"TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR" jane taylor

As by now we all know of the death of our beloved Twinkies. "cream puff of the proletariat's" along with cupcakes, snowball's, Ho Ho's , Ding Dongs and even Wonder Bread Building your body 12 ways! What happened.
It seems Continental Bakeries who many believed owned the brand since the 1930's really didn't own the company. As it was purchased in 2004 by Ripplewood Holdings another Vulture capitalist such as Bain Capital. Now when they purchased the company what was the goal? Well at the start Hostess was loaded up with $860,000,000 of debt. The purpose of this is unknown , Unions both Bakers and Teamsters have given many concessions to the company to keep it afloat. At the same time the CEO's salary went from $750,000.00 to $2,500,000.00.  I can only guess that was a reward for gaining concessions from the workers? Not one penny was ever spent to modernize equipment and even as they have gone out of business the want $1,800,000 bonuses for 18 company heads?
For the life of me I have no idea what the purpose of all this was to saddle the company with debt, take the assets down to the bone, and sell the remains to someone else. I believe we have not had our last Ding Dong or Twinkies. Some one will purchase the remains for whatever reason, maybe a group of Dentist's or Heart Cardiologist's? Hostess Brands must have been behind many  people seeking their services.

Why am I telling you this? Well all I have heard lately is about the entrepreneur's we have in our nation along with remembering not to stifle free enterprise. This to me is just rearranging the chair's on the Titanic. What did Ripplewood create? What benefit to it's employee's and the general public was gained? Is this the "New" capitalism?

Now about the employee's. Yes you want to keep your job but at the same time how do you view this situation that seems like a cancer to the business?  Your thinking ,well I going to be out on the street sooner or later might as well be sooner. The present ownership has no appetite to grow or even save the business. The company will down size maybe from 18  national bakeries to 10. The Teamster's may be out of a job as they might us a different delivery system .
Ripplewood  Holding has loaded the company with large debt along with putting pension obligations on the federal government. The company caucus is all that is left.

As some of you might know I am a collector of Lionel Trains. Lionel is presently owned by Wellspring Holding they have closed the plant in Michigan and moved all manufacturing to China several years ago Guess what, I haven't purchased a product built in China. I don't even care that Neil Young is a minority owner. How many Harley-Davidsons would  be purchased if they moved production to China?
Some brands I view as iconic to America.

I guess my question is this the new way we will operate to save America?

How long will Painesville survive without  Twinkie's and Ho HO's?