Date: 12/16/1999 4:36 PM Subject: Comments on open disclosure SEC, I hope you do pass new rules to prevent companies from selective disclosure. I think it's a disgrace the way it is now, where a small number of people are given special treatment over the masses in a market that is supposed to be fair to everyone. In addition, anything you can do to open up IPO's to the general public would also be a step in the direction of fairness. As it is now, even through online brokerage firms, the individual investor doesn't have a chance to invest in IPO's. I've tried 6 times now through Etrade and have been shut out each time, even though I checked their website continuously for days in order to catch their reconfirmation notices. Any new rules which promote fairness to the individual investor will be a step in the right direction, and the faster the better. Sincerely, Donald J. Lacopo Data Warehouse Analsyt for Peabody Coal Company in St. Louis, MO