Policy Resource

One of the most admirable qualities that Americans share is our generosity in making individual contributions to charities and people in need.  If there is a need for a specific kind of non-profit work, either here in the United States or anywhere else in the world, chances are that there is an American charity working to fill that role.

People of all political ideologies often cite the New Deal and World War II to support claims that Franklin Roosevelt was one of the greatest presidents in United States history. They argue that FDR injected hope into American society during the darkest times of the Great Depression, which he temporarily did with his oratorical skills. “FDR ended the Great Depression”, they assert. “And his resolve and leadership won WWII,” they excitedly proclaim, “so he was a great president! Perhaps the greatest!”

      “… That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it…”

- The Declaration of Independence 

Hidden in the 2,300 plus pages of the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill is a provision that could give special interests increasing control of the management of our nation’s publicly traded corporations.  Under the false pretense of increasing shareholder input, via the proxy mechanism, Section 971 of the bill gives the Securities and Exchange Commission the power to require publicly traded companies to fund the campaign of outside nominees for the board of directors.  While that nominee would have to be proposed by a shareholder, the intent of “proxy access” is to allow unions