March 8, 2012
The Securities and Exchange Commission
Dear Securities and Exchange Commission,
Our Constitution says that everyone has the right to say what they think, and I agree that everyone should have the right to spend what they want to spend on political advocacy. I don't have any problem with extending that right to corporations and to labor unions as well, though the recent decision ruling that a corporation is a person and therefore has constitutional rights seems very strange to me.
However, I very strongly agree that anyone who chooses to speak or to advocate for a political position should not be able to hide their identity. That goes for political spending by corporations and by labor unions; and it goes for individuals who contribute money to advocacy groups. The Constitution says we all have the right to say what we think, but it doesn't say that we have the right to say what we think anonymously. And for corporations to be able to conceal their political contributions even from their own shareholders - WHO OWN THE CORPORATION - is nothing short of an outrage. The SEC should require corporations to disclose every dollar of what they spend on political advocacy.
Sincerely,
Peter Tritz