The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the stimulus bill that Obama signed) included several provisions to strengthen executive compensation restrictions on recipients of financial assistance from the U.S. Treasury, such as:
* Restricting bonuses for executives that take excessive risks that threaten the company's value;
* Prohibiting any golden parachutes for up to the top 10 senior executives of a company;
* Prohibiting compensation practices that encourage earnings manipulation, or "cooking of the books";
* Restricting all bonuses for most senior executives, with the number of those covered varying on the basis of the amount of assistance received, certifying compliance with these requirements,
* Instituting a company-wide policy on luxury expenses; and
* Allowing for shareholders to vote on approval of executive compensation packages.
IMO, that is transparency and accountability.