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Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.

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Florida Teachers Demand Pension Fund Dump Gun Stocks

edited February 2018 in Off-Topic
“Florida teachers reacted viscerally to news that they've been paying into a retirement fund that invests in gun companies, including the maker of an assault rifle used to kill 17 Parkland high school students and educators last week. They demanded Wednesday night that the state agency that manages the fund divest of those stocks immediately. The state pension plan for Florida teachers held 41,129 shares in American Outdoor Brands Co., formerly known as Smith & Wesson ...” http://snewsi.com/id/18169948123

Comments

  • WHICH Florida teachers? Who are Polly Mosendz and Neil Weinberg to speak for all Florida teachers? The media lies about everything.
  • What does investing in gun companies have to do with anything EXCEPT the need to bring POLITICS into the conversation. A VERY IGNORANT statement!

    This bogus comment can be taken to other extents: tobacco, abortion, alcohol and so on! UNINFORMED!
  • edited February 2018
    I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience. (Patrick Henry)

    I agree with mcmarasco that my post is overly political. I tried to direct folks’ attention to @Ted’s more comprehensive post which emphasizes the effect of all this (for better of worse) on the firearms industry. I guess some missed my note.

    I noticed from @Catch22’s reply (in Ted’s thread) that some Vanguard index funds own quite a bit of American Outdoors. And there was a story on CNBC today about Blackrock being a big player in the company. So there is some investment related relevance (as @Ted presented the story).

    Without commenting on whether one should believe or castigate the media, I’ll simply note that the definition is pretty broad and would include all of us who post here: Media: “Communication channels through which news, entertainment, education, data, or promotional messages are disseminated. Media includes every broadcasting and narrowcasting medium such as newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, billboards, direct mail, telephone, fax, and internet. Media is the plural of medium and can take a plural or singular verb, depending on the sense intended.” http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/media.html

    Hope this helps. As one prominent member of the media, Louis Rukeyser, used to say, “We aim to please around here.”
  • @hank This idea that one should ignore politics when investing and that giving capital to gun stocks and thus gun companies doesn't have political ramifications are absurdities in my book. What gets people so angry about the discussion is they don't want to acknowledge that they could be getting rich off companies that profit from devices used to murder innocent children. Giving money to these corporations is tacit approval of their policies and they are the ones bankrolling and guiding the NRA's inflexible/insane policy on gun control. It is a kind of depraved indifference to the political realities most investors share, and I include myself in this group as I don't fully know what funds I invest in own. I'm sure some have held or do hold gun stocks. But to claim we should just be apolitical about investing our money is ridiculous. Why? It is a recipe for an inhumane bloodless selfish view of life. Be as political about your own money as you want to be and feel free to discuss it. No one is forcing other people to read your post if it is political.
  • Funny how these leftist shills and their shill media will never even mention the real causes of school shootings, specifically the fact that all of the school shooters had been turned into daily school and government and psychiatrist mandated hard core daily narco users - homicidal narcos like Ritalin, for imaginary diseases they invented to suit the occasion, like "ADHD". Also they never mention the constant diet of ultraviolence and killing pounded into kids' heads via their tv and movies and video games. They just desperately want to disarm and render defenseless all the good people, so then the real invasions can begin, and then we will be in the same position as Sweden and Germany!
  • They just desperately want to disarm and render defenseless all the good people
    Who are the good people and who are the bad and how do you tell them apart? Are there any so-so people? And are there good people that sometimes have bad days and do very bad things? Does taking away their access to an AR15 assault rife make the good people defenseless? Would they not still have access to hand guns and myriad other weapons to kill bad people?
  • lanternland, if you own a gun or 2 or 3 or 4, or a weapon of war like an AR15, your comments suggest you are exactly a person I would be afraid of. So are you a good guy or a bad guy? Or maybe just a scary guy? It may depend on who you ask.
  • With whom I chose to do business with, give my money to as well as how I make my money, is as important to my beliefs and my well being as is how and who I vote for.
  • edited February 2018
    "lanternland, if you own a gun or 2 or 3 or 4, or a weapon of war like an AR15, your comments suggest you are exactly a person I would be afraid of."

    Good. I like it that way. Stay the hell away from me. I don't like craven fools around me. Squeal for someone else to help you when you are in trouble.
  • edited February 2018
    "Who are the good people and who are the bad and how do you tell them apart? "

    That is something for people with common sense to worry about, not for you. You just sit back down on your big fat rear end in front of your tv set and the friendly talking head on the screen will tell you what to think.
  • >> Squeal for someone else to help you when you are in trouble.

    That's the spirit. You too, k ?

    Are you part of the "faction in our country that sees public action for the public good, no matter how justified, as part of a conspiracy to destroy our freedom" (Krugman NYT yesterday).
  • Common sense is rather uncommon I think.
  • "I don't like craven fools around me."

    @lanternland: Neither do I. Please go away.
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