April 6, 2005

Securities and Exchange Commission

Dear Securities and Exchange Commission,

I am writing to urge the Securities and Exchange Commission to act on its proposed rule making on executive compensation disclosure. Too often executives are richly rewarded even when their companies' performance is below par. Without better disclosure, shareholders, employees and the general public cannot evaluate whether executive pay packages are unjustly enriching executives at shareholder cost or providing fair compensation.

The newly proposed rules will make this crucial information more accessible to shareholders and the public. The new requirements to disclose total compensation figures, pensions and detailed compensation breakdowns will make it clear exactly how much top executives are earning and why.

I believe that CEO pay should be set by independent directors. Under the proposed rule, a director could secretly do $120,000 in business with a company, an amount that is more than four times the average worker's annual pay of $27,460. Shareholders should be told if directors have potential conflicts of interest, no matter what the amount.

I also urge the SEC to require that companies disclose pay-for-performance data. In order for investors to understand how pay and performance match up, companies need to explain more clearly what level of performance is necessary for a particular level of pay. I urge the SEC to require companies to disclose both the performance criteria and the performance targets they use when setting executive pay.

I LOST MY PENSION TIED TO QWEST STOCK THANKS TO FORMER CEO, MR NACHIO. ANY DREAM TO RETIRE EARLY AT AGE 57 DIED. MY SON LOST A FOUR YEAR COLLEGE EDUCATION. MY WIFE AND I EACH WORK ONE FULL TIME AND ONE PART TIME JOB FOR SEVERAL YEARS BUT WITH AGE AND DECLINIG HEALTH, IT LOOKS LIKE I WILL BE LOOKING AT A POVERTY RIDDEN RETIREMENT. WHEN MY WORK GROUP PERFORMS ABOVE EXPECTATIONS, ONLY UPPER MANAGEMENT RECEIVES THE BONUSES AND PERKS. THE EXECTUTIVES' PAY IS NOT LINKED TO QWEST'S PERFORMANCE OR THEY WOULD SUFFER LIKE THE REST OF US.

Sincerely,

JOSEPH BERZAK
4741 SIXTH ST NE
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, Minnesota 55421