Holding Google's Feet to the Fire

It's too easy to see these proxy votes as a technical issue of little interest to anyone outside corporate governance circles. They're not. Big corporations wield an enormous amount of power over our society and over the world. And one of the few groups of people who can influence those corporations to act responsibly is the fund managers who control the stock.

On May 10, those managers have an opportunity to cast a clear vote. Thompson's pension fund holds only about $330 million worth of Google stock. Fidelity, the biggest outside shareholder, holds about $12.1 billion. American Funds has another $6 billion. If they vote for freedom, it would be a shot heard 'round the world.

Will they? Stay tuned to find out.