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.
I am very concerned 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. It is wrong for corporations to wield political influence which may be contrary to the opinions of their own shareholders. It is wrong for international shareholder influence to extend into our elections. And it is wrong to allow such influence to be wielded behind the scenes, hidden from voters.
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 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.
Sincerely,
Christopher Johnson