January 18, 2012
I am deeply concerned about the influence of corporate money on our electoral process. Our whole electoral process is money-driven, a real danger to fair elections when the candidates with the most money have a distinct advantage.
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. The corporations are using stockholders' money without the permission of the stockholders. They also have an obligation to inform the public of their political contributions.
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.
Thank you for considering my comment.
Deane Lavender
Cranberry Twp., PA