July 22, 2007
Dear Chairman Cox: The first lines on your website under "What we do" are "The mission of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is to protect investors....As more and more first-time investors turn to the markets to help secure their futures, pay for homes, and send children to college, our investor protection mission is more compelling than ever." It is hard to understand why the SEC would consider a proposal to restrict or eliminate one of the most important tools that shareholders like myself can use to make our concerns known to corporate management. The suggested proposal to curtail investors' right to file advisory resolutions under Rule 14a-8 should be dropped immediately. Restricting or eliminating advisory shareholder resolutions would be a disastrous step backwards and not in keeping with your mission. Please let me know what action you intend to take on this issue. Yours sincerely, Connie RossConnie Ross