Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Protest in west seattle, all welcome!
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
April 10, 2012 at 3:55 am #602822
animalrightsmovementParticipantwe are having a protest in west seattle in front of mcdonalds by pcc against inhumane ways of killing animals, if you can attend or have questions then email yoyo4549@yahoo.com
April 10, 2012 at 5:26 am #754274
JanSParticipantagain…when, please…?
April 10, 2012 at 2:40 pm #754275
JiggersMemberI am going to have some tasty poultry for din din tonight.
April 10, 2012 at 5:03 pm #754276
BostonmanMemberIs there significance to having it in front of McDonalds and PCC or is that just coincidence? You do know McDonalds isn’t killing the animals right. You might want to protest at a farm or slaughterhouse.
April 10, 2012 at 6:05 pm #754277
JanSParticipantwow..jiggers posted !
Bostonman…I think the point of McDonald’s is that they purchase their meats from these supposedly inhumane farms, etc… (PCC is not a target, just used to differentiate the location from other McDonald’s)
April 10, 2012 at 7:59 pm #754278
BostonmanMemberAhh I see. I am not going to say they can’t protest because obviously they can but I think its possibly a big assumption that McDonalds does that. I have never looked into it personally though so I can’t say one way or another. Might as well protest safeway or thriftway. My guess is they are probably equally guilty or not guilty.
April 11, 2012 at 2:25 pm #754279
JoBParticipantApril 11, 2012 at 2:31 pm #754280
2 Much WhineParticipantI protest McDonald’s every single day – by not eating there. Not because I care about how they treat “food” but because their “food” doesn’t taste good and is bad for you.
April 11, 2012 at 3:26 pm #754281
JVMemberBostonian, it’s easier to fit McDonalds into that eevviiilllll corporation box.
Because I’m sure the owner of that local McD franchise – probably our WS neighbor, might have kids who go to school with yours/mine – is part of the eevviilll 1%.
April 11, 2012 at 3:32 pm #754282
JoBParticipantso JV..
if you wouldn’t protest at the local Mc Donalds because they are a local franchise owner with no control over the quality of the food they serve..
where would you choose to protest to bring attention to the abusive practices that produce factory farm beef?
Or are you in league with the states that are making it a crime to document those abuses?
what you can’t see can hurt you, you know.
April 11, 2012 at 3:41 pm #754283
JiggersMemberThere’s no value in eating at McDonalds anymore. It is too expensive and their burger sizes are to small and the taste isn’t the same. I avoid going to Mcydees at all costs if I have a craving for fast food. That’s what I’ll protest about. But it is funny how well their stock is doing and how they keep expanding worldwide.
April 11, 2012 at 3:44 pm #754284
JVMemberYou can go to the slaughterhouse and protest there.
The smell may get to you, but most protesters have become immune to bad smells.
April 11, 2012 at 4:35 pm #754285
skeeterParticipantWell since this thread is derailed anyway…
I’ve never been a huge fan of McDonalds as a customer. I go maybe three or four times a year. But as an investor, this stock has been fantastic in the past couple years. McDonalds (ticker: MCD) is really hitting on all cylinders. The McCafe premium beverages have been an amazing hit with customers. The profit margins on these drinks are fantastic, too. The chain is also in the process of remodeling their stores for a more appealing customer experience. This is a very well run company in my opinion. If you are not morally opposed to their business practices, I highly recommend you consider this stock in your portfolio. As always, please do your own due diligence before you invest. (Disclosure: I hold a long position in MCD.)
April 11, 2012 at 5:10 pm #754286
kootchmanMemberIt’s a good sign! It’s like crocus, first robin, and daffodils… y’know the weather is changing for the better. It’s protest season!! Ya have to have the symmetry of consciente and warm enough weather to be comfortable. How many hours is this one going to last. At least they won;t be there very early and get in the way of the coffee drive through.
April 11, 2012 at 5:23 pm #754287
DBPMemberI’ve never been a huge fan of McDonalds as a customer. I go maybe three or four times a year. But as an investor, this stock has been fantastic in the past couple years. McDonalds (ticker: MCD) is really hitting on all cylinders.
skeeter, if you don’t like something as a customer, why would you recommend it as an investment?
They’re a well-run company producing . . . what? ——Something you wouldn’t care to eat yourself?
I don’t get it. Is it really just about the money?
April 11, 2012 at 6:31 pm #754288
skeeterParticipantDBP – good question.
The best investor is an unemotional one. Too often, people make investments based on their personal experience and personal likes. Mistake.
Example: I really loved Disneyland. I’m gonna go buy Disney stock. I really like my Ford car. I’m gonna go buy Ford stock.
As a customer, I want to find products and services I like to consume. As an investor, though, I have to realize that I’m only one person in a world with 5 billion people. What I personally like as a customer is irrelevant. I want to find investments that I think will outperform their competitors.
In summary:
Goal as a customer: Find stuff I like.
Goal as an investor: Find investments that will maximize my wealth.
The two almost never align. Personally I like Pepsi. But I buy Coke stock because I think it’s a better investment. The list goes on and on.
Keep in mind – if an individual is personally opposed to a product or service on moral or ethical grounds, he would probably avoid it as both a customer and investor.
Does that make sense?
April 11, 2012 at 6:56 pm #754289
waterworldParticipantDBP: In other words, “yes.”
April 11, 2012 at 7:54 pm #754290
BostonmanMemberSkeeter is right though. Investing cannot be an emotional decision. I am not a venture capital firm giving money to companies whose products I like. I am an investor trying to make some money and get a good return. McDonalds is a great stock.
FYI, when I bought BofA at 5.9 everyone on this forum told me I was nuts. I sold my position at $9 the other day. Should I have avoided BofA because I don’t like there practices? If I did I would have lost out on a lot of money.
April 11, 2012 at 8:07 pm #754291
skeeterParticipantGood for you Bostonman. I’m still kicking myself I didn’t throw some dollars into stocks whose prices fell too far and have now been recovering.
April 11, 2012 at 8:44 pm #754292
cjboffoliParticipantWell that covers the topic of emotion as it relates to investment. But what about responsibility? As an investor of company XYZ do you consider yourself complicit in the downside of that company doing business?
McDonalds is an earnings powerhouse and, in a way, a brand ambassador for the United States around the world. But in order to sell food with the consistency and price points they do, they must produce it in an industrial manner, with negative consequences on the environment, on biologic diversity, and on human health.
Cows evolved over millions of years to ruminate grasses and efficiently convert grass to high quality protein. But in order to produce beef cheaply the process was industrialized. Cows sourced by McDonalds are fed (highly subsidized) corn which makes them grow fast and deliciously fatty but causes major health problems for the cattle which are remedied with hormones and antibiotics. The Interstate Highway System made it practical to have massive feedlots at great distances from the markets where the food is consumed. So while this process made the beef significantly less expensive for consumers, it is an energy and resource-intensive process that exacts a calamitous toll on the environment (in the form of air, water and ground pollution and further dependence on foreign oil to keep the whole system running).
McDonald’s most profitable item, its french fries, is a scientific wonder of taste and quality control uniformity. Sugar is added or subtracted from the potatoes, depending on the time of the year, in support of consistency. But the Russet Burbank is the only variety grown for McDonalds, which supports a genetic monoculture by removing the possibility of natural biodiversity in growing different potato varieties. Growing that one variety of potato has become so popular and profitable for farmers that there is less interest in supporting other varieties. As the Irish Potato Famine demonstrated, all you need is one robust fungus to wipe out the entire ecosystem. Cavendish bananas (which Americans are most familiar with) are becoming endangered for the same reason. They probably will not be around in a few generations.
The food McDonalds produces – high in sugar, fat and salt – is a contributor to the epic problems of Diabetes and obesity in America. But beyond that, the industrialization of food the company supports, and the brand and marketing success McDonalds enjoys, undermines not only better, fresher food choices but local, sustainable sources of food which demand higher price points to bring that food to market.
I think it is very easy to go about our daily lives without thinking about the consequences of our choices. There is so much money to be made that corporations and media go to great lengths to obscure some of those consequences. If I go to McDonalds for a meal, or invest in McDonalds, I think the least I can do is to consider the level to which my participation brings detriment to myself and to the world around me at the same time I’m enjoying the benefit of a tasty meal or stock gains. I can ask myself if making a different choice might rather support alternatives that are better in the long run for me and for the world.
I support the activism of the protesters if for no other reason than it perhaps will shed light on the true cost of bringing McDonalds food to market and the extent to which, as consumers, we’re complicit in that system.
April 11, 2012 at 8:52 pm #754293
JiggersMemberSo did they have the protest already? And if not, is the blog going to cover the protest?
April 11, 2012 at 9:52 pm #754294
BostonmanMemberWell if thats how you want to determine your investments you will be left with few alternatives to invest in that have strong balance sheets, liquidity, market share and growth potential. I don’t eat at McDonalds but the company is strong in all areas I mentioned. I am making money off other people laziness to cook a healthy dinner. Personally I don’t have a problem with that.
In the end I say protest away. McDonalds will get free publicity and you will bring out anti protesters that will go to McDonalds. All better for the bottom line.
Skeeter: There are still a lot of good deals out there with stocks that got killed during the downturn that still have huge upside. I am still invested in financials but only in some of the more liquid banks now. I hold huge positions in GE at $15 that I bought a few years ago. Great dividend stock and I am optomistic the price will get back above $30.
I only have limited capital to invest though and if I had more I would diversify even more into some stuff overseas.
April 11, 2012 at 9:53 pm #754295
JanSParticipantchristopher…but..it’s still all about the money :D
April 11, 2012 at 9:54 pm #754296
BostonmanMemberDepending on what I think is going to happen with tax rates is going to also determine if I cash in what I have until I have time to reassess my risks and potential upside.
April 11, 2012 at 9:57 pm #754297
BostonmanMemberYes Jan, companies goal is to make money. They all can’t be Solyndra or Chrysler.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.