Night fell, and John had just stepped into the bedroom when he bumped into Aria, who was coming out of the bathroom.
“Done chatting?
You’ve been talking since the afternoon; I don’t know what’s so captivating in the study that kept you so engrossed.” Aria grumbled about no one eating the dinner she had made, while John laughed heartily, “It seems Sylvie has given birth to an extraordinary being.” Ernst taking over MGM would indeed greatly increase the Arlington Family’s help.
But even they knew that this matter was not so simple; the most immediate challenge was the outstanding balance of 1.38 billion US dollars, which stood like a mountain before Ernst.
One hundred million US dollars is easy to raise, but what about the next 1.38 billion US dollars?
This is not 138,000 US dollars.
MGM’s equity could be mortgaged, but it would never secure a loan of 1.38 billion US dollars.
Therefore, MGM’s valuation was key, and that required it to contribute strong revenue-generating capabilities.
The most direct impact on revenue capabilities would certainly be the films produced by MGM.
To ordinary people, Ernst now seemed to have unlimited prestige, but those who truly understood knew that he was actually plagued by internal and external troubles, treading on thin ice at every step.
Externally, there was enormous debt, and within MGM, Ernst could not completely control the board of directors; he needed to prove himself by bringing continuous benefits to the shareholders.
The difficulty of this was so great that even the relatives of the Arlington Family were not optimistic.
Originally, Paul’s intention was to leverage Ernst’s influence over MGM to expand the Arlington Family’s influence in next year’s Tulare County election, but they underestimated Ernst’s grand vision.
“Why can’t the Arlington Family produce someone who sits in that White House in Washington?” When Ernst said this so lightly, everyone in the study instantly fell silent.
Although the Arlington Family was full of talented people, with Jason, who worked in finance, politicians like Paul, agricultural magnates, and legal elites like Rodrigo.
They looked glamorous, but most of them were stuck in the small pond of Tulare County.
The White House?
This was simply a fantasy.
But when they heard Ernst’s plans for his future business empire — an Internet company established in Mountain View, confident in restoring MGM’s glory, and also entering manufacturing and more industries — the White House no longer seemed unimaginable.
Powerful enterprises would bring powerful connections, and powerful connections could gain powerful assistance.
Whether it was Hollywood or Silicon Valley, both were California’s most important economic pillars.
If one could achieve success in these two fields, one could then plan for the governorship of California and finally run for President of America.
But there was a prerequisite: Ernst truly had to become a super magnate in America.
These were all too idealistic and too dreamy; only the lower class would believe in the American Dream.
For capitalists like them, the American Dream was as ridiculous as it got; it was less realistic than winning the lottery’s top prize.
However, Ernst also had a point; after all, one had to take things one step at a time.
Setting a higher goal and preparing in advance wouldn’t cost anything.
“Hasn’t this little guy always been your pride?” Perhaps this was the special bond with grandchildren; just as Aria said, from Ernst’s birth until now, although John didn’t say it aloud, she knew he had always regarded this grandson as his pride.
John sat on the sofa, recounting Ernst’s afternoon conversation over and over again.
Aria was the best listener at this moment; one quiet, one active, one intellectual, one practical — Sylvie often said they were the most perfect match in this world.
As they chatted, the topic shifted to Paul running for county executive: “So Paul is running for Tulare County Executive?
But I heard they’re going to abolish the county government?” In America, many places do not have county governments.
Generally, there are state governments and city governments, without an intermediate level of county government.
Instead, several cities themselves form a region and elect a Supervisor, which is a committee.
This is not dictated by national or state administrative regulations, but rather decided by public vote.
As long as the public agrees, even abolishing a state government is legally recognized.
Why don’t the public want a county government?
Because it saves money.
In America, there are various taxes, such as sales tax, property tax, and so on.
Of these, sales tax goes to the state, while property tax goes to the county.
If the county government is gone, this money is not collected by the state instead; it is simply not paid at all.
In fact, many places have even abolished city governments, saving a considerable amount of money each year.
Of course, while it saves money, it indirectly brings inconvenience to life.
In America, there are dedicated power companies for electricity, but tap water and garbage are public services, problems that the government must solve.
Now, without a city government, you would have to go to a neighboring city to register for tap water and to collect garbage cans.
Road traffic, fire services, and public safety, on the other hand, are the responsibility of the county.
“Hmph, that’s because that Randall fellow is incompetent.” John snorted coldly, his face full of disdain.
Randall was the current head of Tulare County, but his term could be said to have no achievements whatsoever; major problems had erupted in both transportation and fire services.
This fellow was the epitome of workplace slacking; fire rescue was as slow as a sloth moving house.
Wildfires would burn to the skyline before the fire department slowly arrived.
On weekdays, he loved holding parties and giving speeches, making grand pronouncements in front of the media.
The people of Tulare jokingly called him Sam the Eagle — a reference to the mascot of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, implying he was just a symbol with no real function.
Moreover, this Randall was extremely shameless and had no goodwill among the public.
Someone once posted a banner reading ‘Worst Official in American History’ at the entrance of the county government office building.
But when faced with reporters’ questions, Randall actually said that this was how the voters of Tulare County showed their affection for him, and that this kind of boundless humor was a sign that voters considered him one of their own.
It was precisely because of Randall’s terrible performance that many people organized to abolish the county government.
“He has completely disgraced the party.” California was a Democratic stronghold, and Randall was also a Democrat, with considerable connections.
“However, for Paul, this is an opportunity to turn the tide.
If he can step up at this critical juncture and save the day, he might gain the appreciation of important figures.” Actually, if it weren’t for the move to abolish the county government, Paul’s chances would be very slim.
The Arlington Family had great influence in Visalia, but very few connections within the Democratic Party.
If he competed with Randall, Paul would have no chance of winning in terms of political connections.
But the current situation gave Paul a possibility; Randall was clearly not suitable for this position.
If someone could step up and preserve this administrative unit, it would be a great achievement.
The existence of every county government represented more taxes, which in turn meant more backroom dealings and more sources of income.
“I think these matters should be handled by the younger generation.
You should try to offer fewer opinions, after all, they’ve grown up.” Aria spoke cryptically, mainly due to John’s stance.
He was a staunch Democrat, and his entire family belonged to the Democratic camp.
But in America, a political figure changing parties is very common; to put it plainly, everything is about self-interest.
Aria did not want this matter to make things difficult for the children later on.