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Are the people ready for democracy? This question was leveled by monarchs, despots and authoritarian rulers post-World War II when stirrings for freedom in less developed countries blossomed. We often heard apologists for the western colonial powers—the British, French, Portuguese, etc.—say that the Indians, the Arabs and the Africans were not “ready for democracy.” By…

By Ralph Nader September 19, 2016 To have a democratic society that brings out the best in its citizens, people have to show up—to vote, to attend city council meetings, rallies, marches, and other serious gatherings that reflect the public interest. They also need to support progressive candidates and run for office. Showing up is…

Fifty years ago this month (on September 9, 1966), President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety laws that launched a great life-saving program for the American People. I was there that day at the White House at the invitation of President Johnson who gave me one of the signing…

Dear President Obama, There is much commentary these days about your legacy and your continued strivings to further extend your administration’s reach in the remaining months of your second term of office. Your recent expansion of public land reserves and the large expansion of our country’s ocean sanctuaries in the regions surrounding Hawaii and Guam…

August 25, 2016 By Ralph Nader Here are my recommended books to read for the late summer holidays. The Green Cowboy: An Energetic Life, by S. David Freeman, Authorhouse. A powerhouse in energy policy and clean energy reform for over thirty years, Freeman ran the Tennessee Valley Authority and other large public utilities over the…

There is a growing asymmetry between the media’s mounting demands for Donald Trump to release his tax returns (Hillary has done so) and their diminishing demands that Hillary Clinton release the secret transcripts of her $5000 per minute speeches before closed-door banking conferences and other business conventions. The Washington Post, an endorser of Clinton, in…

Taken as whole, with exceptions, the American people have the strangest attitude toward the Congress. Our national legislature spends nearly a quarter of our income and affects us one way or another every day of the year. Yet too many people withdraw in disgust instead of making Congress accountable to them. Warren Buffett once said,…

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has recently advanced a clean energy plan which mandates that New York transition half of its energy needs to renewables by 2030. By regressive contrast, New York’s Public Service Commission (PSC) has approved enormous subsidies for three aging nuclear power plants―Ginna, Nine Mile Point and FitzPatrick―located in Upstate New York. …

The 2016 Democratic Convention in Philadelphia was a multi-layered, raucous display of political theater. A host of delegates loyal to Senator Bernie Sanders were inside in large numbers exclaiming “No more war” during former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s speech and raising all kinds of progressive, rebellious signs and banners against the Hillary crowd. Although Hillary…

President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20500 July 22, 2016 Dear President Obama: As Senators, you and Joe Biden were leaders in highlighting the threat of America’s hazardous chemical plants – and in calling for solutions that included moving these facilities to inherently safer technologies. In 2006, you bluntly…