who owns American Business?

[Woodrow]

Over the last few years I have been seeing more businesses being bought by foreign companies. Now since it is a free Enterprise system I have no objections to that. A person or company does have the right to sell to whoever they desire too. But I am curious as to just how many businesses that remain in the US are actually American owned.

This is just the latest of recent sales.

Updated: 9:56 a.m. CT Feb 9, 2007
LONDON - Britain’s FirstGroup PLC is buying Greyhound bus operator Laidlaw International, which is also North America’s largest school bus operator, for about $2.8 billion.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17064260/

Is there a such thing as an American Company?

[Shukria]

:sl:
I think the question should be who are the real Americans?.. Which we all know was the Native Americans :D
Look at the influx of immigrants - the English, Italians, Jews, Puerto Ricans etc...

[Woodrow]

I think you should leave Puerto Ricans out. The majority of them are of Native American Ancestry or NativeAmerican/Spanish mix.

Sadly, I doubt if the remaining Native Americans would want The USA back in the condition it now is. Most of the Native Americans I know are pretty well adapted to the current life style. My second wife was Native American (Cherokee) and she definetly did not want to return to the life style of her Grandparents. Her Great Grandmother was one of the survivors of the "Trail of Tears" march.

In spite of all the mistreatment of the Native Americans I have yet to meet one who is not loyal to the USA government. I should add now that you bring that up. There are a few truly owned American businesses in the USA I can think of a few companies in Oklahoma and Texas that are 100% native American owned.

[Trumble]

Is there a such thing as an American Company?

For every American company you find 'owned' by a 'British' one, you will find two the other way around. And in both cases, shares will be held by multiple nationalities (or investment houses from many countries), anyway.

It's an inevitability of an increasingly global economy. It makes no real difference; just because a company is 'American' or 'Japanese' doesn't mean one government has any more control over them than another, except in relatively trivial reporting and tax legislation in the country(ies) where they are registered and based. Virtually all big corporations operate totally across borders and under multiple regulatory regimes, anyway.

In that particular case I just feel sorry for the bus drivers and other staff; First stinks when it comes to treatment of it's employees.