By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Berkshire Hathaway is a conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, that oversees and manages a number of subsidiary companies. The company averaged an annual growth in book value of 20.3% to its shareholders for the last 44 years, while employing large amounts of capital, and minimal debt. Berkshire Hathaway stock produced a total return of 76% from 2000-2010 versus a negative 11.3% return for the S&P 500[http://www.gurufocus.com/news.php?id=80400]. - Source: Wikipedia
Three weeks ago, your columnist noted some of the "good" that came along in the tech world in 2012. With very little to lose — you don't think I'm wagering actual cash money here, do you? — here are some more-or-less fearless predictions for 2013:
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he is donating nearly $500 million in stock to a Silicon Valley charity with the aim of funding health and education issues.
Did you see the story about Costco borrowing $3.5 billion to pay a special $7 a share dividend to its stockholders before year's end to avoid being hit by President Obama's higher capital gains tax?
Warren Buffett's company is planning to close a small Virginia newspaper that it bought from Media General earlier this year.
The European Central Bank’s two former chief economists are criticizing the institution's plan to buy unlimited amounts of government bonds.
It's true that Warren Buffett hired the hedge fund manager who won the last two private lunches with him that are part of an annual auction, but he doesn't expect the event to become a recruiting tool for Berkshire Hathaway.
To hear the Sage of Omaha tell it, newspapers may not be dead after all.
On the surface, Goldman Sachs had a triumphant first quarter. By one popular measure, its profit more than doubled, and the bank announced it would raise its dividend. But those achievements masked lurking problems.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney estimates the federal tax rate he pays on most of his income is about 15 percent because it comes from his past investments.
First lady Michelle Obama is challenging assertions she's forcefully imposed her will on White House aides, saying she's tired of people portraying her as "some kind of angry black woman."
OMAHA, NEB. | Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said Wednesday that it is buying the Omaha World-Herald Co. and expanding the firm's newspaper holdings despite Mr. Buffett's misgivings about the industry.
Would Warren Buffett hire Barack Obama to run his company? Given Mr. Buffett's proven business acumen, absolutely not.
Americans don't want to borrow more money and pay higher taxes simply to create temporary government jobs. That's why President Obama's $467 billion second stimulus bill never had much of a chance as a whole. It was meant to be a class-warfare call-to-arms that would engage and excite his liberal base, as even the Democratic-controlled Senate couldn't conjure up the votes for it.
It's not just the American people who are abandoning President Obama in droves. Polls show "The One" has become "Number Two" when matched up against Mr. Generic Republican. Now even Mr. Obama's best friends are growing similarly uneasy with his policy proposals.
