Nader: Students must take active role in democracy
By PAT McELWEE
News Writer
In a speech delivered to a packed house at Indiana University-South Bend (IUSB), consumer advocate and 2000 presidential candidate Ralph Nader called on students to take an active role in democracy.
He argued that the American people as a whole are losing power to large corporations due to a lack of public organization and the power of concentrated wealth in today's political process.
But there is hope, said Nader.
Citizens can turn the tide of rising corporate power by individual initiative. Through organized, grass roots efforts, the American people can restore and maintain a healthy democracy. They can fix the problem of "too much power and wealth in too few hands, leading the few to dominate the many."
Attention to one's duties as a citizen only takes a few hours every week, said Nader. And "it provides a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction."
Unfortunately, Americans often fall victim to what Nader calls "the rationalization of futility." They give reasons for not devoting energy to their civic duties. These include lack of time, ignorance of how to be an active citizen and fear of retaliation.
"These are not proper reasons in the land of the free and home of the brave," said Nader. America is a free country in which citizens have the right to organize and take political steps without fear of oppression. Failing to exercise that right could lead to its permanent loss. "Use it or lose it," Nader said.
Nader emphasized the need to become involved while still young because time slips by much faster than one expects. "Don't waste time," said Nader. "You'll lose your 20s, lots of young people do."
Nader suggested three ways students can become active citizens for democracy.
First, he called for the creation of a class on civic skills and democracy for university students. This class would teach students how to use the Freedom of Information Act, initiate referendums and lobby their government, among other things.
Second, he suggested students here form a chapter of the Indiana Public Interest Research Group, a group based in Indiana University-Bloomington.
"There are 20 states that have student public interest research groups. Some of them are the most powerful citizen groups in the state, like in New York and Massachusetts," said Nader.
A third suggestion made by the former presidential candidate was the formation of "Campus Greens," student organizations supporting the Green party in local, state and federal elections.
These suggestions have already led to some local action. After the speech, fliers were handed out enjoining students to meet together today from 4 until 5:30 p.m. in Northside Hall at IUSB to organize ways to make a difference in the community.
Also, directly following the speech, student groups at IUSB met with students from Notre Dame, including members of the Progressive Student Alliance (PSA), to discuss activism on both campuses.
Tony Kingsolver, a student at IUSB, looked forward to participating in the meetings following Nader's speech.
"I think it's going to be very positive," Kingsolver said. Nader's talk provided the right context for such a meeting, Kingsolver said. "I don't think many people know what Nader's all about until they come hear him."
Aaron Kreider, president of the PSA at Notre Dame, said, "Most people in our group would agree with Ralph Nader. They love the guy."
Other students in attendance found Nader to be a motivating speaker.
"He gets people off the couches," said John Jalkanen, a student at Indiana University-Bloomington. "He helps me realize I do need to stop talking so much and actually start doing something."
On an issue of some interest to Catholic social justice, Nader voiced support for a living wage during a press conference just before his speech. He expressed concern that the current minimum wage is $2.05 less in real purchasing power than the minimum wage in 1968, while per capita productive output has doubled since 1968.
"That's a pretty sad commentary on the nature of progress in a country with overall economic growth," he said.
Of all the solutions he's seen, Nader has found successful attempts by some cities to require that "any company that does business within the city has to pay [workers] a living wage."
He touched on many other issues during his 2-hour speech, including alternative energy sources, excessive defense spending, child poverty, universal health care and trade unions.
In many cases, Nader portrayed these issues as a battle between corporate interests and the interests of the people. For example, he suggested that solar energy possibilities have not been explored because no powerful group can profit from controlling the sun the way some corporations control fossil fuels. "Not even Exxon can eclipse the sun," he said.
Elected officials should be fighting for the people against concentrated corporate wealth and power on these issues, Nader said.
He criticized both the Democrats and the Republicans for failing to truly represent the people. In his characteristically irreverent and humorous style, he even went so far as to call President Bush "a gigantic corporation running for president disguised as a human being" and Gore a "sooth-saying serpent."
The Democrats and the Republicans are both controlled by corporate interests, according to Nader. As a result they are "morphing into one another."
The parties combined forces with each other and their corporate sponsors, through the Commission on Presidential Debates, to keep third-party candidates Nader and Buchanan out of the debates and the corresponding publicity, he said.
As far as prospects for the 2004 presidential election, Nader said it is too early to know if he will run. But he has been involved in building up the Green party in anticipation of the 2002 local, state and Congressional elections.
"We're having fundraisers at which all PAC's [political action committees], corporations and soft money are excluded," said Nader. "So we're just individuals contributing a few bucks to make this a grass roots party."
All News Stories for Monday, April 2, 2001
