[who_would_fardels_bear]

"... results in lower profits and therefore lower returns for Sally Secretary's IRA, Margie Manager's 401K, Stanley Sophmore's college fund, and Tommy Truckdriver's pension, as well as for the regular Mom and Pop investors who have maybe $5k or $35k invested in some mutual fund that includes the company's stock."

Such unadulterated bullsh*t!

First off, most of the stock is owned by a relatively few people. Those would be the people that would be affected and well they should. If they are allowing the company they own stock in to engage in sleazy business practices then they deserve to take the hit.

And even in the rare case of companies where much of the stock is owned by a myriad of people, either directly or indirectly through mutual funds, then screw them too. After all, this is a free market and we are all supposed to be on our own. We should all be fully aware of everything that every company we invest in is doing. If I have money in a mutual fund that invests in hundreds or thousands of companies and I don't know everything about all those hundreds or thousands of companies then I am just being a lazy a*s punk bitch and deserve everything that happens to me.

After all the poor bastards that got hosed by ATT should have read every word of the agreement they clicked on and known that they wouldn't have gotten the free phone that ATT seemingly promised them.

Or do you think that shareholders should be cut some sort of slack in this supposedly free market we have?

[Lancey Howard]

First off, most of the stock is owned by a relatively few people.

Are you a moron, or do you just play one on Free Republic?

[muawiyah]

At least half the stock in the country is held by institutional funds representing employees of all sorts of companies, government agencies, public schools, firemen, etc.

That doesn't include IRAs.

So, what's the deal here, you don't think "the people" should be able to participate in the stock market directly or indirectly ~

When you threaten to imprison the officers and stockholders of the firms you want to punish you do get down to hauling away a truck driver with 5 young children from time to time.

Limited liability has value at all levels of the ownership chain.