America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

As night fell, John had just stepped into the bedroom when he bumped into Arya as she came out of the bathroom.

"Finished chatting? We've been talking since this afternoon. I don't know what's so captivating about the study that you two are having such a lively conversation."

Arya was grumbling about the dinner she had made that no one was eating, while John laughed heartily, "It seems that Swanepoel has given birth to something extraordinary."

Ernst's takeover of MGM will indeed greatly benefit the Arlington family.

Even they knew that things weren't that simple. The first problem was the outstanding balance of $13.8 billion, which was like Mount Everest blocking Ernst's way.

Raising $100 million is easy, but what about the next $13.8 billion? That's not $138,000.

MGM's equity can be pledged, but it's absolutely impossible to borrow $13.8 billion.

Therefore, MGM's valuation is key, which requires it to have strong revenue-generating capabilities.

The most direct impact on revenue generation is undoubtedly the films produced by MGM.

To the average person, Ernst appears to be living a life of unparalleled success, but those who truly understand him know that he is actually facing internal and external troubles and is constantly on edge.

With massive external debt, and within MGM, Ernst couldn't completely control the board of directors; he needed to prove himself by generating a steady stream of profits for the shareholders.

The difficulty involved was so great that even the Arlington family members themselves were not optimistic about it.

Paul's original intention was to take advantage of Ernst's continued influence over MGM to expand the Arlington family's influence in the Tulley County election next year, but they underestimated Ernst's grand ambitions.

"Why can't someone from the Arlington family sit in that white house in Washington?"

When Ernst casually uttered those words, everyone in the study fell into complete silence.

The Arlington family is full of talented people, including Jason, who works in finance, Paul, a politician, an agricultural tycoon, and Rodrigo, a legal elite.

They look glamorous, but most of them just drift around in Tuleli County, a novice village.

A white house? That's simply a fantasy.

But when Ernst heard about his plans for his future business empire—the internet company he founded in Mountain View, which he was confident would recreate the glory of MGM, and that he would also enter the manufacturing industry and many other industries—the White House was indeed not unimaginable.

A powerful company brings a powerful network of contacts, and a powerful network of contacts can provide strong support.

Hollywood and Silicon Valley are both the most important economic pillars of California. If one can make achievements in these two fields, one can plan to become the governor of California and eventually run for the President of the United States.

But this is on the premise that Ernst can actually become an American tycoon.

These are all too idealistic and dreamlike. Only the lower classes believe in the American Dream. For capitalists like them, the American Dream is utter nonsense, and it's not as realistic as winning the lottery.

However, Ernst's words also make sense. Anyway, we have to take things one step at a time. Setting high goals and preparing in advance won't hurt anything.

"Hasn't this little guy always been your pride and joy?"

Perhaps this is the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren. Just as Arya said, from the time Ernst was born until now, although John doesn't say it, she knows that he has always been proud of this grandson.

John sat on the sofa and started repeating Ernst's conversation from the afternoon over and over again.

Arya was the best listener at that moment. One was quiet and the other was active, one was intellectual and the other was martial. Svetlana often said that the two of them were the most perfect match in the world.

As the conversation progressed, the topic turned to Paul's upcoming run for county executive. "So Paul is running for county executive of Tullary County? But I heard they're going to abolish county governments?"

In the United States, many places do not have county governments.

Generally, it's the state government or the municipal government, without an intermediate county government. Instead, several cities form a region and choose a supervisor, which is essentially a committee.

This is not something stipulated by national or state administration, but rather something decided by public vote.

The abolition of state governments is legally permissible as long as the people are willing.

Why don't people want county governments? Because it saves money.

In the United States, there are various taxes, such as sales tax, property tax, and so on.

The consumption tax is paid to the state, while the property tax is paid to the county.

With the county government gone, this money isn't being collected by the prefecture; it's no longer required to be paid at all.

In many places, even municipal governments have been abolished, which can save a considerable amount of money every year.

Of course, while it saves money, it also brings inconvenience to daily life.

In the United States, electricity is supplied by dedicated power companies, but things like running water and garbage disposal are public services that the government is responsible for addressing.

Now that there's no municipal government, you have to go to the neighboring city to register for tap water and get a trash can from the neighboring city.

Road traffic, fire protection, and public security are the responsibility of the county government.

"Hmph, that's because Randall is incompetent."

John snorted coldly, his face full of disdain.

Randall is now the head of Tullery County, but his term can be described as having no achievements whatsoever, with major problems emerging in both transportation and fire services.

This guy is the epitome of workplace slacking off. His firefighting and disaster relief efforts were as slow as a sloth moving house. The wildfires had already spread to the horizon before the fire department finally arrived.

He usually enjoys throwing parties and giving speeches, and making outrageous remarks in front of the media. The Tuleli people jokingly call him Sam the Eagle.

Sam the Eagle was the mascot of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and Randall was a human-shaped mascot whose daily job was to prove that he was still alive.

Moreover, this Sam Eagle is extremely shameless and has no goodwill towards the public.

Someone once posted a banner that read "The worst official in American history" at the entrance of the county government office building.

When asked by reporters, Randall actually said that voters in Tulley County liked his behavior, and that this kind of boundless joking was a sign that voters considered him one of their own.

It was precisely because of Randall's poor performance that many people organized to abolish the county government.

"He has utterly disgraced the donkey."

California is a haven for donkeys, and Randall is one of them, with a considerable network of connections.

"However, this is actually an opportunity for Paul to turn the tide. If he can step up and save the day at this critical juncture, he might gain the appreciation of a big shot."

In fact, if it weren't for the move to abolish the county government, Paul's chances would have been very slim.

The Arlington family wields considerable influence in Visalia, but has very little influence within the Donkey family.

Paul has no chance of winning against Randall in terms of political connections.

But the current situation presents Paul with a possibility: it is clear that Randall is not suitable to run for the position, and if someone can step forward to preserve this administrative unit, it would be a great achievement.

The existence of each county government represents more tax revenue, which in turn means more opaque operations and more sources of income.

"I think these things should be left to the younger generation to handle. You should try to offer fewer opinions, after all, they've grown up."

Arya's veiled remarks mainly concerned John's stance.

He is a staunch follower of donkeys, partly because his whole family are in the donkey camp.

In the United States, however, political figures frequently change parties; frankly, it's all about interests.

Arya didn't want to put the children in a difficult position later because of this.