Re: [sudo-discuss] Mayday PAC

We are as power[ful/less] as we want to be. Related: Why is Washington still protecting the secret political power of corporations? Regulators at the SEC could illuminate the future of campaign donations. But they aren't interested in disclosing the truth – even though voters are By Alexis Goldstein <http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/30/washington-political-power-corporations-campaign-donations> In post-Citizens United America, there is growing concern that the ability for corporations to anonymously funnel money into politics – with no need to disclose these donations to voters, election officials or their own shareholders – will corrupt the political process. Democrats have previously tried and failed to pass the Disclose Act, which would require greater disclosure of donors – but with a divided Congress, many in Washington see bringing meaningful transparency to campaign finance an utterly impossible task. Still, there is another way to achieve the disclosure of corporate political donations that doesn't require Congress at all: the administration could simply propose new regulations under its existing authority. Unfortunately, despite having a Democratic chair – Mary Jo White – the Securities and Exchange Commission, which could mandate such disclosures, is either too intimidated (or too captured) to act. Despite congressional shenanigans, blame for regulatory inaction on the issue sits squarely on the shoulders of the Democrat-led SEC. After adding a political disclosure rule to its 2013 agenda, the agency quietly dropped the rule for this year. SEC spokesman John Nester implied it was a capacity issue,noting that the agenda is its "best estimate as to what would be ready for Commission consideration by fall of 2014". But we're already halfway through the year and the agency has made time for other "discretionary" activities: a pilot program to allow some stocks to trade in 5-cent increments rather than pennies, and a roundtable considering new regulations for the companies that advise institutional investors (a priority of the pro-business Chamber of Commerce). [snip] On Jun 30, 2014, at 6:06 AM, Torrie Fischer &lt;tdfischer(a)hackerbots.net&gt; wrote: