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Practically On the Table

July 10, 2009
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A few days ago, a citizen asked the progressive legislator from California, Congressman Henry Waxman why he took his name off the list of about Eighty House sponsors of single-payer health insurance? Mr. Waxman replied: “it [H.R. 676] isn’t going to happen.” In early January and last year, Americans who believe in Presidential accountability for…

Ignoring Propethic Predictors

July 2, 2009
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I’ve wondered often why people who go to “town meetings” held by campaigning politicians rarely ask fundamental questions. Here is one that should have been asked of presidential candidate Barack Obama: “If you get to the White House, will you appoint to top positions Americans who have a track record of making the right decisions…

Financial Reform, Words and Deeds

June 26, 2009
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It’s good that Barack Obama is an agile basketball player because on financial regulatory reform he’s having to straddle an ever widening chasm between his words and his deeds. Obama said: “Millions of Americans who have worked hard and behaved responsibility have seen their life dreams eroded by the irresponsibility of others and by the…

Is TV Worth the Transition?

June 12, 2009
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At twelve noon on June 12, 2009, the end of analog television’s era was also when I let my set go dark. The last declaration I saw was that there were about three million of us disconnected but, no worry, we can still order the “converter box” to bring all those programs back to our…

Working With His Hands

June 10, 2009
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Although his classic self-designed and hand-built furniture found its way to the White House, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian, Sam Maloof, who passed away recently at 93, preferred to describe himself simply as a “Woodworker.” Completely self-taught, after he served in the Army during World War II, Mr. Maloof became one of…

Blundering Into Bankruptcy

May 29, 2009
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Dear President Obama and GM Chairman Henderson, The hour is late. You seem bent on an orchestrated bankruptcy for General Motors on June 1, 2009. Before any irreversible moves are made– the GM/task force reorganization plan should be submitted to Congress for deliberative review and decision. There are several major concerns with a precipitous bankruptcy…

Nader On GM Bankruptcy

May 29, 2009
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Dear President Obama and Mr. Henderson, We are writing to follow up on our letter of May 26. We wish to reiterate our overriding message: Before any irreversible moves are made — including, especially, entrance into voluntary bankruptcy — the GM/task force reorganization plan should be submitted to Congress for deliberative review and decision. We…

Avoiding Corporate Liability

May 27, 2009
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Once upon a time early in the 19th century, corporations came into existence by state legislatures approving charters, which were granted for a limited period of time and for limited purposes. These corporations — producing textiles and other products in New England — raised capital in part because their investors had limited liability. That meant…

Letter to President Obama and GM CEO

May 26, 2009
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May 26, 2009 President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Fax: 202-456-2461 Mr. Frederick Henderson General Motors Corporation 300 Renaissance Center Detroit, MI 48243 Fax: 815-282-6156 Dear President Obama and Mr. Henderson, There is no question that the reorganization of General Motors, after decades of managerial failure and amidst…

GM Deal Requires Congressional Review Before Bankruptcy Filing

May 22, 2009
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MEMORANDUM GM DEAL REQUIRES CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW BEFORE BANKRUPTCY FILING TO: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Minority Leader John Boehner, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Rep. John Conyers, Rep. Lamar S. Smith, Rep. William Delahunt FROM: Ralph Nader, Sidney Wolfe, Acting President, Public Citizen, Clarence Ditlow, Executive Director, Center for Auto Safety, Robert Weissman, Director,…