Special Features

Dear President Obama: A few days ago, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told some long-time auto safety advocates in his office that the Department wants to see the two bills—the auto safety and the motor coach safety legislation—enacted this session. Last December, all was set for these two bills to be passed—a clear majority in the…

March 28, 2011 Secretary Steven Chu U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Ave., SW Washington, DC 20585 Dear Secretary Chu: Now after several requests spanning two years, will you meet directly with the following environmental groups with solid standing who are critical of nuclear power’s economics, safety and safeguards? You are the President’s chief cabinet…

Dear Vice President Biden: Word has reached us from reliable sources that the unions in Wisconsin tendered an invitation sometime last week or earlier for you to appear at one of the growing rallies in Madison protesting the legislative straitjacketing of public employee unions. Since you have just returned from trips to Russia and other…

I have long fought against the systemic disempowerment of investors in large public corporations, but the mistreatment of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shareholders, including me, is uniquely reprehensible. For decades Fannie and Freddie behaved like other large, publicly held financial corporations. They were profit-seeking companies, listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).…

Milano Italy For Release January 26, 2011 Statement of Ralph Nader The 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a modern day Pinto for soccer moms with a fuel tank located dangerously behind the rear axle in the crush zone of an impact. In the United States alone, there have been 184 fatal fire crashes in Jeep…

December 30, 2010 Dear Governor-Elect Cuomo: The conditions where many regular New Yorkers live are grim. Poverty, unemployment, home foreclosures, and small business bankruptcies keep growing. On the other side of the tracks, the top twenty-five hedge fund managers recorded an average of $1 billion each, or over $80 million each a month in 2009.…

Dear President Obama: Increasingly credible press reports say that you are going to join with the Republican minority in the Congress and support the two year extension of the Bush tax cut for the Rich, along with the cuts for the $200,000 (individual) and $250,000 (couples) that the Democrats were favoring. It has become a…

A new cartoon by Matthew Marran appears at: Cartoon By Matthew Marran

November 23, 2010 James E. Lentz, President and CEO Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. 19001 South Western Ave. Torrance, CA 90501 Dear Mr. Lentz: I was disappointed with the unresponsiveness to my October 15, 2010 letter from your public relations Vice President, Mr. Michels. This is not a PR matter. That is what my letter…

A new poll by Zogby International demonstrates the increasing public concern about full-body scanners that use low-level X-rays and extremely invasive pat-downs. Members of Congress and the flying public are just starting to uncover the numerous problems with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s decision to deploy these scanners without adequate public input. Ralph…