June 25, 2012
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 investor's money on political activity 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.
My additional comments:
That the Supreme Court ruled this way is deeply troubling and suggests that even those appointed to this nation's highest court have been bought by big corporations, and are defending their interests to the detriment of our Constitutional rights.
It might also be prudent (though perhaps not the responsibility of the SEC, unfortunately) to examine the personal wealth of congressmen and -women, as well as the Supreme Court Justices, to compare and contrast their earnings prior to being elected or appointed, and their earnings now. Those are public record, are they not? How and where have they made their money during their tenure as public servants? Do people go into politics and public service to get rich? Because it seems like a common side-effect.
Thank you for considering my comment.
Melissa Serpa
American Canyon, CA