He’s doing the right thing.
Buffett rebuffs Klamath dam protesters
American Indians and salmon fishermen who had hoped to earn a private audience with billionaire Warren Buffett failed to win much support Saturday for removing four dams along the Klamath River.
Buffett again told the protesters that his company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., won’t decide the fate of the dams its PacifiCorp utility owns. Instead, Berkshire will defer to regulators in California and Oregon, where the Klamath runs, and to federal officials.
Buffett also said he promised regulators when Berkshire bought PacifiCorp in 2006 that he wouldn’t interfere with that utility’s operating decisions.
The protesters, who were making their second trip to Berkshire’s meeting, have promised to keep the pressure on Buffett and his Omaha-based company until they achieve their goal of dam removal or at least win an audience.
“We feel like we’ve been listened to everywhere except PacifiCorp,” said Leaf Hillman, a member of the Karuk Tribe.
That is part of the joy of being a private individual, Hillman; you can tell loser to go stuff it.
Hell, I wouldn’t even have been kind about it.
These tribemembers want the dams removed, causing 1,700,000 people in six states to have to find a new way to make their lights come on for the sole reason that their tribes can make more money fishing.
And they’re probably still calling Buffett the greedy capitalist.
The status of the Indian Nations vs. the United States is no better illustrated than in the capitulation which resulted in their being able to open casinos at will.
Pandering to the Indian Nations has gotten the Federal Government nowhere, and this latest run at the natives’ extortion game is just the next in a long line of potential problems.
As the USA becomes more and more crowded, the issue of the tribal set-asides will grow more urgent, and the tribes know this, so they are getting some trading stock ready.