General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: UPDATE: If the TPP Passes Bernie Sanders Will Be the Next President of the US. And Here's Why: [View all]Sancho
(9,207 posts)Florida did lose money on Enron, invested a few weeks before it failed. The Governor and his buddies control the investments. We watch them, sue them, embarrass them, look for illegal investments, etc....
In some cases, we've gotten them to restrict foreign investments, commodities, and real estate speculation, but it's a battle.
Some states are better off, others in trouble:
http://www.governing.com/blogs/by-the-numbers/state-pension-systems-funded-ratios-financial-health.html
Regardless, many state employees are required by law to participate in the retirement system. Many large corporations have similar funds.
Taxes on large funds and transactions are a tax on public employee and many union members' retirements. I looked carefully at Bernie's website, and there is no "exception" for union retirement funds that I could find. It may start as half a percent, but what's to stop the Congress from making it 1% or 2%? Even at .5%, it could be worth a lot of $'s with many transactions on lots of dollars over 30 years of work and retirement contributions.
I don't know how European funds work, but I'll eventually find out.