July 25, 2013
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 – and to do so this year.
“Dark money” groups that accept contributions from corporations, but are not required to publicly identify their corporate donors, spent millions of dollars during the 2012 elections. It is a scandal that money from publicly traded corporations – which belongs to investors – can be secretly spent to distort our democracy.
The Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission created the loophole that enables this secret spending, but the SEC has the authority to close it.
When Congress listens to the people instead of the MONIED, then congress is doing its job. We PAY you handsomely to be our watchdogs, our portectors and to vote your conscience, and you have betrayed our trust. You have been balancing money and votes against the people's wishes, wants and needs. It is time to stop this sandbox throwing act and get down to business! Act like informed, mature citizens and DO YOUR PART to STOP secret spending and 'dark money' riddling our democracy full of holes. We need honesty, good conscience and listening minds to close the loopholes and make us a genuine democracy.
Both shareholders and the public must be fully informed as to how much corporations spend 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.
lib putnam
Dayville, CT