Customer Reviews

The Ralph Nader Reader

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It's deplorable--inexcusable--that in a country where free exchange of ideas is supposedly valued Americans were not given the chance to hear one of the nation's true heroes talk about issues that really matter to most people.

By locking Ralph Nader out of the election debates, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) may have served the corporate underwriters of the event--companies like AT&T and Anheuser-Busch--but this private organization performed a terrible disservice to the American people. Not only was Nader left out of the debates, he was actually *kicked* out of the debate hall, despite having a legitimate ticket to attend as an audience member! Makes you wonder what the major parties are afraid of, doesn't it?

Fortunately, we have a fine collection of Nader's essays in this book that does a great job of presenting the progressive, compassionate thinking that defines this presidential candidate and makes him stand apart from the political pretenders who can't even make the debates into lively televised spectacle, that's how much their policies mirror one another's.

Mr. Nader is the real deal. A man of energy and action, a man of principle and determination. A true hero whose decades of committed public service will stand as testimony to his lofty, truly democratic ideals long after Bush/Gore have been forgotten.

Read this book, endorse this great man. .

What this collection establishes is that Mr. Nader is not a foolish idealist but an experienced policy person in the nation's capital who understands the issues and how lawmakers recklessly undermine them. He gets results when he goes after reforms, even though the odds are usually against him. Imagine if America gave him the support and clout to do more. We need to encourage this kind of citizen soldier with our votes, and Stephen Ambrose should do a biography of him!

Ralph Nader is an amazing person, a brilliantly spoken and well argued defender of democracy, in the truest sense. This collection of writings, spanning much of his public career is a testament to his dedication. As Barbara Eherenreich states in the preface, "he's gotten more radical over the years, not less." His concern for fairness and freedom has taken him into many areas of confrontation with the corporate and ruling elite. He obviously had the most distinguished public record of all candidates in the last presidential election. But even if we the people don't give him the respect he deserves with our votes, he will continue to work for us, because his work is not to gain power, but to give us back our power. This collection of essays is of vital importance. Use it to enlighten yourself and perhaps you will find yourself as driven as Citizen Nader to help restore democracy. (Also, Steve Andersen's review for Amazon is very well put.) If you haven't read or listened to Ralph Nader, you are only hurting yourself.

George W. Bush's accomplishments so far as President:

*Cut $39 million from federal spending on libraries

*Cut funding for research into renewable energy sources by 50%.

*Cut half a billion dollars from the Environmental Protection Agency's budget.

*Abandoned campaign pledge to regulate carbon dioxide emissions, a major contributor to global warming.

*Announced your plans to allow oil drilling in Montana's Lewis and Clark National Forest.

*Threatened to shut down the White House AIDS office.

*Pushed through your tax cut, 43% of which goes to the wealthiest 1% of Americans.

*Cut $15.7 million from programs dealing with child abuse and neglect.

*Tried to reverse regulation protecting sixty million acres of national forest from logging and road building.

This is a truly informative book, because it shows the corruption between the two party system. A must read for all Republicans and Democrats. Get informed.

Ralph Nader brought up many important issues in this year's presidential race. Many of these are seen throughout the writings in this book and it is apparent that the problems he talks about are not recent, nor are they going to go away without any massive efforts.

Nader's style is a little dry and difficult to read at times, but the points he brings up (especially in the sections on the presidency, democracy, and grassroots organizing) are vital to the progressive movement. His sections on tort reform and law practice are a little more technical and are probably best understood by those in the field.

Nader has stood by his convictions from the time he started fighting GM to today. This is an excellent book that traces his numerous crusades throughout the decades and gives a boost to the future.

Ralph Nader's life and activity have been devoted to fighting for the underdog in America against a greedy corporate elite and an increasingly corrupt deceitful political establishment in its service that does no longer represent the best interests of the citizenry whether with regard to the environment, guaranteed health care, education, equal rights before the law, fair pay, pension protection etc..

Ralph is a talented, decent and highly inspiring American public figure who deserves to be entrusted with the power to serve the legitimate interests of the majority of the American people.

I haven't even finished the book yet and I still came on the computer for the sole purpose of writing this review. Ralph Nader's book directly informed and educated me on corporate welfare and abuse and much much more. I feel empowered from reading it and I now know who I would vote for in a future election. When I got into an argument with an ignorant co-worker about the accomplishments of Nader, I told him about Ralph's efforts to make cars, water, and air safer, his battle against corporate abuses, and his various organizations. My co-worker still unfairly chastised him, with unsubstantiated claims. My hands were literally shaking with fury that anyone could deny the work of this hero for the citizens, taxpayers, workers, stockholders and consumers- THE PEOPLE.

For those looking to understand the vision of Ralph Nader and the contemporary progressive movement, this collection offers a wonderful introduction to some of its key elements (corporate welfare, tort reform, WTO, etc.). ...Anyhow, those interested in a real counterpart to politics as usual will see the true distinctions between Nader and the Republicrats and that real change is possible if we only take our heads out of the sand and question the leadership, direction, and priorities of the nation. The collection also includes a number of articles from the 60's and 70's that, while a bit dated, show the consistency of Nader's vision and critique of the politico-corporate axis that are, unfortunately, all too true and relevant in the present.

Regarding the reviewer who said,
c) The way to get rid of this mess is to get rid of Big GOVERNMENT! Not add more. This makes no sense whatsoever. There is a reason why conservatives keep saying that we should lessen the size of the government. Translation: make lessen government regulation on corporations. This is not a theoretical argument whatsoever. You can take a look at Sweden as a country that has high taxes, a strong economy and most importantly in my opinion a higher standard of living than the United States. Corporations should not be eliminated but it is the job of government to regulate them so that they are forced to respect the environment and the rights of workers and tax payers. Lessening the government gives corporations and unfair edge against consumers. The free market does not work like it should according to Adam Smith's theories. Several companies do dominate each industry and can band up to maximize profits at the expense of the normal every day Joe. We should not expect corporations to have morals. They were not designed to. But if we regulate them via the government then we can force them to not infringe on our rights and lifestyles. And of course, if we stay informed and vote then we will be the ones telling the government in what direction to regulate corporations. Its not too complex of a process to understand.

This book is a good buy especially for those that are not too knowledgable on Ralph Nader. I believe that had the entire nation known as much about him and his work as they did about Gore or Bush, he would have won the election.

gets some play with an amazing new book of his collected writings. Get the whole story by hearing what a civic leader who's not driven by media manipulation has to say.