$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'C')orporations were originally chartered as representatives of the Queen (then the US government) to act on their behalf. Not for the shareholder;
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('wiki', 'I')n the United States, government chartering began to fall out of vogue in the mid-19th century. Corporate law at the time was focused on protection of the public interest, and not on the interests of corporate shareholders. Corporate charters were closely regulated by the states. Forming a corporation usually required an act of legislature. Investors generally had to be given an equal say in corporate governance, and corporations were required to comply with the purposes expressed in their charters. Many private firms in the 19th century avoided the corporate model for these reasons (Andrew Carnegie formed his steel operation as a limited partnership, and John D. Rockefeller set up Standard Oil as a trust). Eventually, state governments began to realize the greater corporate registration revenues available by providing more permissive corporate laws
The original Robber Barons are responsible for today's sorry condition. And the Ttates played along, gamed by the wealthy, against the people. Here we are.
