April 30, 2012
Dear members of the Securities and Exchange Commission:
I am writing to urge the SEC to issue a rule requiring publicly traded corporations to publicly disclose all their political spending. This is such an obvious conflict of interest between big money donations and our democratic system. It's truly a perfect formula for corrupting politics and giving large corporations and very VERY rich individuals endless opportunities to "buy" elections.
I also find it disconcerting that both Justice Thomas and Justice Scalia attended (and were PAID) to be a several Koch brother sponsored events--events that promoted this incredibly dangerous decision. To many citizens, it appears that two very rich individuals have effectively “bought off” two members of the Supreme Court—and opened the door for unlimited, and secret, spending in political campaigns.
For our democracy to work properly, all citizens should have access to all the pertinent information that effects any election. That would mean that 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.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Gabriel-Boyden