Investing: you CAN choose individual stocks (and make money)

As some of you know, I am opposed to mutual funds; investing in them only because no other options are available in 401k accounts.  There is much data regarding the outrageous fees, and how mutual funds are basically a legal scandal, but I haven't been able to articulate my opinion quite like this article does.  I think you will find this VERY informative because it brings together the role of employers, the outrageous money in the industry, as well as the Supreme Court involvement:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/business/09stra.html?_r=1

John Bogle founded the Vanguard Group, but still lobbies for more regulation in our favor.  Check his blog for more information:  http://johncbogle.com/wordpress/2010/05/

Bogle told Robert Kuttner (an economic journalist) in “The Squandering of America” that from 1985-2004, the average mutual fund yielded an investor 3% less interest than the stock market indices.  He reported that during that time period, an investment of $10,000 would have returned about $110k in random stocks, and only about $63,000 in mutual funds.  Mutual fund companies put out zero capital, assume zero risk, yet take 43% of the return.  Bogle further states that "an ordinary investor would have been better off using a dartboard to select a random basket of stocks..." 

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