Thursday, January 19, 2012

Citizens United opposition at the local level

Two news items in the Portland Press Herald, our local newspaper in southern Maine.  The Portland City Council has joined the ranks of other local governments to condemn "corporate personhood" and encourage our congressional delegates to support a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision.  It's interesting to… January 19, 2012

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Ignoring corporate governance is not an option for managers

Baruch Lev is a world class thinker on accountancy and corporate operational matters.  I have long admired his work and am very much taken with his new book.  Writing from the view of corporate management, he recognizes the legitimacy of corporate governance efforts and believes in the essential role… January 18, 2012

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Democracy works when citizens are involved

Our system of government requires citizen involvement in order to work and unfortunately, this is where things have broken down. As citizens – and as owners or consumers, voters, constituents, etc. – we have ignored our responsibilities. We’ve left it to others to “represent” us and in doing that… January 10, 2012

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Revolving Door between Congress and K Street

A great chart came out late last year showing retired members of Congress and their new jobs on K Street (lobbying and government affairs).  The accompanying article, "Former members of Congress always welcome on K Street," reports that one lobbying firm, Advantage Associates International, "...markets itself as a collaboration… January 4, 2012

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Corporate Governance 2011 -- Year End Reflections

1. The Elephant in the Living Room. The single best indicator of the state of corporate governance - a system of accountable power – is the capacity of senior management to increase their own compensation that has been going on for two decades. The metaphor of the elephant in… January 3, 2012 | accountability , corporate governance , CEO Pay , boards of directors , Dodd-Frank , lobbying , fiduciary duty

Friday, December 23, 2011

Merry Christmas

Happy holidays to you all.  This lovely view of our pond in late fall is our Christmas card for this year. I want to send out seasons greetings to you all and a big thank you for reading, commenting and contacting me this past year.  It looks like we'll… December 23, 2011

Monday, December 19, 2011

Directors & Boards - Happy Anniversary

I am honored to be a part of the 35th anniversary edition of Directors & Boards  and especially pleased with this profile....Congratulations D&B and here's to 35 more years of great work!      Separating the Top Jobs is a must From “The Great Divide: To Separate the Chairman… December 19, 2011 | independent directors , independent chairman , Tyco , boards of directors

Thursday, December 15, 2011

True Cost of Military Equipment Spending

On the heels of my last post, Government Capture: Two Ways it Affects Us All, this terrific graphic arrived in our mailbox.  It details the cost of military supplies in contrast with how many families could live on that same amount of money.  If you believe, as I do,… December 15, 2011 | Iraq War , Capture , Corporate Power

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Government Capture – Two Ways it Affects Us All

In the past couple of decades our country has been deeply divided on a number of topics but two issues stand out in the arena of corporate power over government: Health Care Legislation & War with Iraq.   Did you wonder, during all of the finagling over the Health Care… December 7, 2011 | Capture , Corporate Power , corporate social responsibility

Friday, December 2, 2011

Judge Rakoff Rejects the SEC Deal with Citigroup

Truthdig named Judge Jed Rakoff "Truthdigger of the Week," and rightly so.  Judge Rakoff performed a public service in rejecting the SEC's deal with Citigroup this week.  These no-fault settlements are nothing but corporate power over government and regulation in its purest form.  We hear the same excuses all… December 2, 2011 | Capture , Corporate Power , SEC

Thursday, November 17, 2011

What is Government Capture?

As I have moved my attention to corporate power and government capture I was asked to explain what I mean by "capture."  Daniel Kaufmann has discussed been talking about it for some time and I encourage you to look at his blog.  Google searches will lead to all kinds… November 17, 2011 | CEO Pay , Capture , accountability , financial crisis

Thursday, November 17, 2011

National Debt and Government Capture

In this new video I address the U.S. national debt as a symptom of corporate power over government.  Everywhere I look these days there is evidence of government capture: lobbying, the revolving door in Washington, the dismantling of employee pension plans ...  As I said in my last post,… November 17, 2011 | Capture , accountability