Quote from zdreg:
free markets went out the window when the interests of management diverged from that of the majority of shareholders. the balance of power shifted to the professional managers. management became greedy bloodsuckers and looters of the co's they worked for. they stopped caring about the long term interest of shareholders.
Actually, corporate management enriching themselves at the expense of shareholders is capitalism & free market. If you don't like it, pull your money out. Noone is stopping you.
The government even nowdays stays out of those matters unless there is blatant fraud (and even then it often stays out). That is about as free market as you can get when it comes to the ideological definition. Noone forces you to invest with leeching pension funds, noone forces you to deal with Wall Street.

