Playing Politics with Public Employees’ Pensions
Normally, the people making decisions for a company are acting within its best interests, and the interests of the customer. But when gigantic funds own a majority of shares, they call the shots - and now they’re hijacking corporate America in the push for ESG.
How it Works
Playing Politics with Public Employees’ Pensions (2025)
State pension funds are powerful investment vehicles with some $6 trillion in stock and bond holdings of nearly 30 million Americans. These are the retirement pensions of our teachers, police officers, fire fighters, public utility staff and ambulance drivers, among many others.
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Proxy Voting:How They Play With Your Pension
You work and pay into your pension
The funds go to investment managers who have the responsibility of growing your pension
They invest your pension in companies like Disney and McDonald's, becoming a shareholder
As shareholders, the investment managers get a vote in important company decisions
Instead of voting for resolutions that would benefit the company, and the customer, many managers support resolutions calling for “climate justice” and “racial equity audits”
These ESG policies hurt company performance, which means lower returns for your pension
ESG isn't an investment strategy; It's a political agenda.
The average grade of the top 40 firms by has improved from a C- to a B- to a B.
In 2024, investors withdrew $19.6 billion from U.S.-based ESG funds
Who's counting anyway?
(It's us. We're counting.)
The Corporate Proxy Flight From ESG
11.17.2025
When these columns first began reporting on the misuse of shareholder proxy votes for political causes, the trend looked like a juggernaut. But only a few years… Read More
