By Ralph Nader October 14, 2021 Reporters at major newspapers and magazines are hard to reach by telephone. Today it is increasingly hard to converse with them about timely scoops, leads, gaps in coverage, and corrections to published articles. We started an online webpage: Reporter’s Alert. From time to time, we use Reporter’s Alert to present suggestions for … Read more
By Ralph Nader October 7, 2021 Solar energy comes to Earthlings in many ways. Ancient Persians used passive solar architecture. East Africans about the same time funneled cool ocean wind through tunnels to cool themselves. Now at long last, solar energy is outpacing new fossil fuel and nuclear facilities on price, environmental safety, and speed … Read more
By Ralph Nader October 1, 2021 “Polarization” is the word most associated with the positions of the Republicans and Democrats in Congress. The mass media and the commentators never tire of this focus, in part because such clashes create the flashes conducive to daily coverage. The quiet harmony between the two parties created by the … Read more
By Ralph Nader September 24, 2021 If you think elementary, middle, and high school students know too little history, geography, and government, try asking them about the corporations that command so many hours of their day, their attention, what they consume, and their personal horizons. Howard Zinn published A Young People’s History of the United States (2009), … Read more
By Ralph Nader September 17, 2021 The old saying that “art follows function” is being reversed by print newspaper editors alarmed over the shorter attention spans of readers who are moving to online news outlets. As a result, newspaper editors have ushered in a golden age for graphic artists giving them huge chunks of newspaper … Read more
By Ralph Nader September 10, 2021 Bruce Fein, constitutional law specialist who has testified before Congress approximately 200 times, calls Congress “an inkblot.” Let’s see if he is exaggerating. 1. Congress has abdicated its duties and constitutional authorities to the president regardless of party affiliation. Presidents start wars, spend unauthorized money recklessly, defy congressional subpoenas, … Read more
By Ralph Nader September 2, 2021 Let’s say you’re looking to invest some savings in the expanding micro-chip industry and a friend hands you the 2021 Annual Report of the Delaware (chartered) Corporation, Microchip Technology, a firm based in Chandler, Arizona. You’re a studious type and want to know what the company is producing before … Read more
By Ralph Nader August 26, 2021 The idea didn’t come from a newly arrived Harvard or Yale Congressional staffer. They mostly feel sufficiently anointed to the ways of Capitol Hill – getting along with style while going along for ambition. Jacob Wilson, hailing from Pomona College in California, has a different definition of self-respect, and … Read more
By Ralph Nader August 20, 2021 The resignation of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo invites comparisons, historical context, and proposals for the future. First, the comparisons: Former President Donald J. Trump must be chuckling. As the worst sexual predator to rule the White House, he must be wondering about the “weak” (his word) loser who … Read more
By Ralph Nader August 13, 2021 Law schools should have courses on the expanding immunities of government and corporate officials from criminal prosecution and punishment. Guest lecturers, speaking from their experience, could be Donald J. Trump, George W. Bush (criminal destruction of Iraq), Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the Sackler Family of … Read more