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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