VOTE NADER/GONZALAS

[Rev.Reverence]

_______________________________________Nader__________Obama______McCain

Adopt single payer national health insurance..........On the table ___Off the table___ Off the table

Cut the huge, bloated, wasteful military budget......On the table ___Off the table ___ Off the table

No to nuclear power, solar energy first................. On the table ___Off the table ___ Off the table

Aggressive crackdown on corporate crime..

.....and corporate welfare................................... On the table___Off the table ___Off the table

Open up the Presidential debate..........................On the table ___Off the table ___Off the table

Adopt a carbon pollution tax................................On the table ___Off the table ___Off the table

Reverse U.S. policy in the Middle East..................On the table ___Off the table ___Off the table

Impeach Bush/Cheney.......................................On the table ___Off the table ___Off the table

Repeal the Taft-Hartley anti-union law..................On the table ___Off the table ___Off the table

Adopt a Wall Street securities speculation tax........On the table ___Off the table ___Off the table

Put an end to ballot access obstructionism ..............On the table ___Off the table ___Off the table

Work to end corporate personhood.......................On the table___Off the table ___Off the table

Defend, Restore and Strengthen...

.....the Civil Justice System...................................On the table___Off the table ___Off the table

Adopt the National Initiative ...................................On the table___Off the table ___Off the table

Electoral Reform that Creates a Vibrant, Active, Participatory Democracy

Our democracy is in a descending crisis. Voter turnout is among the lowest in the western world, and America ranks in the bottom three of countries that hold free elections. The reasons for this democracy crisis are many:

-Redistricting often leads to gerrymandering, which ensures that very few incumbents are at risk in one-party districts.

-Barriers to full participation of candidates proliferate, such as restricting participation in debates, or setting prohibitive ballot access laws, making it very obstructive for third party and Independent candidates to run.

-Potential voters are confronted by obstacles, and deliberate manipulations to undermine their right to vote, for which penalties are rarely imposed.

-New paperless voting machines are raising questions about whether we can even trust that our votes are being counted as they are cast. When voter confidence decreases, citizens vote less and less, leading to a culture of non-voting.

-The expense of political campaigns creates a clear advantage for the highest spender. Money dominates the dissemination of campaign messages, mainly waged on television in the form of sound bites. This economic stranglehold of campaigns makes politics a game for only the rich or the richly funded. This silences alternative viewpoints and turns off many voters who do not feel represented by privileged candidates.

Major changes are needed to ensure that every vote counts, that all voters are represented through electoral reforms like instant run-off voting, none-of-the-above options, and proportional representation, and that non-major party candidates have a chance to run for office and participate in debates, and that elections are publicly financed.

Expand Worker's Rights by Developing an Employee Bill of Rights

The rights of workers have been on the decline. It is time to reverse that trend and begin to give workers, the backbone of the US economy, the rights they deserve. Workers need a living wage not a minimum wage; access to health care and no unilateral reductions in medical benefits and pensions for current employees and retirees. Employers should not be able to avoid these benefits by hiring temporary workers or independent contractors. The privacy of employees needs to be vigorously protected. The notorious Taft-Hartley Act that makes it extremely difficult for employees to organize unions needs to be repealed. It has resulted in less than 10% of the private workforce being unionized, the lowest in 60 years and the lowest percentage in the western world. Non-union workers need upgraded rights against the likes of Wal-Mart.

Jail Time Not Bail Time - Stop the Bailout

In late September, Senator Obama said to the Democrats – vote for the bailout. Senator McCain said to the Republicans – vote for the bailout. President Bush said to the Congress – vote for the bailout.

But the American people were fed up. They told their members of Congress – if you vote for the bailout, we will vote against you.

And now, the action is shifting from the corporate occupied territory of Washington, D.C., back to the country. Where the uprising continues. Nader/Gonzalez is taking the lead. Standing with the American people. Against the corporate Republicans and corporate Democrats.

From the beginning, we were against the McCain/Obama/Bush bailout. And now we stand with the American people, in the electoral arena, against the corporate campaigns of McCain and Obama.

The "sustained orgy of excess and reckless behavior" (as Dallas Federal Reserve chief Richard Fischer put it) would never have happened on our watch.

In October, we’re hoping to sustain the grassroots uprising against the bailout. So please, hit the donate button now, and give whatever you can afford to Nader/Gonzalez.

We’re building on September’s uprising.

And hoping for an October surprise.

Onward to November.

Healthcare not Wealthcare

Once again, the claim that Ralph Nader is a fringe candidate is contradicted by raw numbers and a broad base of support for nonpartisan reform. This time, the reform issue is healthcare, a cause that has united people from all over the political spectrum and ranged them against rapacious insurance companies and lobbyists. Niether Obama nor McCain supports single payer, and the majority of Americans are starting to notice. On yet another issue, Nader appears to be the majority candidate getting a minority of attention. And if Americans voted their consciences on even this issue, Nader and local third party candidates could win in landslides.

Fair Tax Where the Wealthiest and Corporations Pay their Share; Tax Wealth More than Work; Tax Activities We Dislike More than Necessities

The complexity and distortions of the federal tax code produces distributions of tax incidence and payroll tax burdens that are skewed in favor of the wealthy and the corporations further garnished by tax shelters, insufficient enforcement, and other avoidances.

Corporate tax contributions as a percent of the overall federal revenue stream have been declining for fifty years and now stand at 7.4% despite massive record profits. A fundamental reappraisal of our tax laws should start with a principle that taxes should apply first to behavior and conditions we favor least and pinch basic necessities least, such as the clearly addictive industries (alcohol and tobacco), pollution, speculation, gambling, extreme luxuries, instead of taxing work or instead of the 5% to 7% sales tax food, furniture, clothing or books.

Tiny taxes (a fraction of the conventional retail sales percentage) on stock, bond, and derivative transactions can produce tens of billions of dollars a year and displace some of the taxes on work and consumer essentials. Sol Price, founder of the Price Clubs (now merged into Costco) is one of several wealthy people in the last century who have urged a tax on wealth. Again, it can be at a very low rate but raise significant revenues. Wealth above a quite comfortable minimum is described as tangible and intangible assets. The present adjustment of Henry George’s celebrated land tax could also be considered.

Over a thousand wealthy Americans have declared, in a remarkable conflict against interest, that the estate tax, which now applies to less than 2 percent of the richest estates, should be retained. The signers of this declaration included William Gates, Sr., Warren Buffett and George Soros. Ralph Nader does not believe that "unearned income" (dividends, interest, capital gains) should be taxed lower than earned income, or work, inasmuch as one involves passive income, including inheritances and windfalls, while the latter involves active effort with a higher proportion of middle and lower income workers relying on and working each day, some under unsafe conditions, for these earnings.

...now I wait for the barrage of "your a lunatic" & "+1s"...

[Homicidalheathen]

last time i did that bush won

and i think thats why

(aside from the cheesy florida ballot...hell the one here in michigan was a bit confusing)

he wont get enough and then it will be mccain instead of obama you know? its been proven he takes away votes from the democrates but wont get enough to win

pick the lesser of two evils

[Rev.Reverence]

last time i did that bush won

and i think thats why

(aside from the cheesy florida ballot...hell the one here in michigan was a bit confusing)

he wont get enough and then it will be mccain instead of obama you know? its been proven he takes away votes from the democrates but wont get enough to win

pick the lesser of two evils

McCain & Obama are the SAME EVIL...we are going to be FUCKED this year...NO MATER WHAT.

...so I am voting Nader in the hopes that my Son can have 3 choices.

(& I think he is not even evil at all.)

[Goth Brooks]

McCain & Obama are the SAME EVIL...we are going to be FUCKED this year...NO MATER WHAT.

...so I am voting Nader in the hopes that my Son can have 3 choices.

(& I think he is not even evil at all.)

i find a moderate right to be less of an evil than a far left marxist.

as for nader, i'm against national healthcare, i'm against unions, and i'm for nuclear power and military spending.

i don't see public education on there, which i think is more important than national healthcare.

[Rev.Reverence]

i find a moderate right to be less of an evil than a far left marxist.

as for nader, i'm against national healthcare, i'm against unions, and i'm for nuclear power and military spending.

i don't see public education on there, which i think is more important than national healthcare.

I did not have the wherewithal to Quote EVERYTHING at once...I will by request now dig the educational issues...& any other you wish.

Education for Everyone

Education is primarily the responsibility of state and local governments. The federal government has a critical supporting role to play in ensuring that all children -- irrespective of the income of their parents, or their race -- are provided with rich learning environments, equal educational opportunities, and upgraded and repaired school buildings.

The government has an important role to play in keeping undermining influences out of the public schools -- among them, commercialism and private school voucher programs. The federal government must not impose an overemphasis on high-stakes standardized tests. Such testing has a negative impact on student learning, curriculum, and teaching, by resulting in excessive time devoted to narrow test participation, de-enrichment of the curriculum, false accountability, equity and cultural bias, and excessive use of financial resources for testing, among other problems. Federal law should be transformed to one that supports teachers and students -- from one that relies primarily on standardized tests and punishment. The government should encourage schools to infuse their curriculum with civic experiences that teaches students both how to connect classroom learning to the outside world and how to practice democracy.

Empower students with the knowledge and tools needed to become a major reservoir of future democracy. Help people to grow up civic instead of corporate.

Education: Over-emphasis on standardized testing

The Nader campaign opposes the over-reliance on high stakes standardized tests included in the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, commonly known as "No Child Left Behind." High stakes standardized tests have a negative impact on student learning, curriculum, and teaching. Using high frequency test scores to determine funding for a school, retention, and graduation of students, results in numerous unintended consequences. Citizens for Quality Assessment of the Education Department of Southwestern University in Texas highlights many of these negative consequences including:

* Use of single (limited) rather than multiple (comprehensive) measures of assessment

* Excessive time devoted to narrow test preparation

* Negative, unnecessary and often lasting labeling of children

* De-enrichment of the curriculum

* False accountability

* Movement away from widely accepted standards of teaching principles of best practice as articulated by the national Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Council of Teachers of English, National Science Teachers Association, National Association for the Education of Young Children, and American Education Research Association.

* Issues of equity and cultural bias

* Assessment practices contrary to recommendations of most professional organizations (these associations widely condemn the use of high-stakes testing) and even of the companies producing the tests

* Excessive use of financial resources for testing

The Nader campaign agrees with Citizens for Quality Assessment that federal policy needs to be transformed from one that uses punishments to control schools, to one that supports teachers and students; from one that relies primarily on standardized tests, to one that encourages high-quality assessments. Broader measures of student learning are needed that include reliance of classroom-based assessments along with testing. Also, broader curricula are needed to enrich students, including development of the civic skill of engagement in understanding the world around them.

These tenets apply equally to home-based as well as public education. Every effort should be made to ensure that home-educated students are afforded the same opportunities and quality of education as their school-based peers.

Equal Access to Education

A recent study by Harvard's Civil Rights Project reports that schools in the United States are becoming increasingly segregated 50 years after Brown vs. Board of Education. Inner city public schools are in need of major repair, and often, total replacement. These same schools are frequently short of the financial resources needed to attract and retain good teachers and to provide a quality learning environment for children. The Leave No Child Behind Act -- with its focus on high frequency, high-stakes, standardized testing -- is a counter-educational, a narrow gauge of assessment, and for tens of thousands of children, highly deleterious to their emotional and intellectual development.

The government has an important role to play in keeping negative or depleting influences out of the public schools -- among them, commercialism and private school tax-funded voucher programs. The federal government must not impose useless, costly, and counterproductive mandates on schools. It should discourage, not demand, the use of misleading and narrow multiple choice standardized tests. The government should encourage schools to infuse their curricula with a citizenship emphasis that teaches students both how to connect civic skills classroom learning to the outside world and how to practice democracy.

The United States stands now as the overall richest nation in the history of the world. There is no excuse for not smartly investing sufficient resources in education.

Working with the states where appropriate, the federal government must:

* Immediately provide full funding for Head Start;

* Guarantee pre-school education for all children;

* Adequately fund nutrition programs in the schools;

* Ensure that the nation's crumbling schools are repaired within three years.

There is, as well, a critical positive role for the federal government to play, by promoting the vision, curricula, programs and projects for a K-12 civics education for democracy. In an era when children are overwhelmed with marketing images that reduce their attention spans and vocabulary, and orient them to an overweening focus on immediate gratification, low-grade sensuality and conspicuous consumption, an emphasis on civics for democracy promises instead to take students from instruction to learning to knowledge to application ,until the highest educational goal is reached -- the sustained onset of educational self-renewal of, by and for the confident, motivated student.

I'll post now..but bear in mind..I am reading this as you are.(so let's be civil & not try to rip REV's head off...k?

[torn asunder]

thanks for the thread, rev - i dislike being the only one to promote nader.

and obviously, he'll never win - the point is that if a 3rd party/ independant candidate gets 5% of the popular vote, they then get federal campaign funding, and are automatically included in the national debates in the next election year. it's the first step towards ending the duoploy of the republicrats!

vote nader!!

[n0Mad]

the point is that if a 3rd party/ independant candidate gets 5% of the popular vote, they then get federal campaign funding, and are automatically included in the national debates in the next election year. it's the first step towards ending the duoploy of the republicrats!

Yay third party! I wish Ron Paul was still in. He wouldn't have won but I think he could've gotten at least 5% if not 15%.

[SaGa]

a lot of people whouldnt mind ron paul. but hey who cares now, whats interesting is that nader and ron paul are friends. even if there megneticly repelling on the idiology, but they meet togeather on constituational rights. and bringing things back to what amarica was founded on.

if there both the same evil then vote third party. at least know your vote matters. nader or any other third party probly wont win. but it might shed spotlight that amarica is getting tired of bullshit. and these orwellian campaigns that are going on

[Rev.Reverence]

thanks for the thread, rev - i dislike being the only one to promote nader.

and obviously, he'll never win - the point is that if a 3rd party/ independant candidate gets 5% of the popular vote, they then get federal campaign funding, and are automatically included in the national debates in the next election year. it's the first step towards ending the duoploy of the republicrats!

vote nader!!

NO PROB BRO...

...I was trying to find that info...I forgot the exact stipulations.. (but we were talkin' about it earlier in the year)

..& like I said before..I'M VOTING FOR THE FUTURE...NOT NOW...

(how very non-ZEN)

{shut up me}

[Rev.Reverence]

Yay third party! I wish Ron Paul was still in. He wouldn't have won but I think he could've gotten at least 5% if not 15%.

...yeah...I thought he could have taken the whole thing...(like if he was around now..& NOT throwing the mud...peoples would flock to his side)

[Rev.Reverence]

*bump*

...REMEMBER TO VOTE!!!

[Reaper]

IF I end up voting Tuesday, I will probably vote the third party too. I don't like what either of these candidates bring to the table. And the endless mudslinging is enough to piss me off to avoid a vote for either of them.

[prick]

Nader has been my man from the begining.

[torn asunder]

Nader has been my man from the begining.

me too, for as long as he's been running... i even voted perot when he ran - did you know ross perot took 19% of the popular vote in his attempt!? the only reason people don't vote third-party or independant is fear, plain and simple. they fear that their vote for a person who can't win will give the election away. well guess what? if you vote for someone you don't agree with, just because you agree with the other person less, you've not given away the election, you've given away your whole damn country!

vote your conscience!!

[phee]

me too, for as long as he's been running... i even voted perot when he ran - did you know ross perot took 19% of the popular vote in his attempt!? the only reason people don't vote third-party or independant is fear, plain and simple. they fear that their vote for a person who can't win will give the election away. well guess what? if you vote for someone you don't agree with, just because you agree with the other person less, you've not given away the election, you've given away your whole damn country!

vote your conscience!!

That and the fact that he wanted to send everyone with aids off to their own island as a solution

[Homicidalheathen]

i wouldnt trust nader in a war situation...the care bear stare only works on tv