Apr. 20, 2022
To whom it may concern: I write this to express my disapproval of the proposed rule change and ask that it be withdrawn. As an American citizen, taxpayer, and retail investor, I recognize that this rule does nothing for me and everything for the bad actors who regularly abuse the market through naked shorts, dark pools, and PFOF (all of which are mechanisms that I would like to see removed.) Over the past year, I've already witnessed how much freedom is given to short-sellers and how little is given to the companies they target, much less the investors who believe in these companies. The counterfeit shares currently flooding the market are a real problem. This rule does not fix this problem, but instead multiplies it, all in the name of protecting the frauds and bullies of the financial world. Simply put, Wall Street's reckless actions do not deserve, warrant, or value the protection that this rule provides. I am not by any means a rich man, so I don't have any form of institutional or legal sway. I am an individual investor who sees this rule change for what it is: a bail-out for those that prey on the American people and rely on the ignorance of the public to get away with it. If any rules should be implemented or amended, I would like to suggest starting with banning all forms of short-selling as it is not American to profit on the failures of others. I will also ask that naked shorting be investigated without rest, and that dark pools and payment-for-order flow be done away with, for the safety and security of the American markets and its people. Sincerely, A Retail Investor