Nader discusses progressive policy reform

The major presidential candidates are "not worth supporting," Independent candidate Ralph Nader asserted yesterday as part of his keynote speech for the Centennial Convocation of Penn's School of Social Policy and Practice.

In the speech, "Social Justice in the Post-Bush Era," Nader addressed topics such as corporate responsibility and applied social ethics and stressed the need for progressive policy reform in American business and society.

Nader, an attorney and self-described consumer-rights advocate, is an Independent candidate in the 2008 presidential race and presents himself as an alternative to what he calls "a two-party dictatorship." He won 2.7 percent of the popular vote in the 2000 elections and is looking to improve that number by appealing to swing voters in Pennsylvania and other states.

Speaking at the Zellerbach Theater, Nader scolded the Bush administration's recent $700 billion financial bailout, calling it a "billion-dollar blank check" and a "stampede," given the five to six days it took Bush to introduce the proposal.

He advised Congress to re-evaluate criteria for purchasing and valuing assets rather than following drastic measures. He also suggested that the current financial crisis might not have occurred if the stockholding public, rather than executives, had more control of corporations.

When questioned afterward about the future of his presidential bid, Nader noted that he is on the ballot in 45 states and was recently polled at 4 to 6 percent in Pennsylvania.

"That's eight to nine million voters right there," he said.

He acknowledged the controversy surrounding his candidacy, saying, "It might not sit well with everyone. That was my intent."

Nader again pointed to mega-corporations and bureaucracy as the primary source of American social problems. He criticized the "language of avoidance" in public policy, citing his own experience in auto safety.

"How do we make bureaucratic systems viable?" he asked. "Get rid of them. Society is full of problems we don't deserve and solutions we can't apply. Corporations are there to maximize sales and profits. Private economic power. is fascism."

Nader mentioned that the primary reason for his campaign was to increase public awareness of issues such as homophobia, sexism, education, worker wages and social justice.

"You must have fire in your belly," he said. "Rights don't enforce themselves. They need to be linked to remedies."

After Nader's address, Richard Gelles, dean of the School of Social Policy and Practice, presented him with a commemorative plaque.

A discussion panel on social policy also followed the speech. Nader then made an appearance to sign copies of his newest book, The Good Fight.

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