Ralph Nader's Blog, page 61

Ralph Nader letter to Ron Bloom

Dear Mr. Bloom:



The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which includes General Motors and Chrysler as major members, has an extensive advertising campaign (see WTOP locally) opposing your Administration's proposals for fuel economy standards going out to 2025. There is nothing unusual about the auto industry's self-immolating position.


Continue reading "Ralph Nader letter to Ron Bloom"

Ralph Nader On Philanthropy at the New York Public Library

Ralph Nader On Philanthropy at the New York Public Library



On May 4th 2011, Ralph Nader appeared at the New York Public Library with two billionaires -- Ted Turner and Peter Lewis.




Continue reading "Ralph Nader On Philanthropy at the New York Public Library"

Corporate Tax Escapees and You

The all-consuming Washington, D.C. wrangling over debts and deficits, spending and taxing is excluding a large reality of how these financial problems can sensibly and fairly be addressed. These blinders in Congress and the White House come from fact-starved ideologies--mostly from the Republicans--and fear-fed meekness--mostly from the Democrats. Both are furiously dialing for commercial campaign cash.



Take the gigantic world of corporate tax avoidance. Ronald Reagan signed the Tax Reform Act of 1986 that was designed to increase corporate tax revenues by over 30 percent. Today, President Obama wants to diminish or delete some tax loopholes (technically called tax expenditures) for large corporations, but let most of the revenues be cancelled out by lowering the corporate tax rates. How the world changes.
Continue reading "Corporate Tax Escapees and You"

Debating Taboos

The first nationally televised debate (C-SPAN) on the subject of mandatory voting, or voting duty, occurred in Washington D.C. on June 27, 2011 (watch it at: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/DebateonMa). Why did it take so long? Because discussing this topic has been a taboo in electoral, legislative and main media arenas.
Continue reading "Debating Taboos"

Ralph Nader's Update #1 to Upset Cisco Shareholders

Dear Cisco Shareholder:



Thank you for your e-mail support for my demand that Cisco's bosses disgorge some of that $43+ billion in cash that management is stockpiling, back to its owners - the shareholders. My criticism and demand for a 50 cent annual dividend and a special $1 per share dividend were reported in the Wall Street Journal (June 24), Barron's Financial Weekly the next day and CNBC two days later.



Your e-mails were thoughtful and wonderfully impatient. You were properly critical of top Cisco management, often urging that John Chambers and members of the Board of Directors be replaced.
Continue reading "Ralph Nader's Update #1 to Upset Cisco Shareholders"

Letter to President Obama

Dear President Obama:



Yesterday's Washington Post published a page one article headlined "President Waging A Charm Offensive. Obama woos big donors to help fund early campaign expansion."



Later in the article appears this unseemly behavior by a public servant paid for by public funds:



"A key player in the closed-door donor recruitment is White House Chief of Staff William M. Daley, a former banking executive who has huddled in recent weeks over breakfasts and dinners with business leaders and Wall Street financiers in Chicago, New York and Washington--seeking to ease tensions over new financial regulations and other administration policies."
Continue reading "Letter to President Obama"

The Sports Fan's Manifesto

Why do many serious readers of newspapers go first to the Sports section? Maybe because they want to read about teams playing fun games by sports journalists and columnists, who have more freedom to use imaginative words and phrases than others in their craft.
Continue reading "The Sports Fan's Manifesto"

Letter to John Chambers, CEO of Cisco

John T. Chambers, CEO

Cisco Corporation

170 West Tasman Drive

San Jose, California, 95134-1706



Dear Mr. Chambers:



Cisco share valuation may not be one of your priorities but your owners
Continue reading "Letter to John Chambers, CEO of Cisco"

Waging Another Unconstitutional War

The meticulous Harvard Law Review editors should be rolling over in their footnotes. The recidivist violations of constitutional and statutory requirements by their celebrated predecessor at that journal - Barack Obama has reached Orwellian dimensions in the war against Libya.



You see, the widespread daily bombing of Libya, the strict naval blockade of Muammar Gadhafi-controlled Libya, the destruction of Gadhafi's family compound and tent encampment in the desert--killing his son and three grandchildren--and the deployment of special forces inside Libya is not a "War." It is in the Obama White House's evasive nomenclature just a "time-limited, scope-limited military action" Can you find that phrase in the Constitution?


Continue reading "Waging Another Unconstitutional War"

Fighting for FOIA

The 45th anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) next month should remind all who have used this wonderful citizen tool against government secrecy and cover-ups of FOIA's towering champion Congressman John Moss (D-Calif.)
Continue reading "Fighting for FOIA"