Subject: Re: Peri-OT: Mars Inc
Thanks Sutton for taking the effort to respond to my questions.

That's why I claim JNJ has "lost their way".

Again: no company's perfect, and this whole argument can degenerate into whataboutism in a nanosecond.

But overall, I prefer associating with people who wake up with a sense of duty, and follow it - say, Clinton Coolidge over Andrew Johnson; Col Vinman over Col Kurtz; Starfleet over Ferengi; Jimmy Stewart over John Wayne; Elizabeth II over George IV; Costco over WalMart.

We all have our heros - and mourn when they seem to go astray. I've also had mine with both XOM and BRK, my other two major holding. As you say: "Nobody's perfect." We can only choose to live with them or move on.

I originally chose XOM because of my long association with them. I switched a lot of that to BRK - and don't regret doing so. But kept a chunk because I thought BRK was under-represented in O&G. I added JNJ because I also thought my portfolio mix was under-represented in the health care sector.

I thought each of them were the "best of breed" at the time. All were AAA rated and had decades of performance and shareholder orientation through thick and thin. And were strong enough to withstand damn near anything the market could impose.

Not always the best choices, but they've all stood up to my original thesis. Pick the proven strong guys and stick with them. I'm content with the outcomes. It all eventually works out.

I really appreciate your spelling out your thoughts.