March 22, 2012
I am severely troubled by the influence of corporate money on our electoral process, especially in Wisconsin's historical recalls. The Koch Brothers OWN our politicians, who do their bidding regardless of the opposition by concerned Wisconsin citizens. This must STOP NOW! I hope it's not already too late...
No thanks to the idiotic US Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, publicly traded corporations can spend investor’s money on political activity in secret. One example is "Americans for Prosperity," which was founded by, and is largely funded by, the Koch Brothers. It and other Koch Bro's PACs are ruling -- one might even say ruining -- the airwaves with their totally dishonest campaign ads, but one has to do some research to know this. The general public is misled by the attribution in tiny print at the bottom of such ads. Such secretive use of corporate funds should be prohibited, to protect the uninformed shareholders, the unaware employees and the gullible electorate from this misuse of corporate money.
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. Then, unlike your past behavior, ENFORCE those rules with JAIL TIME rather than a slap-on-the-wrist fine, which makes a mockery of "justice."
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. It should also be included in the ads them selves, and NOT in tiny print!
If corporations are so invested in the outcome of elections, they shouldn't be afraid to hide that fact!
Thank you for considering my comment.
Kate Houston