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Schwab and Walmart get it right on not covering “gender transitions” for minors

July 28, 2026

Consider the millions of working parents who show up every day at their jobs, work hard to support their families and pay into their company’s healthcare plans. They trust that their premiums will fund genuine medical care, not repeat one of medicine’s darkest mistakes. In our not-so-distant past, frontal lobotomies were performed to “treat” psychiatric conditions — despite limited evidence of effectiveness. The operations had devastating long-term effects and no proven medical benefit. It was not long before the world realized what a serious mistake was being committed and put a stop to this abusive “treatment.” Today’s unproven “gender-affirming” interventions on minors use surgery, hormones and puberty blockers to address a mental health condition with similarly irreversible consequences: permanent sterilization, the removal of healthy organs and lifelong physical and emotional damage. No responsible modern healthcare plan would cover frontal lobotomies, yet many quietly fund these experimental sex-denying procedures on children. Let us not repeat that shameful history on our gender-dysphoric youths. This is not healthcare. These are not medically necessary procedures. These are not minor adjustments or reversible treatments. They are costly, permanently damaging experiments on our children, who lack the maturity and legal capacity to count the cost of …

Beyond the Flag: What American Companies Really Owe Their Country

July 21, 2026

As America commemorates the 250th anniversary of its founding, we rightly celebrate the courage and convictions that declared a new nation into existence. That declaration was not merely a political act. It was a daring risk that launched a world-changing experiment in ordered liberty where individuals could build, trade, and innovate without the heavy hand of arbitrary authority. At the heart of that success has always been American enterprise, the engine of innovation and opportunity. This Independence Day invites a timely question. What does it truly mean to be an American company in a time when that identity carries real weight? Legal papers and headquarters addresses tell only the first chapter of the story. A firm can incorporate in Delaware, maintain offices in U.S. cities, and still ship jobs overseas, police the private speech of its employees, or push divisive social causes that alienate its own employees and customers. Such a business may operate inside America, but it does nothing to fundamentally strengthen the nation that gave it every opportunity for success. Location sets the starting line. Character determines whether a company deserves the title of truly American. This standard is not a modern notion. It traces its roots back …

Corporations must SPLC-proof their charitable giving processes

June 26, 2026

Washington recently turned the spotlight once again upon the Southern Poverty Law Center. In a recent House Judiciary Committee hearing, lawmakers examined allegations about the organization, questioned its leadership under oath, and scrutinized claims that it funneled money to extremists while simultaneously portraying itself as the foremost authority on extremism and hate. The hearing marked one of the highest-profile public examinations of the SPLC in its history and brought renewed national attention to allegations that continue to reverberate through corporate America. The Southern Poverty Law Center has long positioned itself as a fearless guardian against a flood of hate supposedly drowning the nation. It has nurtured this image so effectively that mainstream media, the political class (up to and including the Biden White House), celebrities, and corporate America have consumed and regurgitated its materials for decades, passing them off as true or at least authoritative. But, as it turns out, the organization itself was running the faucet that was the source of the “flood.” A federal grand jury in Alabama recently indicted the organization on multiple counts, exposing an alleged web of deceit that included wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Prosecutors allege that the center covertly used donations to …

MLB’s Pride Night pressure is a swing and a miss for America’s pastime

June 25, 2026

In America, baseball is our national pastime, a unifying force that transcends politics, bringing families, communities, and fans together through the simple joy of the game. Yet recently, Major League Baseball has strayed far from that tradition. During the San Francisco Giants’ Pride Night, three Christian pitchers — Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker, and Ryan Walker — responded to team-issued rainbow-themed caps by inscribing Bible verses referencing God’s covenant promise to His people following the flood (Genesis 9:12-16). MLB responded not with neutrality, but with formal warnings for altering uniforms. But baseball isn’t simply a game. It is also a business. And this latest incident underscores a deeper problem plaguing corporate America, including professional sports leagues like MLB: conscripting employees to publicly endorse specific ideological viewpoints, often at the expense of their sincerely held beliefs. Players are employees. Their primary job is to play baseball at the highest level, to entertain fans, compete fairly, and represent their teams on the field. They are not hired to serve as props in cultural debates or to signal allegiance to any social or political agenda. When a team all-but mandates the players wear specialized “Pride” gear in games, on national television, they cross a bright line. This is compelled speech. It forces individuals, in this case many of whom hold traditional Christian convictions about marriage, sexuality, and human identity, to publicly associate themselves with a controversial viewpoint in direct conflict with …

Getting Back to Business: The Buttonwood Agreement on the Eve of America’s 250th Birthday

May 19, 2026

This week marks the anniversary of one of the most consequential yet least celebrated moments in American economic history. On May 17, 1792, 24 merchants, brokers, and auctioneers gathered at 68 Wall Street in New York and signed a concise, two-sentence agreement under a buttonwood tree. In plain language, they pledged to trade public stocks only with one another (to eliminate disreputable brokers) and to charge a set commission of one-quarter of 1% (to ensure fairness and transparency). These two simple actions brought order and confidence by establishing a trusted network of brokers and clarity on commissions. No flashy rhetoric. No sweeping proclamations. Just a practical, straightforward commitment to restore trust and stability in the wake of the chaotic financial panic of 1792. That unassuming document became the foundation of what we now know as the New York Stock Exchange. It was not government fiat or royal decree that gave birth to America’s capital markets. It was private businessmen, acting in their own enlightened self-interest, agreeing to rules that would let commerce flourish. In the fragile early years of our Republic, a mere three years after the Constitution was ratified and amid Alexander Hamilton’s efforts to stabilize the national debt, …

ESG distracts from public companies’ real purpose

May 18, 2026

The era of environmental, social and governance virtue-signaling has run its misguided course. What was initially presented as a framework for managing risk and opportunity has now too often become a vehicle for advancing partisan ideological objectives throughout corporate America. Instead of prioritizing shareholder returns and customer service, many companies have been pressured to pursue political and social agendas that extend far beyond their core business obligations. These precarious diversions exceed what U.S. law requires and lack broad public consensus. Rather than promoting stability and sustainability, ESG activism has introduced unnecessary volatility and has alienated shareholders and distracted companies from their primary purpose: creating long-term value. The response from many states, often labeled a “red-state backlash,” is not political retaliation. It is a market-driven demand for accountability, transparency and fiduciary responsibility. At 1792 Exchange, our mission is to help businesses get back to business. We provide transparent ratings and public databases that help investors, state treasurers, executives, public policymakers and journalists assess corporate governance and reputational risk using objective, publicly available information. In recent years, our data has informed the management of more than $3 trillion in state funds and been incorporated by major investment advisers representing more than $200 billion in assets …