February 9, 2012
Securities and Exchange Comm.
Dear Securities and Exchange Comm.,
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 conceal expenditures of shareholder funds on politics. In my view, this is leading to a corporate takeover of our nation's representative democracy.
I am writing to urge the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue a rule requiring
* publicly traded corporations
* AND their subsidiaries
* AND other related-party organizations, including members of the same controlled group as defined by Internal Revenue Code §1563(a),
to publicly disclose all their political spending.
Both shareholders and the public must be fully informed about corporate political spending and which candidates it is being used to promote or attack. Disclosures should be posted promptly on the SEC’s web site.
Thank you for considering my comment and for working to preserve the rights and protect the best interests of all the living, breathing citizens of the United States of America.
Sincerely,
James Murphy