Thread: The Ultimate Hypocrite: Ralph Nader

Lifestyles of the Rich and Leftist
by Gary Jason

"Next consider Ralph Nader, the ultimate corporation basher and perennial candidate for the presidency (not to mention sainthood). Nader's persona is that of the Spartan lefty, the "walk the walk not just talk the talk" opponent of the hideous corporate greed that dirties the soul of America. When he visited the Soviet Union back in the 1960s, he admired the lack of consumer products, and when he returned to Russia after the collapse of the Soviet system he was dismayed to hear people praising free market economics. To Nader, corporations are evil: they dominate governments, rig prices, sell dangerous and useless products, and generally hurt our standard of living.

But in his personal life, about which St. Ralph is very secretive, things are different. He lives well, using a D.C. mansion that he apparently owns (though the title is in his sister's name), earns millions from speaking and writing, and invests in - big, multinational corporations! He has net assets of about $4 million, most of it in corporate stock, such as the $1 million he owns in Cisco Systems, not to mention his stocks in major defense contractors such as GE and IBM. He controls nonprofit organizations and trusts, all secretly run, with his family members on the governing boards. His charitable foundations give away 4% of their assets every year, the lowest amount possible to keep their IRS tax-exempt status. The remaining assets are also in corporate stock, including telecom monopolies such as Verizon, BellSouth, and Qwest."

Is there a link to this?

I don't know why I even bother responding to this 'article'.
But Nader is not a "Spartan lefty", and what's wrong with running non-profit organisations?
His investments in "major defense contractors" is dubious, if the information is correct. As a green-lefty with very limited funds I've been more discriminate where to put my money.

I agree SK, that Nader has been hypocritical because of several allegations of employee abuse and trying quash their attempts to unionize (but I need to check it out more).

I've never never or heard any "leftist" sentiments from Ralph Nader. The person who wrote the article you posted seems biased, and referring to consumer goods in the former USSR has nothing to do with a person holding left, center, or right wing sentiments.

I'm with Stroller on links.

Be wary of writers, coloumnists, and authors that are overtly biased. We all have our biases and opinions but this Mr. Gary Jason seems to be making very general statements.

Originally Posted by stroller

Is there a link to this?...

http://libertyunbound.com/archive/20...ifestyles.html

Who is Nader? Is he important to know?

Originally Posted by witbaas

Who is Nader? Is he important to know?

I've personally never met the man.

He was a presidential candidate for the Green Party in a few US elections, last in 2004, placing him at the third place after Bush and Kerry. So yeah, pretty important in the US, as well as in terms of international 'green' politics.

Some quotes:
"The goal of a just society is inseparable from love and beauty."
"This country has more problems than it deserves and more solutions than it applies."
"If you choose between the lesser of two evils, at the end of the day, you still have evil."
"The use of solar energy has not been opened up because the oil industry does not own the sun."