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 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.
Shareholders, the owners of an entity, and other stakeholders have a right to know how management is spending their money. We need transparency in the use of corporate funds used by mangement to influence the political discourse, otherwise we have no idea if management is working in the best interest of the shareholders.
Thank you for considering my comment.
Sincerely,
Andrew Dral