Are the people ready for democracy? This question was leveled by monarchs, despots and authoritarian rulers post-World War II when stirrings for freedom in less developed countries blossomed. We often heard apologists for the western colonial powers—the British, French, Portuguese, etc.—say that the Indians, the Arabs and the Africans were not “ready for democracy.” By … Read more
To have a democratic society that brings out the best in its citizens, people have to show up — to vote, to attend city council meetings, rallies, marches and other serious gatherings that reflect the public interest. They also need to support progressive candidates and run for office. Showing up is half of democracy. We … Read more
Fifty years ago this month (on September 9, 1966), President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety laws that launched a great life-saving program for the American People. I was there that day at the White House at the invitation of President Johnson who gave me one of the signing … Read more
Watch the speech here.
The Center for Study of Responsive Law announces a four-day conference in Washington, D.C. The Breaking Through Power gathering commemorates the 50th anniversary year of Unsafe at Any Speed, which unleashed fresh civic energies and sparked the creation of numerous advocacy organizations and led to major consumer, environmental and worker safety protections. The theme of … Read more
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has recently advanced a clean energy plan which mandates that New York transition half of its energy needs to renewables by 2030. By regressive contrast, New York’s Public Service Commission (PSC) has approved enormous subsidies for three aging nuclear power plants―Ginna, Nine Mile Point and FitzPatrick―located in Upstate New York. … Read more
Saturday July 30th from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and Sunday July 31st from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Several local authors will be making an appearance to sign their books: Guilford resident Patricia Klindienst, signing The Earth Knows My Name: Food, Culture, and Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic Americans – 12:30 PM, Saturday … Read more
Samuel Johnson famously considered patriotism “the last refuge of a scoundrel.” His biographer James Boswell, who passed along that judgment, clarified that Johnson “did not mean a real and generous love for our country, but that pretended patriotism which so many, in all ages and countries, have made a cloak for self-interest.” This could be … Read more
Thank you to everyone who turned out for the first four days of Breaking Through Power. It was a great success. Please continue to check breakingthroughpower.org for information of September’s Breaking Through Power events, or email [email protected]. Watch the Breaking Through Power videos.
By Ralph Nader In May of 1998 we held a conference dedicated to two Government-sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) – Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In my statement to that assembly, I noted that both corporations had been enjoying good times, but cautioned that one of the unintended consequences of fat profits over a long period is … Read more