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Unstoppable: Twenty-Five Proposed Redirections and Reforms Through Convergent Action

April 27, 2014
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Require that the Department of Defense (DOD) budget be audited annually, and disclose all government budgets. Secrecy destroys accountability. Establish rigorous procedures to evaluate the claims of businesses looking for a government handout which would end most corporate welfare and bailouts. Promote efficiency in government contracting and government spending. Adjust the minimum wage to inflation. Introduce specific…

What about Starting Stevens and O’Connor Institutes for Justice?

April 23, 2014
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What do retired Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States do with their time and reputation? One of them – Justice Paul Stevens, 94, just published another book Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution. This new work adds to his vigorous post-retirement writings and addresses. Another – Justice Sandra…

Airline Security, Safety, and Smoke; Tax Day; Electoral College and New Zealand

April 21, 2014
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With Ralph in DC, David in LA and Steve in New Zealand, Ralph tells us how one airline made the mistake of bumping him from a flight, how Paul Ryan lives in a corporate bubble, how he might tweak our system of government, and how one irate gentleman once delighted in blowing smoke in his…

Boston and Baghdad

April 17, 2014
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Greater Boston and its citizens are the focus of media attention in recognition of the first anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings that took three innocent lives and injured over 264 people, some of them severely. City leaders praised the heroism of the first responders and the deepened community spirit (“Boston Strong”). Addressing 2,500 invited…

Good Apps/Bad Apps/Good Contracts/Bad Contracts/Good Seeds/Bad Seeds, and More!

April 13, 2014
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Ralph pitches a couple of apps, explains how not to get screwed on contracts, and we ask him if the Comcast/Time-Warner merger is good for us. Take a wild guess.

Investors and Savers Need a Chance to Recover

April 11, 2014
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On April 9th, shareholders of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from across the country converged upon Washington, D.C. to make their voices heard in the halls of Congress. And Tim Pagliara, an investment advisor who also owns shares of stock in Fannie and Freddie, launched the Investors Unite coalition. As the housing finance reform debate…

Sugar, McCutcheon, Climate Change, Oil Spills and Army Food

April 7, 2014
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Ralph carves up Antonin Scalia and “Corporate Welfare King,” Rush Limbaugh, points out how Exxon actually made money on the Exxon/Valdez oil spill; and we discuss whether Germany actually won World War II, and the one position that Ralph took that he now regrets.

Civic Organization Can Turn Around Small Communities

April 3, 2014
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Perhaps there are lessons for other small communities from the conditions, positive and negative, of Winsted, Connecticut (the Town of Winchester), a community of about 11,000 people nestled in the beautiful Litchfield County Hills. First, Winsted is unique in numerous ways. Northwestern Connecticut Community College, established in 1965 through local initiatives, has expanded its facilities.…

Bernie Sanders vs Hillary, Hobby Lobby, College Athletes Unionizing, and Jonathan Schell

March 29, 2014
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In episode three of the Ralph Nader Radio Hour, Ralph tells Bernie Sanders to go for it, tells us why a corporation does not have religious beliefs, why college athletes should be paid and pays tribute to the late anti-war writer and activist, Jonathan Schell.

Enduring Security: Volunteer Fire Departments

March 28, 2014
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“What do you know about Winsted’s firemen?” my mother asked me one day when I was eleven years old. “They jump into fire trucks and go put out fires fast,” I replied. “Well, you should also know,” she added, “that they’re volunteers and they risk their lives for the townspeople.” Recently, I had the opportunity…