March 29, 2014
SEC
I am deeply concerned about the influence of corporate money on our electoral process.
In particular, I am appalled that, because of the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, publicly traded corporations can spend investors' money in secret.
I am writing to urge the Securities and Exchange Commission 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.
Monsanto may be the worst corporation in the world! And yet, through millions and millions of dollars of "donations", they have received favorable legislation on practically every single thing they want. Why can't this little fact be put under the microscope? It's old-fashioned payola rearing it's ugly head once again. And, just because of that payola, world agriculture is facing ruin because all their genetic freaks are contaminating the world's food supply. And that's a fact!
It naturally follows that if the lawmakers think about the people instead of Monsanto et al they will not continue to allow corporations to unduly influence these lawmakers with gifts of millions upon millions upon millions of dollars
If there is so much doubt about the long term effects of their freaky genetic creations, it would seem that Congress would at least slow down all their support for practically every scheme that Monsanto has put before Congress, and investigate further before giving their unshakeable rubber stamp of approval to everything Monsanto. They almost pushed through a bill that said basically that Monsanto would not be liable for anything that happened with any of their products when foisted upon the people of the world.
I thought transparency was the buzz word for our President. Why shouldn't public corporations reveal everything they spend. The idea that they can give anything to politicians for any reason is appalling.
But the very idea that they don't have to reveal their contributions, What needs to happen is the reversal of the bill allowing corporations to give as much payola as they wish. But, short of that, please don;t even consider allowing them to hide everything they do.
Thank you for considering my comment.
Sincerely,
Chris Weeks