in; Allied Waste, HVM LLC, TRW Auto Holdings, La Quinta Hotels and Suites, WHM LLC, American Axel, Graham Packaging, Baymont Inns and Suites, NHP Ltd., Nalco, and more. The Carlyle Group appears to be the top contender. The previously owned CSX, bought in 2002 for $300 million dollars and later sold in 2004 for $650 million dollars. They manage more than $300 Billion dollars and are the world's largest private investment firm with more than 400 businesses in 14 countries. They specialize in management led buyouts, minority equity investments, real estate acquisitions and sales, venture capital, leveraged finance for aerospace and defense contracts, power and energy contracts, healthcare, transportation, technology and services, telecom and media. DPW just invested $100 million dollars toward their (Carlyle Group's) offer of $7.85 Billion dollars to buyout this deal! I don't know about you, but this looks like a partnership venture to me. A partnership that found a loophole in the forthcoming legislation that Congress is working with toward controlling the sale of our sensitive infrastructure to foreign firms. This new venture places DPW squarely in the middle of controlling the very ports Congress voted to stop! I said no, you said no, but this government controlled group (DPW) is bent on controlling our ports. Why the secret agreement in the first place? Why donate to recovery of victims of Katrina just days before this deal was sealed? Why move to invest with Carlyle, the most likely candidate or the heir apparent? Why this backdoor devious approach? I say something must be cooking that is larger than cash! Could they be pushing for control of America? Could America be taken over from the inside out? If America is not careful we will no longer be America but some subsidy or territory of the DPW or other foreign investment firm! Congress needs to act fast to create comprehensive and consistent legislation that deals with foreign investment rights. We need to call or write to support our Congress in these sensitive times. America and American's welcome foreign investment that helps to support and grow our economic platform and the countries that are investing here as well. However, we need to draw the line at how much we are willing to give up in order to achieve good will with our foreign investors. We need to encourage partnerships with countries that are our export and import equals instead of creating deeper trade deficits than we already have. Certainly DPW can compete on this level with the U.S. The question is security and safety. We need to ensure that our borders, ports, railways, infrastructure and airports are secure and the only way to do so is to ensure that they are operated by American firms owned wholly by Americans! Sources; www.hoovers.com http://thedaily.washington.edu, "Dubai World Ports to sell U.S. operations“, by Jonathon Weisman and Bradley Graham, (Saturday, March 11, 2006) Washington Post ------------ About the author: Michelle Malsbury was born and raised in Champaign, Illinois. She holds a BA in Business Management. Currently she is seven weeks away from earning her master's degree in Organizational Management while concurrently pursuing her lofty writing ambitions. Her plans also involve obtaining her PhD in 2006/07. Michelle moved to south Florida in 1982 and resides between the Keys, Miami, and Apalachicola, allowing her to experience the seasonal fluctuations between the southernmost and nearly northernmost beauty in the state of Florida. Travels have taken her from Europe through the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and across much of the United States. She enjoys outdoor activities like sailing, waterskiing, hiking, bike riding, working out, and fishing as well as reading, music, theatre, playing with her two amusing pets (Abu Chez, her 6 year old Australian Blue Heeler and Zack, her two year old yellow tabby cat) and writing. Michelle is a regular featured author on the web site www.useless-knowledge.com and member of their 100 + articles published club. Here she enjoys exchanging points of view with her comrades on an array of topics. "Three Years With Adonis" is the first to be published of several books that she has written and is now available in all the better bookstores, but can also be found and ordered at Amazon.com, Booksamillion.com, Barnesandnoble.com, or ordered directly from her web sites, www.3yearswithadonis.com, www.threeyearswithadonis.com, or www.MichelleMalsbury.com. In addition to "Three Years With Adonis", she has authored four other books and three screenplays while continuing to explore all that life hands her. Email Michelle Malsbury: zackywacks@aol.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
