Watching this brewing battle with Bud and InBev, I couldn’t help but reflect on the similarities with Hershey’s board and the politicians surrounding Hershey, Pennsylvania who told the foreign company (Cadbury) to Kiss Off. With all the St. Louis and Missouri politicians and that “Show Me” attitude, it isn’t surprising that Republican Gov. Matt Blunt and other politicians are trying to block it with that same protectionist refrain used during the Hershey deals…about how the company is a national treasure, about how important it is to the community, about how this is going to cost so many jobs, and about how shareholders should not choose dollars over jobs.

For the record, I suggest investors should never buy a stock based upon how many employees the company has!

And, oh by the way….politicians and other protectionists….you might want to check out this headline from late last week when the company announced its intention to cut 10-15% of its workforce. Hey, I thought the politicians were going to save jobs by blocking a merger!?! Now it looks like they are silent about the company cutting over a thousand jobs to block the merger. I guess they think that’s okay.

Regardless of what you think of those political arguments….please look what happened to HSY stock since the Pennsylvania politicians had their way.

As for YHOO, I just cannot miss the comparison with a board that did nothing to boost a stock price for 4 or 5 years (like BUD) and then suddenly, they know what is in the best interests of shareholders to block an acquisition. Nevermind that the acquisition was the sole reason for the stock to increase and never mind that blocking the deal or having the suitor walk away will end up with a sudden decline in the stock. Will BUD’s board ensure its shareholders are the next to get Yahooed!?