February 1, 2013
Dear Members of the Securities and Exchange Commission:
I have a few comments to add to the boilerplate below. I think there should be NO secret political spending. If it can't be tracked, then it may as well be a bribe. If that's too radical a notion, then publicly-financed campaigns with the mandatory airtime given particular debates, primaries, etc. since broadcasters enjoy the airwaves lent them by our nation. No secret campaign donations. None of any kind.
Thank you,
Nate Hills
cue the recommended text below, with which I also agree but think the above extends further.
It's long past time to end secret political spending by corporations.
So I strongly support the SEC issuing a rule in the near future that would require publicly traded corporations to publicly disclose all their spending on political activities.
Both shareholders and the public deserve to know how much a given corporation spends on politics (directly and through intermediaries), and which candidates are being promoted or attacked.
Thank you for considering my comment.
Sincerely,
nate hills