February 2, 2013
Dear Members of the Securities and Exchange Commission:
I am a Stock Holder and investor, but also a citizen; I know when our governance is in danger of being bought, and when the fundamental right that legitimizes our system to be of, for, and by the people is in jeopardy. Undisclosed funds from corporate entities, threatens our democracy.
The influence of this anonymous spending is also stalemating our politics and our ability to have a government that can capably respond to significant issues that we must face. The private interest bucks are hamstringing us from change that is timely and effective, as well as too often poisons the well of considered discourse.
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,
Rob Hirschboeck