There are several memorial services and events being planned for Howard Zinn whom The New York Times called a “historian, shipyard worker, civil rights activist and World War II bombardier, when he passed away at age 87 late last month."

His legion of friends, students, admirers and colleagues will be out in force reminding the country about his impact as a civic leader, motivational teacher, author of the ever more popular book A People’s History of the United States, and all around fine, compassionate, and level-headed human being.

Continue reading "Remember Zinn by Organizing"

The President’s State of the Union Speech is the Big Speech of the year. Yet there is never an opportunity either for the press or the citizenry to promptly follow up with any questions or requests for clarifications. As a result, doubt and misunderstandings fester. Continue reading "On the State of the Union"

Yesterday's 5-4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission shreds the fabric of our already weakened democracy by allowing corporations to more completely dominate our corrupted electoral process. It is outrageous that corporations already attempt to influence or bribe our political candidates through their political action committees (PACs), which solicit employees and shareholders for donations.

With this decision, corporations can now directly pour vast amounts of corporate money, through independent expenditures, into the electoral swamp already flooded with corporate campaign PAC contribution dollars. Without approval from their shareholders, corporations can reward or intimidate people running for office at the local, state, and national levels.

Continue reading "Time to Rein in Out-of-Control Corporate Influences on Our Democracy"

Today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission shreds the fabric of our already weakened democracy by allowing corporations to more completely dominate our corrupted electoral process. It is outrageous that corporations already attempt to influence or bribe our political candidates through their political action committees (PACs), which solicit employees and shareholders for donations. With this decision, corporations can now also draw on their corporate treasuries and pour vast amounts of corporate money, through independent expenditures, into the electoral swamp already flooded with corporate campaign PAC contribution dollars.

This corporatist, anti-voter decision is so extreme that it should galvanize a grassroots effort to enact a Constitutional Amendment to once and for all end corporate personhood and curtail the corrosive impact of big money on politics. It is indeed time for a Constitutional amendment to prevent corporate campaign contributions from commercializing our elections and drowning out the civic and political voices and values of citizens and voters. It is way overdue to overthrow “King Corporation” and restore the sovereignty of “We the People”!



For more information or to arrange interviews contact:
Ralph Nader
202-387-8034
January 21, 2010

Whenever Frank Anderson speaks the way he did at a recent public forum in Washington, D.C. about “essential state functions performed by businesses,” people better listen. Mr. Anderson is the president of the Middle East Policy Council, but previously he was the chief of the Near East and South Asia Division of the CIA. Continue reading "Privatization Profiteering"

The retiring of veteran Democratic Senators, Christopher Dodd, age 65, of Connecticut and Byron Dorgan, age 67, of North Dakota, have some short and long term consequences for the Democratic Party and its members.

Senator Dodd’s announcement that he was finished did not surprise me. He was going through difficult times with this health, the loss of his closest sibling, and his closest friend in the Senate – Ted Kennedy – and was not inclined to battle through an uphill fight for re-election. 2010 is, arguably, the most important legislative year of his career for financial and health insurance reforms.
Continue reading "Dodd and Dorgan Depart"

Those long-hoping, long-enduring members of the liberal intelligentsia are starting to break away from the least-worst mindset that muted their criticisms of Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential campaign.

They still believe that the President is far better than his Republican counterpart would have been. Some still believe that sometime, somewhere, Obama will show his liberal stripes. But they no longer believe they should stay loyally silent in the face of the escalating war in Afghanistan, the near collapse of key provisions in the health insurance legislation, the likely anemic financial regulation bill, or the obeisance to the bailed out Wall Street gamblers. Remember this Administration more easily embraces bonuses for fat cats than adequate investment in public jobs.
Continue reading "Breaking With Obama?"

This is the golden age of muckraking books and documentaries but some of them may have escaped your attention because reviews and promotions cannot keep up with the sheer volume of material.

Here are my recommendations for your Holiday and later reading time: Continue reading "Holiday Reading List 2009"

The ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus (535-475 BC) said that “character is destiny.” He might have added that “personality is decisive.” Where is Barack Obama in this framework?

Continue reading "Agent of Change"

Before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Domestic Policy, December 16, 2009
Continue reading "Testimony of Ralph Nader and Robert Weissman on "The U.S. Government as Dominant Shareholder: How Should the Taxpayers' Ownership Rights be Exercised?""

Sol Price, founder of the Price Clubs, was often seen as a moderately gruff man but with a heart of gold. He gave large sums of money to job training and other needs of inner city youth and child advocacy groups. He sought to alleviate poverty no matter who were the victims, including afflicted Palestinians.

His biting sense of business humor was legendary.

Mr. Price, a lawyer, had many causes, pressing for a tax on wealth and reforming the grand jury system which he deemed procedurely very unfair. He never could get a member of Congress to introduce a tax on wealth, no matter how many times he went up to Capitol Hill to urge such legislation.

He was an entrepreneur and a businessman for many seasons, an original thinker and doer. His career shames the misbehavior of the Wall Street and other executives whose reckless mismanagement and huge self-enrichment brought down our economy.

President Obama, the Afghan war escalator, received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, and proceeded to deliver his acceptance speech outlining the three criteria for a “just war” which he himself is violating.

The criteria are in his words: “If it is waged as a last resort or in self-defense; if the force used is proportional; and if, whenever possible, civilians are spared from violence.”

Continue reading ""Just War" Is Just Words"

The House bill too weakly regulates the huge derivatives market, the too-big-to-fail hazard, the executive compensation heist and fails to either provide greater power for shareholders or financial consumers. Reigning in the private credit rating agencies is so weak as to permit substantial continuations of these Wall Street rubber stamps of securities.

Moreover the legislation does not reinstate the proven Glass-Steagall separation of commercial and investment banking as strongly urged by Paul Volcker, economic advisor to President Obama.

The best part of the legislation is the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, but only if Elizabeth Warren becomes its first Administrator.

Misusing professional cadets at West Point as a political prop, President Barack Obama delivered his speech on the Afghanistan war forcefully but with fearful undertones. He chose to escalate this undeclared war with at least 30,000 more soldiers plus an even larger number of corporate contractors.

Continue reading "The Afghan Quagmire"