Should U.S. government require companies to disclose slavery ties ?

Question

JP Morgan Chase & Co. is the first company to acknowledge that two of its predecessor banks had specific links to the slave trade.
Wachovia Corporation has also apologized for its ties to slavery
Aetna, Inc., CSX Transportation and Fleet Bank were "unjustly enriched" by "a system that enslaved, tortured, starved and exploited human beings."

Answer 1

Yes.

Answer 2

Companies are required to file a 10-R or "Red Herring" when issuing new stock by the SEC. The USA governments stand on stocks is that the "Share Holders" are aware of the business and they disclose the "Balance Sheet", "Net Worth Sheet", and other relevant accounting documents to the SHARE HOLDERS.

SHARE HOLDERS are entitled to vote for the "Board of Directors", dividend payments, and sometimes the disclosures like "Slavery Ties", and "Political Contributions". However, most corporations on the NYSE, or NASDAQ have the President, and Board Members with majority votes creating the general populations votes to be insignificant. Further, many of the general Share holders own the stocks in "Mutual Funds" waving their voting rights; Mutual Funds companies typically vote to maximize profit, and not be P.C.

The USA governement would have to overhaul the SEC should new requirments like that be demanded on existing stocks.

However, as I mentioned before, the most power you as an individual can possibly get as a Share holder is to hold stocks individually (bearing greater risk) and casting the yearly votes to influence the runnings of companies.

Journalists and the media can often shame companies to disclose and change their practices. Like for a long time woman boycotted buying "Revelon" products because "Revelon" fired all woman who were working for them and got pregnanat. "Revelon" still isn't too nice to the woman who work there, but at least they're folowing USA's minimum standards world wide.

Answer 3

No. It is ridiculous to have companies who were around pre-civil war disclose whether or not they profitted from slavery. Nobody who is alive today made any sort of decision about slavery - nobody today could have ended slavery one day earlier because nobody today can be held responsible. It is in the past and while we can learn from our past, we can not possibly be held accountable for something that happened before we were born.

I am quite interested in full disclosure from companies whose products are made overseas in sweatshops or using child labor. These are examples of modern slavery and should be dragged out into the open and exposed.

Answer 4

How can the US government tell someone to do something they should have and should be doing. People say it was white people here who own slaves but it was America who did and America you oppress the people just happen to be white. America should not no country.

Answer 5

lol no. what next? Acknowledging the killing and repression of Native Americans? Like every farm having a repenting sign on it?

Isn't it time africans found a source of self-esteem unrelated to suffering of their ancestors?

Answer 6

why don't we also ask congressman/ women to disclose the stances on race and the like. there are many congressmen and women who are prejudice. let's not stop there, lets have the Supreme Court justices answer the same questions. How 'bout that?

Answer 7

No. What is the point these days?