April 28, 2012
Dear members of the Securities and Exchange Commission:
The correct functioning of a free market demands a measure of transparency in corporate behavior for both shareholders and the general public. The SEC has overseen a wide range of required disclosures aimed at informing shareholders. With the recent Citizens United decision, a large amount of corporate money is now pouring into political campaigns, and while the efficacy of this is not in your purview, it is clear that additional rulemaking needs to occur; this rulemaking is certainly in hands, and should be undertaken immediately.
I am writing to urge the SEC 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.
Thank you for considering my comment.
Sincerely,
Michael Chupa