There is talk of Anheuser-Busch being bought:
Anheuser-Busch Cos., the nation's biggest brewery, received a $46 billion buyout offer Wednesday from a Belgian brewer that might be too good to refuse.
The maker of Budweiser beer disclosed late Wednesday that InBev SA, whose brands include Beck's and Stella Artois, delivered an unsolicited all-cash bid of $65 a share. It's unclear whether senior Anheuser-Busch executives think the deal makes sense, but shareholders may be drawn to the offer that represents a sizable premium over the company's closing price of $58.35 Wednesday.
It's not too shocking to hear concern expressed about Budweiser being taken over by a non-American company, although the extent of the criticism was a bit surprising to me. The Governor of Missouri (where the company is based) had this to say:
“Anheuser-Busch is a great Missouri company, a great employer, a great corporate citizen and the maker of great products that are enjoyed in Missouri and around the world.
“I am strongly opposed to the sale of Anheuser-Busch and today’s offer to purchase the company is deeply troubling to me. I have said that while I am supportive of action to prevent the sale there is no immediate tool available at the state level to block it.
“I have directed the Department of Economic Development to explore every option and any opportunity we may have at the state level to help keep Anheuser-Busch where it belongs - in St. Louis, Missouri.”
And some people are beyond concerned, moving to "up in arms." From a web site devoted to stopping the purchase (http://saveab.com/)
My fellow Americans,
Like baseball, apple pie and ice cold beer (wrapped in a red, white and blue label), Anheuser-Busch is an American original. Founded in St. Louis, Missouri, AB represents the spirit of our country, giving millions of Americans the "pursuit of happiness" through its high quality products and thousands of great paying jobs. Generations of Americans have grown up loving AB products and have appreciated its committment to our communities.
Now, our city, our state, our nation and our workers are being threatened with the loss of A-B to foreign investors.
With your help we can fight the foreign invasion of A-B. We will fight to protect this American treasure. We will take to the Internet, to the streets, to the marble halls of our capitals, whatever it takes to stop the invasion.
On the other hand, someone at the WSJ takes a contrary view:
Free trade and globalization are in the national interest. So is the sale of Anheuser-Busch to InBev.
