The Securities and Exchange Commission’s first stated principle on its website is to “protect investors,” but it has yet to take action on an important issue despite investors voicing clear support for a straight-forward policy.
The Senate’s recent letter to the SEC (“Senate Dems shine light on corporate political spending,” Aug. 31) followed a historic round of public comments. The corporate disclosure petition has received a record 1.2 million comments. This isn’t too surprising following the recent New York Times/CBS News poll that said 75 percent of Americans agree that outside groups that spend money in campaigns should be required to disclose their contributors.
{mosads}Unfortunately, this has somehow not been enough for the SEC to stand up for investors on this issue. The petition was previously placed on its agenda in 2013, then removed without discussion by Chairwoman Mary Jo White. But without mandatory disclosure, Americans are unable to make fully informed decisions about where to invest their money.
They’ve heard from the public and now 44 senators. What will it take for the SEC to act on its own mission?
From Elise Orlick, democracy associate, U.S. PIRG, Washington, D.C.
Trump attacked for pragmatism
Donald Trump has been grossly maligned by our unrepentantly biased media, which distorts what he says and tries to portray this anti-establishment candidate as a monster. Being blunt and scoffing at our nation’s phony and suicidal political correctness is not the same as being a dragon.
1) Trump favors a single-payer, Canadian-style healthcare system, because such systems are inherently more efficient. Nations that have them spend considerably less on healthcare as a percentage of their gross domestic product than we do.
2) Trump has vowed to protect Social Security, because he does not want our senior citizens to starve in the streets. Trump knows the only way to protect Social Security is to make the USA prosperous again, and that means having a pro-business attitude that encourages wealth creation instead of condemning it.
3) Trump knows that what we incorrectly call “illegal immigration” is actually illegal invasion. You cannot protect Social Security, our environment and our national security with the anarchy of open borders. The Democratic Party wants to hand the keys to the USA over to Mexico and Central America without a fight, because they think all illegals will eternally vote for Democrats.
Despite Trump’s undiplomatic language, Trump sees the big issues with greater clarity than any of the other Republican or Democratic candidates. Where he obviously fails is on just one of his foreign policy ideas. If Trump ever became president, would he really try to steal Iraq’s oil? Such a move would cost too much in military expenditures and American lives to be worth it. When shown the cost estimates I feel Trump would probably back away from that ridiculous idea, but we don’t know for sure. I feel confident Trump will continue to vocalize his anti-abortion sentiments only because that is what you have to do in order to win the Republican nomination. As president, I strongly believe he would not lift a finger to change our abortion laws.
There are no perfect candidates for president. We have to make a choice between the lesser of the evils. If Trump comes out against biofuel subsidies and mandates, I will definitely vote for him. If, like Hillary Clinton, Trump sells out the security and affordability of the human food supply to the Earth-starving biofuel lobby, I will vote for the libertarian candidate for president, whomever that might be.
From Christopher Calder, Eugene, Ore.