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Technology Stocks : Dell Technologies Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Geoff Nunn who wrote (50563)	7/10/1998 9:37:00 AM
From: T.R.	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 176387

<Update on Heisted Dell Computers> Just a little something to pass the time until DELL starts hiking upward again....the next week should be GREAT. T.R. ========================================= Dell computer thieves sentenced On the Web: Dell By Kim Sue Lia Perkes American-Statesman Staff Published: July 10, 1998 On Thursday, a federal judge gave four Dell computer thieves their own version of Windows, complete with hardware: They're going to a federal prison. The Florida men were caught as they tried to heist $750,000 worth of Dell computers 11 months ago. U.S. District Judge James Nowlin sentenced 31-year-old Alberto Diaz to two years, 29-year-old Alexis Lage to 30 months, Reydell Oviedo to 33 months and 26-year-old Jose Luzardo to four years in prison. A fifth suspect in the robbery, 26-year-old Armando Pedroso, was acquitted in April. U.S. Assistant Attorney Dan Mills, who prosecuted the defendants, says the caper happened this way: On Sept. 4 or 5, Dell set out a UPS Worldwide Logistics trailer loaded with computers on the street by its plant. The company routinely parked unguarded trailers containing equipment worth millions on the street because the loading dock was too small. The robbers hooked up their truck cab to the trailer and drove off to the 221 Truck Stop and Motel in Buda, where they checked in. Four days later, they rented a warehouse on St. Elmo Street in Austin where they unloaded the stolen merchandise into another truck. They left behind $35,000 in Dell computers that wouldn't fit into the new trailer. As both trucks headed toward Houston, they passed Texas state trooper Rocky Stone, who pulled over the rear truck for following too closely.Lage, the driver, could not produce a log book or proof of Texas registration -- a $195 fine. Lage and his passenger, Luzardo, told Stone the lead truck could provide the log book and pay the fine. Stone pulled over the other truck, but Diaz and Armando Pedroso denied knowing Lage and Luzardo. Then, the two produced a log book showing they carried only a 20-pound load. After looking in the back of the trailer and finding the computers jammed in, Stone arrested the men. Now behind federal bars, will the four pals be able to e-mail their friends outside? "I don't know about that," Mills said.

To: Geoff Nunn who wrote (50563)	7/10/1998 1:11:00 PM
From: Chuzzlewit	Respond to of 176387

OT Good morning Geoff, All true. Undoubtedly government policies will favor one economic group at the expense of another. My information is somewhat old at this point, but there was a study some years ago that pointed out that the trucking industry is heavily subsidized at the expense of rail. The point behind the study was that if true costs were allocated, rail would be much cheaper than long haul truck. But the study overlooked the fact that the very existence of the transcontinental rail system itself was created as a government subsidy. But the issue is complicated by the fact that the establishment of Interstate Highway system was prompted more by military thinking than economic concerns. Eisenhower, relying on his wartime experience was concerned with the logistical problems that could face the US in war time without a good transportation network. Your point about regulation leading to less competition and higher rates is right on target. Haven't we seen exactly the same phenomenon in the airlines? I think these regulations spanned the gamut of protectionism for the ostensible purpose of fostering the growth of certain industries to the capture of the regulators by the industries themselves as in the cases you cited. I think the point is less of an economic one than a policy one. That is, government makes a series of normative decisions and uses its legislative fiat to encourage business to implement the bits and pieces that will accomplish that goal. For example, if you want to encourage apartment house building all that you need to do is accelerate the depreciation and/or provide tax credits -- entrepreneurs will do the rest. The real problem is keeping the foxes away from the henhouses. I understand, for example, that in many states the insurance companies themselves control the regulatory agencies. The obvious danger in this situation is that they may form a government sanctioned cartel which is now enforced with regulatory powers. I happen to believe that many of these programs are the result of pork barrel legislation. Legislators are either trying to buy votes or repay special interests that have donated heavily to their campaigns. Having said that, however, I still believe that the existence of government is a net positive. Certainly, it could be improved. Passing an amendment allowing for a line-item veto on spending appropriations would be an excellent step at the federal level. State and local municipalities are another issue altogether due their crazy-quilt patchwork of laws and regulations. TTFN, CTC