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Statement of Consumer Advocate Ralph Nader Condemning the U.S. Postal Service’s Move to End Saturday Delivery

February 6, 2013
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February 6, 2013 The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) today continued its tradition under the leadership of Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe of shooting itself in the foot. The only question that remains is: When will the madness end? By ending Saturday letter delivery in August 2013, as the USPS has proposed, millions of customers who take…

Letter: Is John Brennan Fit to Direct CIA?

February 4, 2013
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Senator Dianne Feinstein Chairman Senate Select Committee on Intelligence 211 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Madam Chairman: We, the undersigned, object to the Committee’s insistence that only nominee John Brennan as director of the CIA be permitted to testify as to his fitness for office.  Experience teaches that the adversarial system is…

Serious News: In Low Supply From Mainstream Media

February 1, 2013
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By Ralph Nader On January 30, 2013, an unusual front-page story appeared prominently in The Washington Post about a small D.C. charity called Martha’s Table that serves meals to 1,100 people a day, has early-childhood and after-school programs, and provides other community-enriching programs. Among its distinctions is a giant volunteer corps of, according to the…

Obama’s Record Belies Inaugural Words

January 25, 2013
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By Ralph Nader A friend asked me what I was thinking while listening to President Obama’s inaugural address. Here were my reactions: Obama: “They [the Patriots of 1776] gave to us a republic, a government of and by and for the people.” The flood of money-shaping elections and politics has given us a corporate government…

Open Letter to Mike Duke, CEO of Walmart

January 17, 2013
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Mike Duke, CEO Walmart Corporation Bentonville, Arkansas Dear Mr. Duke, Walmart, your gigantic company, is increasingly being challenged by your workers, government prosecutors, civil lawsuits, communities (that do not want a Walmart), taxpayers learning about your drain on government services and corporate welfare, and small businesses and groups working with unions such as SEIU and…

Ralph Nader and Colleagues Call on Obama to Pardon John Kiriakou

January 15, 2013
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President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Obama: We the undersigned are writing to urge that you pardon former CIA officer John Kiriakou. Motivated as a father devoted to his children, Mr. Kiriakou recently pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of…

Apps: Inanities and Dependencies

January 10, 2013
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Redundant, trivial, overcomplicated and dependency-inducing apps (computer applications) are flooding the internet. Some apps associated with deceptive and harmful claims are even drawing the attention of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Consumers beware! The prevalence of apps in consumer markets both reaches new levels of absurdity and invites…

Compare the 1912 Elections with the 2012 Elections

December 31, 2012
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By Ralph Nader Before the electoral year of 2012 slinks into history, it is worth a comparative glance back to the electoral year of 1912 to give us some jolting perspective on how degraded our contemporary elections, voter performance and election expectations have become. One hundred years ago, workers were marching, picketing and forming unions.…

It Is Easier Than You Think

December 28, 2012
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By Ralph Nader It’s easier than you think.  That’s the way I start discussions and interviews about my new book titled, “Seventeen Solutions.” The “solutions” were selected for their long-overdue practicality, fairness, efficiency, safety, employment potential and respect for future generations.  A majority of the people, sometimes a large majority, support such redirections. The effects…

Letter to President Obama: Chuck Hagel

December 28, 2012
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Dear President Obama: Now that you have won your last election, there is no longer any conflict of interest between your electoral aspirations and what needs to be done for our country and its people – present and future generations. It is customary for citizens to expect more from their President’s second term for just…