May 20, 2009
As a retail shareholder, I was shocked to learn that my blank proxy votes are being turned over to management. Who has the time to read through all those proxy materials. Sometimes I leave blanks when I'm not sure how to vote. That doesn't mean I want to turn that vote over to the "soliciting committee." When I leave a field blank, I want it to stay blank. It is no wonder that CEOs and boards seem so entrenched. Please take up the petition to "prohibit conferring discretionary authority to issuers with respect to non-votes." Blank votes should be considered abstentions.
Thank you for your consideration.
Susanne Paradis