Patriotic Yardsticks for Unpatriotic Giant Corporations by Ralph Nader

Dandelion Salad

by Ralph Nader
The Nader Page
May 16, 2013

Image by DonkeyHotey via Flickr

Why are big, global U.S. corporations so unpatriotic? After all, they were created in the U.S.A., rose to immense profit because of the toil of American workers, are bailed out by American taxpayers whenever they’re in trouble, and are safeguarded abroad by the U.S. military.

Yet these corporate goliaths work their tax lawyers overtime to escape U.S. taxes. Many pay less than you do in federal income taxes. Imagine corporations, like General Electric, have not paid federal income taxes on U.S. profits for years.

Law Day, the ABA and Addressing Reality by Ralph Nader

Image by jfantenb via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

by Ralph Nader
The Nader Page
May 1, 2013

In case you did not know, May 1 is Law Day! Initiated by the American Bar Association (ABA), established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and made official by Congress in 1961, Law Day was seen as a counterweight to May Day which celebrates the workers of the world within socialist and communist countries.

How Big Corporations Are Unpatriotic by Ralph Nader

Dandelion Salad

by Ralph Nader
The Nader Page
March 28, 2013

Image by watchingfrogsboil via Flickr

Many giant profitable U.S. corporations are increasingly abandoning America while draining it at the same time.

General Electric, for example, has paid no federal income taxes for a decade while becoming a net job exporter and fighting its hard-pressed workers who want collective bargaining through unions like the United Electrical Workers Union (UE). GE’s boss, Jeffrey Immelt, makes about $12,400 an hour on an 8-hour day, plus benefits and perks, presiding over this global corporate empire.

It’s time for a raise to $10.50 now! + Getting Congress to End Wage Slavery by Ralph Nader

Dandelion Salad

by Ralph Nader
The Nader Page
March 5, 2013

Image by WisconsinJobsNowb via Flickr

The Harkin/Miller bill to increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 by 2016 (in three years) still does not catch up with the federal minimum wage in 1968, adjusted for inflation, which should be at least $10.50 per hour in 2013.

Since 1968, worker productivity has doubled and all workers have received for this effort is a shrinking minimum wage. In other words, one Walmart worker today does the work that two Walmart workers did in 1968 and receives less pay, inflation adjusted, than either of those workers 45 years ago.

Unlivable Wages by Ralph Nader

Dandelion Salad

by Ralph Nader
The Nader Page
February 15, 2013

Image by detailgroesze via Flickr

How could Barack Obama say, in his State of the Union speech, “let’s declare that in the wealthiest nation on earth no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9.00 an hour”?

Back in 2008, Obama campaigned to have a $9.50 per hour minimum wage by 2011. Now he’s settling for $9.00 by 2015! Going backward into the future is the price that poverty groups and labor unions are paying by giving Mr. Obama a free ride last year on this moral imperative. How can leaders of poverty groups and unions accept this back-of-the-hand response to the plight of thirty million workers who make less today than what workers made 45 years ago in 1968, inflation adjusted?

Serious News: In Low Supply From Mainstream Media by Ralph Nader

Image by oban B. via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

by Ralph Nader
The Nader Page
Feb. 1, 2013

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 Post, “10,000 school kids, poor people and the occasional president who chops vegetables and builds sandwiches.” Fascinating!

Obama’s Record Belies Inaugural Words by Ralph Nader

Dandelion Salad

by Ralph Nader
The Nader Page
Jan. 25, 2013

Image by SS&SS via Flickr

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 of the Exxons, by the General Motors, for the DuPonts.

Open Letter to Mike Duke, CEO of Walmart by Ralph Nader

Dandelion Salad

by Ralph Nader
The Nader Page
Jan. 17, 2013

Image by Peter Blanchard via Flickr

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 UFCW. Thus far, Walmart is successfully playing rope-a-dope, conceding little while expecting to wear down its opposition.

Compare the 1912 Elections with the 2012 Elections by Ralph Nader

Image by Kheel Center, Cornell University via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

by Ralph Nader
The Nader Page
Dec. 31, 2012

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. Eugene Debs, the great labor leader and presidential candidate that year, spoke to outdoor labor rallies of 100,000 to 200,000 workers and their families gathered to protest low wages and working conditions.

Ralph Nader: The Corporatization of Your Dreams

Dandelion Salad

Image by watchingfrogsboil via Flickr

with Ralph Nader

Oct 25, 2012 by jeannekyle

[Presented by Speakers Committee and the Political Student Assembly, a part of USC Program Board.

Ralph Nader, Consumer Advocate & Former Green Party Candidate for President, will be at USC to discuss "The Corporatization of America" and what it means for your dreams, as well as his new book.]

Barry Commoner, The Greatest Environmentalist of the 20th Century by Ralph Nader

Dandelion Salad

By Ralph Nader
The Nader Page
Oct. 9, 2012

Image by Indiana Stan via Flickr

Dr. Barry Commoner, equipped with a Harvard PhD in cellular biology, used his knowledge of biology, ecosystems, nuclear radiation, public communication, networking scientists, political campaigning, and community organizing to become the greatest environmentalist in the 20th century. He died on September 30 at the age of 95, deeply involved in challenging conventional dogmas in the field of the genetic engineering.

Green Festival: Ralph Nader: We Are An Advanced Third World Country

Image by Cory M. Grenier via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

with Ralph Nader

Oct 1, 2012 by Mark Webster

Ralph Nader Green Festival Washington DC 09-30-2012

Ralph Nader: Paul Ryan’s Speech: Deceptive, Contradictory and Hypocritical

Image by renaissancechambara via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

with Ralph Nader

Aug 29, 2012 by WSJDigitalNetwork

Former Independent Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader criticizes Paul Ryan’s speech at the 2012 RNC Convention in Tampa, calling it deceptive, contradictory and hypocritical. Photo: Getty Images.

Ralph Nader: Demand a Raise in the Minimum Wage

Dandelion Salad

with Ralph Nader

Image by WisconsinJobsNowb via Flickr

www.pbs.org

A consumer advocate, lawyer and political activist, Ralph Nader first made headlines in 1965 with his book Unsafe at Any Speed, which led to congressional hearings and passage of a series of automobile safety laws. Nader went on to build a national network of citizen groups that have had a significant impact in such areas as tax reform, nuclear energy, healthcare and safety programs. Named by The Atlantic as one of the 100 most influential figures in American history, Nader ran for president twice [actually four times], including in the controversial 2000 election. The best-selling author’s upcoming title is The Seventeen Solutions.

The Democratic Party Sleeps on FDR’s Legacy by Ralph Nader

Dandelion Salad

by Ralph Nader
The Nader Page
August 8, 2012

Image by Social Alterations // Visual Lab via Flickr

Calling Obama, Pelosi, Reid and the rest of the Democratic Party, elected officials, political operatives and labor’s leader Richard Trumka. Thirty million American workers want and need a federal minimum wage of $10 per hour which is slightly less than their predecessors got in 1968 – yes 1968 – adjusted for inflation. What will it take for you to make this a priority?

Of course you all would like to see these desperate workers get an additional $2,000 – $4,500 a year for the barest necessities of life for themselves and their children.