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WHY VOTE FOR CLINTON AND DOLE -- THE EVIL OF TWO LESSERS?

DON'T WASTE YOUR VOTE!

ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH, VOTE GREEN PARTY FOR A REAL CHOICE!

RALPH NADER FOR PRESIDENT! WINONA LADUKE FOR VICE-PRESIDENT!

From http://www.nader96.org/

What Does Ralph Nader Stand For?

Ralph Nader's campaign has two themes: to rebuild our democracy and
to curb corporate control of our social, political and economic
institutions. Its goals are to build a more just society, a sustainable
environment, and to secure full employment, labor rights, and civil
liberties. 

Ralph Nader often quotes Thomas Jefferson, who declared that the
purpose of representative government is "to curb the excess of the
monied interests." Today, few Americans feel that their government
really represents them. Polls show that most people feel their
government and their tax dollars primarily serve the interests of wealthy
corporations. 

Public assets, such as the airwaves, timber, mineral deposits ,or water
for irrigation, are handed over to private interests without charge or for
token fees. The environmental messes of corporations are commonly
cleaned up (if at all) at taxpayer expense. The "Welfare Reform" bill
will supposedly save $60 billion over six years, yet in a single year,
more than three times that amount goes into such forms of corporate
welfare as tax abatements, subsidies, export assistance, or loan
guarantees. 

As Ralph Nader points out, desperately needed resources for our
schools, our environment, our health-care system, our job market,
work place safety, care for our elderly and needy would be immediately
available if we stopped giving billions of dollars to some of the
wealthiest enterprises on earth. 

Corporate welfare exists because corporate money has corrupted
politics. The two major parties are now essentially one, and they cannot
represent the interests of both the taxpayers and the corporations who
feed at the public trough. Ralph Nader, a man of unquestioned
integrity, offers to represent taxpayers. He offers American voters a
true alternative to politics as usual. 

Ralph Nader's career of public service makes him exceptionally well
qualified to be President. He has had a central role in forming dozens
of public-interest advocacy groups and in the creation of public-interest
agencies and legislation, such as the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Consumer
Product Safety Commission, and the original Safe Drinking Water
Act. His public service has gone beyond consumer protection. He has
worked to shape both domestic and foreign policy. For example, his
warnings about the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
have proven to be only too accurate; job loss, declining wages, and
loss of sovereignty are all now occurring. 

Ralph Nader says that he wants to be a catalyst for change. He has a
number of specific suggestions for ways citizens can become involved,
which he calls the Toolbox for Democracy, which he has outlined in
his Concord Principles. These tools are designed to help remove the
corrupting influence of money from government, return control of
public assets to the public, and give taxpayers a say in how their money
is spent. 

Ralph Nader's positions clearly separate him from both Dole and
Clinton. Taken together and supported by a grassroots political
movement, they can restore genuine meaning to democracy in the
United States. 

       "In future elections, citizens must set agendas,
       summon the candidates to their forums and send them
       more than a message. We must send them a
       movement! Switch the dynamic from party-side to
       citizen-side campaigns and end the feeble,
       marble-mouthed, two-party politics that has turned off
       so many Americans, and replace it with a strengthened
       democracy." --Ralph Nader 

What are Ralph Nader's positions on issues?

Ralph Nader believes in values of justice, peace, tolerance, diversity,
opportunity and care for the environment. He supports policies
promoting economic and ecological sustainability, full employment,
civil liberties, civil rights and universal health care. But Nader
believes that for these issues to be successfully addressed, some
fundamental changes must first occur. Toward this end, he has worked to
expand democracy and democratic institutions in our society, while at the
same time working to curb corporate control of our political, economic and
social institutions and the corporate welfare that has accompanied it. 

Some of the positions on specific issues advocated by Ralph Nader are
outlined below. These positions clearly separate him from both Dole
and Clinton. Nearly all of these proposals are cost-free and taken
together, they will restore genuine meaning to democracy in the United
States. 

CURBING CORPORATE POWER

    *  Repeal of NAFTA and GATT. 
    *  Revocation of the Telecommunications Reform Bill. 
    *  Reformulation of corporate charters and redefinition of the
       rights and obligations of corporations. 

CUTTING CORPORATE WELFARE 

    *  Elimination of $150 billion per year in direct and indirect
       subsidies to corporations. 
    *  Closing of tax breaks and loopholes that cost taxpayers tens of
       billions. 
    *  Elimination of giveaways, such as grazing rights, timber sales
       and mineral rights defined in the Mining Act of 1872. 
    *  Collection of royalties for products such as pharmaceuticals
       that are created with federal research and development
       subsidies. 
    *  Give taxpayers the right to challenge specific corporate
       subsidies in court. 

EXPANDING DEMOCRACY 

    *  Give workers control of the $4 trillion in pension funds they
       own for investment in commmunities, rather than allowing
       banks and corporations to use them for mega-mergers and
       leveraged buyouts. 
    *  Create Citizen Boards to play a role in setting policy for
       utilities, cable TV, insurance, telephone and banks by
       requiring inserts in bills with a check-off for consumers to
       join. 
    *  A Citizen Utility Board in Illinois, which Nader helped to
       create, has saved consumers billions of dollars. A Consumer
       Board could will have prevented the need for the S & L
       bailout. 
    *  Require shareholder input into corporate management. 
    *  Public exercise of our ownership of public lands and the
       airwaves. For example, creating an Audience Network for TV,
       controlled by consumers. 

BREAKING UP THE TWO-PARTY DUOPOLY 

    *  Support for third-party alternatives that are grassroots based
       and non-corporate, such as the Green Party and the Labor
       Party. 
    *  Term limits: 12 years and out. 
    *  Campaign finance reform: public financing through
       well-promoted voluntary taxpayer checkoffs on tax returns. 
    *  Easier ballot access for third parties and independents. 
    *  "None of the above" option on ballots: if "none of the above"
       wins, the election must be held again. 
    *  Proportional-representation voting systems. 

THE NATIONAL BUDGET 

    *  A progressive income tax 
    *  Bringing our troops home from Europe and East Asia, saving
       $100 billion. 
    *  Cutting $150 billion in corporate welfare. 

ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT 

    *  Support for the development of alternative, renewable energy
       sources. 
    *  Promotion of energy conservation. 

HEALTH CARE 

    *  Health insurance for all Americans. 

CIVIL LIBERTIES 

    *  Nader is a strong supporter of civil liberties and privacy for all
       Americans. 
    *  Repeal of the Counterterrorism Bill, which strips away civil
       liberties. This bill would have made it a felony to support the
       African National Congress in the 1980s. 

More information about Ralph Nader and Winona LaDuke is available at
the following URL's:

      http://www.nader96.org/
      http://www.rahul.net/cameron/nader/
      http://www.vais.net/~nader96/

Sincerely,

Duane J. Roberts
duane@uci.edu

Undergraduate Student
Criminology, Law, and Society
School of Social Ecology
University of California, Irvine

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-      Why vote for Clinton or Dole -- the evil of two lessers?       -
- On November 5th, vote for a real choice! Ralph Nader for President! -
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