Need Info On Heinz Company v. Heinz-Kerry

[bleedingedge]

Received RW e-mail BS decrying how Heinz has factories overseas.

I want to debunk it in various ways but am too dumb to do the necessary research myself. But someone on DU always has the information off the top of their head.

1. Is Teresa Heinz-Kerry actually in charge of the Heinz company, as in CEO or whatever? If so, when did she assume command? I always assumed she was basically an "owner" in name only.

2. When did she marry Sen. Kerry?

3. Wasn't she married to some well-known Repub. before Sen. Kerry?

Thanks for help.

[NYCGirl]

1. This covers everything...

http://www.snopes.com/politics/kerry/heinz.asp

[Justice]

2. Old Old Old Smear

Heinz has factories overseas in countries where they sell their products. Ie factory in Italy b/c selling products in Italy.

Heinz-Kerry does not run the company. She controls the family's interest, which is now about 4% of the shares of the company.

Her first husband John Heinz killed in a crash in 1991 - married Kerry in 1995.

[SOS]

3. Send the Snopes link

right back to 'em. (See post 1)

[Liberal Christian]

4. Teresa is NOT in charge of the company

Teresa is the head of the Heinz foundation, a huge philanthropic organization. She is a member of neither the board of directors nor the management team of the Heinz Corporartion and would have no input on decisions about how and where they choose to do business.

http://www.heinz.com/jsp/directors.jsp

http://www.heinz.com/jsp/management.jsp

[kerry-is-my-prez]

5. Heinz PAC has contributed $96,000 to Repubs and $54,000 to Dems-last 7 yrs

http://www.hjheinz.com/jsp/nonpartisan.jsp

Pittsburgh, PA, July 14, 2004 - In light of misleading reports, H.J. Heinz Company (NYSE:HNZ) reiterated today that neither Teresa Heinz Kerry, Senator John Kerry nor any of the Heinz trusts or endowments, either individually or collectively, holds a significant percentage of H.J. Heinz Company shares. Heinz also attests that Heinz® Tomato Ketchup sold in the United States is all-American - made at U.S. facilities in Fremont, Ohio; Muscatine, Iowa; and Stockton, California. (CLICK HERE to see video on the making of America's Favorite Ketchup™.) There is only one exception: an extremely small number of specialty Ketchup packages are filled at its Heinz Canada factory in Leamington, Ontario, north of Detroit (about 35 miles from the border).

-snip-

H.J. Heinz Company, in accordance with its corporate governance policies, is a non-partisan organization. Neither Teresa Heinz Kerry, Senator John Kerry nor any member of their family is involved in the management or board of the H.J. Heinz Company, the Heinz® Ketchup business or any of the company's other brands or products. Furthermore, there is no connection between any philanthropic programs of H.J. Heinz Company and its Foundation and the Heinz family interests (including the Howard Heinz Endowment, the Vira Heinz Endowment, and the Heinz Family Philanthropies). In 1995 the Heinz Endowments and family trusts sold a large percentage of Heinz shares in a secondary share offering to diversify their holdings. As a result, their current holdings are under 4 percent.

-snip-

As befits a global consumer products company with thousands of employees in the United States and around the world, the Heinz Company is non-partisan and politically independent. The Heinz Company PAC, which is funded by voluntary employee donations, has a policy of maintaining good relations with both major political parties, particularly focusing on those candidates whose district or state contains a Heinz facility. Over the past seven years, the Heinz Company PAC has contributed $96,000 to Republican candidates and $54,000 to Democratic candidates, largely reflecting the party affiliation of the candidates representing the states where we have facilities.

[candy]

6. Teresa is doing what many wealthy people do.She's living off---

the fruits of previous generations' labor. That's the American way in a capitalistic society.

[bleedingedge]

7. Here's What I Wrote Back.

My boss is actually the one who received this, from a friend who works for Honda. As he often does, he forwarded it to me and said "Hey, write a reply to this so I can send it to him." I basically just realized that I'm getting paid to debunk this crap.

For some reason, this one set me off more than normal, so my reply is a wee bit testier than normal:

"Yeah, um, I got your e-mail. I was reading it when I realized how sorry I felt for you if this is what you consider to be a "good point". If you take, oh, maybe as much time to research this shit as you do in sending it to other people, you might actually be worthy of the effort I'm about to make.:

-She MARRIED INTO the Heinz name by marrying Henry John Heinz III.
-Henry John Heinz III was a Republican: he was elected to office twice as a Republican. Therefore, if you want to find a sigil onto which to hang the label of "outsourcer", then you need to bash a Republican.
-She received an inheritance when her husband died in a plane crash in 1991.
-Teresa Heinz Kerry has NO OWNERSHIP OR CONTROLLING INTEREST IN HEINZ CORPORATION.

As a matter of fact, pretty much the exact same letter has been bitch-slapped by Snopes, a well-known "Urban Legends" web site. All of the above can be found at http://www.snopes.com/politics/kerry/heinz.asp

I'm certain you'll feel a good Republican responsibility to mail a correction or update to all those to whom you mailed the original story.

Go piss up a rope, you mealy-mouthed cog in the Republican hivemind. If this is the best you can do, I weep for the future of the Honda Corporation because you'll clearly be taken in by the next huckster who walks in your door. If you want to convince me that you're right, you're going to need to learn to think for yourself and come up with valid excuses which you've vetted for yourself. Otherwise, don't even bother lacing up the gloves, 'cause I'll pound your sorry ass into the canvas every time.

And don't bother telling me to "lighten up". You want to send me this unsubstantiated, third-hand, easily-debunked, totally erroneous bullshit, then you better be prepared to take a tire iron up your ass, 'cause I'm done dealing with it nicely.

Bye Bye.

[Richardo]

10. Paid debunker - cool!

Keep the link to snopes.com. You'll ALWAYS need it when responding to RW idiots.

PS: Always use "Reply All" when debunking the shit.

[Richardo]

11. BTW - GREAT letter!

I wish I could be that "testy" when I respond to this crap.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

13. Ziiiiiiiinnnnngggg!!! Nice one!!

[kerry-is-my-prez]

8. The Heinz PAC donated to Bush but NOT to Kerry campaign

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040421/news_1n21heinz.html
Heinz Co. has donated thousands to GOP, nothing to Kerry

WASHINGTON – Though John Kerry's wife is an heir to the H.J. Heinz Co. fortune, the food company and its executives are providing President Bush with money and a campaign issue – jobs flowing overseas – in this year's election.

Members of the board of the Fortune 500 company and its corporate political action committee have donated thousands of dollars to Republicans in recent years, including contributions to the Bush campaign. The corporate PAC has given nothing to Kerry.

The Republicans are accepting the cash even as they criticize the Pittsburgh-based company's job cuts and overseas moves – part of an effort to taint the presumptive Democratic nominee with the conglomerate's business practices.

While Teresa Heinz Kerry gained much of her $500 million portfolio through her Heinz inheritance, she does not serve on the board and is not involved with the management of the company. Heinz Kerry, who heads the separate Heinz Family Foundation and the Howard Heinz Endowment, owns less than 4 percent of the company's stock.

-snip-

[kerry-is-my-prez]

9. In 2004, 98% of donations were to Repubs. $5,000 to Bush $0 to Kerry

http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.asp?strID=C00336040

Contributions from this PAC to federal candidates
(2% to Democrats, 98% to Republicans)


http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgot.asp?strID=C00336040&Cycle=2004
2004 Cycle
House Candidate Total Contribs
Doyle, Mike (D-PA) $500
English, Phil (R-PA) $500
Hart, Melissa (R-PA) $1,200
McHugh, John M (R-NY) $500
Pombo, Richard (R-CA) $1,000

Total to Republican House Candidates: $3,200
Total to Democratic House Candidates: $500


Presidential Candidate Total Contribs
Bush, George W (R) $5,000
Total to Democratic Presidential Candidates: $0
Total to Republican Presidential Candidates: $5,000

Senate Candidate Total Contribs
Santorum, Rick (R-PA) $5,000
Specter, Arlen (R-PA) $6,500
Voinovich, George V (R-OH) $2,000

Total to Democratic Senate Candidates: $0
Total to Republican Senate Candidates: $13,500

[bloom]

12. you might like to read this, also

http://www.observer.com/pages/conason.asp

July 28, 2004|10:42 AM <2004 THE NEW YORK OBSERVER, L.P.>


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