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Going for Tax Reform Big Time

March 11, 2022
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By Ralph Nader March 11, 2022 What if $10 billion were raised over ten years to transform Congress and make it do what it should be doing for the people (See, Think Big to Overcome Losing Big to Corporatism, 1/7/22)?  In a more recent column, Facilitating Civic and Political Energies for the Common Good, 2/2/22,…

Biden Neglects to Make the Crucial Request to the Citizenry for His Program

March 7, 2022
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By Ralph Nader March 7, 2022 The President’s State of the Union speech before a joint session of Congress is the media event of the year for the occupant of the Oval Office. Joe Biden spoke for an hour, covered lots of predictable policy ground, and also praised, promised, and reassured “the people.” But, as…

Everyone Loses in the Conflict Over Ukraine

February 25, 2022
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By Ralph Nader February 25, 2022 When two scorpions are in a bottle, they both lose. This is the preventable danger that is growing daily, with no end game in sight between the two nuclear superpowers, led by dictator Vladimir Putin and de facto sole decider, Joe Biden. Putin’s first argument is, Washington invented the…

California Advocates Counterattack Corporate Crime and Control

February 18, 2022
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By Ralph Nader February 18, 2022 Want to unite conservatives and liberals in the Red and Blue states? Just mention those unreadable computer-generated bills we all get online or in the mail. Overflowing with abbreviations and codes, they are inscrutable, especially health care bills. If you call the vendors for an explanation, be prepared to…

Ralph Nader and Bruce Fein Statement on the January 6th Committee Enforcing Subpoenas

February 15, 2022
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Last month, Congressman Bennie Thompson, Chairman of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the Capitol, voiced doubts about the committee’s authority to enforce its subpoenas. He said: “If we subpoena them and they choose not to come, I’m not aware of a real vehicle that we can force compliance.” The…

Ezra Klein and His Vast Inner Space

February 11, 2022
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By Ralph Nader February 12, 2022 I read the New York Times in print, flipping pages and reading through all the various sections. Over the past year, a nearly life-size face appears in many full-page ads. This same ad appears in any section of the Times including the coveted pages of the Sunday New York…

Statement on J. Robert (“Bob”) Hunter’s Retirement

February 4, 2022
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Feb. 3, 2022 “Bob Hunter has been the greatest advocate for consumer justice against the insurance industry in American history. As a trained actuary, and having been Federal Insurance Commissioner and later Texas Insurance Commissioner, Bob knew where the machinations, frauds and gouging were in this secretive industry. With geniality, he won battle after battle…

Facilitating Civic and Political Energies for the Common Good*

February 2, 2022
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By Ralph Nader February 2, 2022 Some readers responded to one of my earlier columns urging the national progressive civic groups, with millions of members back home, to overcome the dominance of giant corporatism with a Ten-Year Plan budgeted at $1 billion a year (See, Think Big to Overcome Losing Big to Corporatism, January 7,…

Morton Mintz Turns 100 – Investigative Nemesis of Corporate Criminals

January 25, 2022
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By Ralph Nader January 25, 2022 “Hi Mort,” began my calls to Morton Mintz who would invariably answer his phone promptly at the Washington Post. “I’ve got a story,” to which Mintz would respond warily: “Tell me about it.” And so it went for nearly twenty years with me and lots of other citizen advocates,…

Lost Opportunities in Joe Biden News Conference

January 21, 2022
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By Ralph Nader January 21, 2022 President Joe Biden broke the record for the longest presidential press conference ever – going nearly two hours fielding question after question. He stood that long to prove his stamina and dispel bigoted charges of ageism. How did he do by his own standards? First, his opening remarks naturally…