September 11, 2007
Dear Chairman Cox:
I am a concerned citizen and blogger, a economics graduate of Princeton University, and a corporate social responsibility (CSR) researcher, writer, and consultant. I've chosen this profession because I believe both in the power of business to create wealth and opportunity, and also in the need to harness that power more carefully. I believe that our democracy should allow individuals to put forward their social, environmental, and ethical values through their ownership of corporate shares, and in recent years the nonbinding shareholder proposal has been an excellent tool for this purpose.
From what I understand, the new proposals of the SEC will limit those shareholder rights - and will further concentrate corporate power into the hands of a few and hindering transparency. Therefore, I ask that you reconsider, and take into account the views of the many who share my opinion. Please act to preserve the rights of small shareholders to raise issues that are important to them, and in the process you will be acting to preserve the democratic principles that serve as a foundation for our economy.
Please let me know what action you intend to take on this issue.
Yours sincerely,
Melissa Tritter