May 1, 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.
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.
Political contributions in an aggregate amount exceeding $5,000 are significant enough to require disclosure to shareholders and investors so that they can assure that the contributions are consistent with the company's purposes and interests. Shareholders and investors cannot police political contributions unless they are required to be disclosed to them in a timely manner. There is no legitimate reason for company management to be permitted to conceal political contributions from shareholders and investors.
Thank you for considering my comment.
Sincerely,
John Silas "Si" Hopkins, III