[Hostage]

You are quite accurate with your comment regarding the inbrededness of corporate boards.

We do however have a new phenomenon on the rise made possible by the internet. There are investment forums where investors come together to discuss the companies they invest in. One of the by products is the emergence of forum leaders who have demonstrated their due diligence talents. When such investors poll their share holdings, many find they have enough votes to elect one of their own to a board of a company in which they are invested.

The foregoing is actually happening, is in the whisper stage at the moment and is sending shockwaves through certain corporate halls.

Some hedge fund directors are so frightened that the internet could possibly unite investors that they send boilerroom operatives to disrupt and discredit investment forum leaders.

[Orangedog]

When such investors poll their share holdings, many find they have enough votes to elect one of their own to a board of a company in which they are invested.

Many big corporations eliminated this option from their own employees who participate in their 401K. My employer used to allow contributors to by stock in the company through their 401K and even matched all contributions in company stock. Two years ago they changed the rules and forced everyone who owned the company's stock in the 401K to convert their holdings into a "shares fund" which took away all of their voting rights. They even changed the rules in the self-directed brokerage accounts to prevent them from owning two specific items: gold and silver bullion, and stock in the company.