November 6, 2013
SEC Comment file 4-637
Dear Comment file 4-637,
I am deeply concerned about the influence of corporate money on our electoral process.
In particular, I am appalled that, because of the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, publicly traded corporations can spend investor's money on political activity in secret.
I would think it far more appropriate if attempts by corporations to influence our government, were instead a violation of law, resulting in investigation and corrective action to prevent further attempts at undermining democracy and the interests of the actual people, as opposed to organizations whose goal is to simply hoard as much power and wealth for the organization itself. Would not you?
I am writing to urge the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue a rule requiring publicly traded corporations to publicly disclose all their political spending.
Both shareholders and the public must be fully informed as to how much the corporation spends on politics and which candidates are being promoted or attacked. Disclosures should be posted promptly on the SEC's web site.
Thank you for considering my comment.
Sincerely,
Peter von Kleinsmid