(excellent - IMHO) Nader's Advice To Kerry

[papau]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13265-2004May9.html

Nader's Advice To Kerry

By William Raspberry
Monday, May 10, 2004; Page A25


<snip>

"A part of the problem," Nader said in an interview last week, "is that the Democrats have become too cautious -- too indentured to the same money the Republicans are dialing for. Kerry's consultants and handlers are telling him to tone it down, and he has. For example, he's now saying, 'I'm not a redistributionist, I'm a centrist,' and that speaks volumes. Because the issue isn't redistributing wealth in the old-fashioned sense but stopping the redistribution that's already going on through corporate welfare."

.....ending corporate welfare is one of 10 elements of what Nader is certain would be a winning campaign...progressives don't like the way wealth is being redistributed in this country...other ideas on Nader's list:

• Support a living wage. Kerry should propose a living wage -- and act as though he means it. Huge numbers of Americans (10 million households) earn less than $10,000 a year. Those workers would be substantially better off if the minimum wage had simply been indexed for inflation -- "like congressional salaries" -- over the past 35 years.

• Go after corporate crime. "This would attract a lot of conservatives to his cause -- certainly as many as there are Reagan Democrats. I'm talking about people whose 401(k)s have been destroyed by what Enron and the others have done through corporate greed."

• Repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. The prospective yield turns out to be "almost exactly what the American Society of Civil Engineers said last year it would take to restore America's deteriorating infrastructure" -- roads and bridges, schools, libraries, water and sewer systems, public buildings. "Everybody could get behind this, from labor unions to the Rotary, from workers to the corporate suppliers. And the best part is that it would create thousands of good-paying jobs that can't be outsourced to China."

• Protect the poor. Low-income Americans have no legal protection for many of their ordinary transactions -- either because the appropriate legislation hasn't been enacted or because of "a congealed lawlessness that goes unprosecuted." Nader's list includes check-cashing businesses for people who don't have access to bank accounts, tax-refund loans at usurious rates, rent-to-own schemes, dumping of tainted meat and shoddy merchandise in inner-city outlets, bank red-lining, and all manner of predatory lending. "Democrats should flock to this issue, and the Republican blur machine couldn't do a thing about it. You know how they blur issues: passing an inadequate prescription bill and saying that takes care of the elderly, or passing No Child Left Behind and saying that takes care of education."

Nader says Kerry should demand reform of a tax code that taxes work more than it taxes wealth; promote reduced reliance on fossil and nuclear energy; and support a reversal of policies that "make it almost impossible to form a union in the private sector anymore." <snip>

[Wickerman]

1. Cool, then maybe he should be a campaign adviser

rather than run against him. I hope that he finds a way to work with John or we are looking at having nothing to rebuild on in 2008. Then, his Utopian ideals will be meaningless.

[qb]

2. History repeating itself... next they'll have Kerry in tan suits

and a new hairstyle.

Dump the advisors, John, and take a stand!

[Cocoa]

3. why is Nader advising his opponent?

:crazy:

[MallRat]

5. Because I think Nader realizes that he needs to GET OUT.

And he'll try anything he can to sway Kerry's platform.

It's a carrot and stick thing. If Kerry makes nice on Nader, Nader drops out.

-MR

[w4rma]

4. In addition to their money, Kerry is beholden to big media.

And who runs big media? The biggest corporations in the world, and they don't like *any* of the economic reforms that Nader likes.

And I don't see a way to not be beholden to them.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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[papau]

7. That is the link - you must register - then rehit link to get story!

They want their stats in retirn for the free info!