When you buy a company at an auction, and you are committing yourself to pay some $300 million to the state because it was a privatization deal, and you don't pay it, is it OK? Isn't it something that deserves court procedures?
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Most large companies structure their affairs so that they minimize their tax payments. As long as you do it within the law, it's OK.
The American people do not like privatization. They are afraid of the debt the president's willing to do. And they don't like benefit cuts. And everyone here should understand all 45 Senate Democrats are united. We are not going to let this happen.
If I hadn't been fair, I would never have made the $6 billion in real estate deals that I did. I mean, if you're not fair, people don't want to deal with you.
But what shouldn't happen is, you shouldn't have the taxpayers from states that are managing their situations well paying for those states that are not.
The owners have the right to pay you whatever they want to. They don't have to pay you if they don't want to.
Once you privatize something, it becomes a for-profit business.
Both the Democratic and Republican parties are bought and paid for by corporate America and cater to the needs of the highest bidder as opposed to the people they claim to represent. I cannot be bought.
When the government gets involved in pricing, I don't think it's the right way to look at a business.
I pledge to you today that for as long as I am your governor, I will not seek or accept any outside compensation from any source.
Privatization of the state-owned economy is not yet on the agenda. We cannot do it immediately; my colleagues would not agree to it. But we must put all forms of ownership on an equal footing immediately and let different types of ownership compete with the state firms.