Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site mnetor.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcsri!utcs!mnetor!fred From: fred@mnetor.UUCP Newsgroups: can.politics Subject: Re: Nationalization/Crown Corps. Message-ID: <1131@mnetor.UUCP> Date: Wed, 3-Jul-85 10:04:45 EDT Article-I.D.: mnetor.1131 Posted: Wed Jul 3 10:04:45 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 3-Jul-85 10:59:17 EDT References: <1121@ubc-cs.UUCP> <1110@mnetor.UUCP> <720@utcs.UUCP> <1114@mnetor.UUCP> <183@watmum.UUCP> Reply-To: fred@mnetor.UUCP (Fred Williams) Distribution: can Organization: Computer X (CANADA) Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada Lines: 34 Summary: In article <183@watmum.UUCP> cdshaw@watmum.UUCP (Chris Shaw) writes: >some friends and I started a high-tech firm. We used our own equipment and one >of the friends' father's money. Things being what they were, we ran out of cash, >so we went to the Gov't of Ontario for some financial assistance. We went to >the "bailout-for anyone in trouble" section and said that we were out of cash. Yeah, your story was interesting and, I'm sure, typical. By the way, venture capitolists will not be out to do you any favours. I know a few and while they are nice guys, I wouldn't start a company with any of them. You might as well get a salaried job. They own the profits and you take the risks. My comment was really directed at government run businesses. If your company happened to be CN, or Air Canada, or the Post Office and you turned up with a loss then it is concluded that you must really be providing service above and beyond the call of duty since you put so much money into it. The result is that more money is made available. The interesting thing is that at any level of the civil service. if you manage to save money, (or make a profit), then your budget is cut proportionally for the next accounting period. You obviously don't need as much money. This limits your power and the number of people you have in your department. The winning stategy if therefore to spend as much as possible. This strategy is followed religously! Hence I say again, Governments are not good at operating efficiently! It is unusual for a government to make a profit. This is why the government must tax other oil companies in order to run Petro-Can. All it does is make gas more expensive no matter where you buy it. Would I rather see the money going out of the country? Well, I think the money should go to whoever can produce a quality product for less money. That is the basis of free enterprise. Rewards go for results. Cheers, Fred Williams