January 14, 2013
Securities and Exchange Comm.
Dear Securities and Exchange Comm.,
I’m writing to urge the commission’s prompt approval of rules requiring public disclosure of political spending by publicly-held companies. Disclosure is vital to the SEC’s responsibility to ensure that investors have the information they need to make sound decisions about when and where to put their money. Shareholders also have a right to know how companies in their investment portfolios are investing that money, particularly when the spending falls outside the company’s normal business activity.
I believe corporate money has no place in our elections--but, until we can overturn Citizens United, we must at least have the right to know how much money corporations and wealthy individuals are spending, and what they are spending it on--and we have the right to know who funded every advertisement we see, political or otherwise. Only then can we begin to assess the credibility of the message.
Thank you for considering my comment.
Sincerely,
Lisa Petrie