There are many movies about Jesse James for they robbed stagecoaches and banks after the Civil War. It was time of many changes and recently there was a movie made in 2010 called American Bandits: Frank and Jesse. The movie did not have great reviews but it does have a few interesting lines. After the Civil War, people went back to whatever they did and the military (the Yankees) administered the southern states. One aspect the military imposed was no preaching, no voting, no ability to sit on a jury, no ability to be elected to office; or very few rights. One could easily argue the Army had to put these measures into place to keep the peace and allow society to change. One of the consequences of taking away peoples rights was the population half supported and cheered the actions of Frank and Jesse James. When they robbed the Army of the payroll, people said good. If the James needed safe homes, they were easily found. Eventually times would change.

Linking to dividend paying companies, many dividend paying companies take over or merge with other companies. There are many reasons, but sometimes how they merge rustles feathers to make the execution of the merger less than desirable. There is no magic portion to merge companies, however larger organizations should learn how to do it better than most. If the company has a poor track record, then the merger should keep the monopoly and margins stay high, all shareholders will benefit. If margins fall after a merger, it is time to find alternatives.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.