July 18, 2012
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. Specifically, I am writing to back petition #4-637, asking that the SEC establish disclosure guidelines for corporate political spending. As a stockholder in several companies (thanks to my 401(k)), I want to know what my companies do with their profits - including what funds they choose to back candidates for public office, rather than returning to me as dividends or re-investing in the company itself.
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.
Robert M. Scott