In these pages, Nader takes on corporate-occupied Washington while holding both parties' feet to the fire with his straight talk about Bush, corporate government and politics as usual.
In an era when politicians sell us rhetoric and then sell out our principles, Nader stands out as a crucial voice of candor. This book is a call to action that will captivate readers of all political stripes and help us define what we must do to shape the brightest future for our nation.
A rousing nationwide call to reclaim civic values from the man shaking up the 2004 Presidential election
THE GOOD FIGHT
Declare Your Independence & Close the Democracy Gap
RALPH NADER
Why can’t millions of citizens remove Congress from the grip of 1,500 large corporations? Why are so many people struggling to make ends meet, stay out of debt, and work against the odds of layoffs and outsourcing in the world’s wealthiest nation?
Activist, visionary, and the Independent candidate for president of the United States this coming November, Ralph Nader challenges citizens across America to ask themselves these and many other tough questions—and to take action to hold our government accountable for answers—in THE GOOD FIGHT: Declare Your Independence & Close the Democracy Gap (ReganBooks, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; July 6, 2004; $25.95 Hardcover).
With incisive intelligence and unflinching candor, Nader cuts to the heart of what’s wrong in a country where big business outranks the democratic process in matters of living wages, universal health care, tax reform, environmental protection, consumer safety, civil rights, criminal wrongs, and national security. He chronicles the misbehavior of Republicans, Democrats, and the Fortune 500 and assigns personal responsibility to the perpetrators. True to his reputation as an effective force for change, Nader also makes clear that we, the people, from Maine to Florida, from California to Alaska, have the power to make America better—but are overwhelmingly sacrificing its virtues to our own apathy. “Our lack of civic motivation is the greatest problem facing the country today,” Nader asserts.
While aiming to stimulate “civic-get-up-and-go,” THE GOOD FIGHT provokes righteous outrage over the rampant crimes and injustices of our corporate-dominated government. For starters, Nader takes a hard look at consumer fraud, including deceptive promotions targeting children; the toll of white-collar corruption and felonies; tax breaks to benefit the rich, increasing the burden on the working class; and Washington’s skewed priorities and foreign policy follies. Along the way, he highlights many appalling facts of politics, business, and life in the USA. Here are a few to ponder, to quote Ralph Nader:
- “Why should the Treasury write out virtual checks, called tax credits, in the millions of dollars to Microsoft, a company which had $62 billion in cash in the bank in Spring 2004? The fact that Microsoft was judged in federal court to be a monopolist should have disqualified it from receiving welfare.”
- “McDonald’s for years received taxpayer subsidies to promote the company overseas as a part of a foreign marketing access program. Marriott, Intel, and other companies receive local tax abatements and other facilities. On April 15th they should recognize the contribution by taxpayers to their profits. They’ve got the restaurants and the ballrooms to accommodate smashing appreciation parties in hometown America. Ronald McDonald can be the Master of Ceremonies.”
- “According to the pathetically outdated U.S. Department of Labor’s definition, in America you are no longer poor if you are a family with Mom and Dad and two children making $19,000 gross a year (before deductions and before the expenses of daycare and just getting to work, expenses such as another used car, repairs, and insurance policy).”
Nader also squarely confronts the costs of the war on terror—beyond bleeding our public budgets to over-militarize our foreign policy. He contends: “George W. Bush repeatedly raises the specter of terrorism to chill dissent, to stifle or co-opt the Democratic Party, to distract from domestic necessities, and to favor his corporate buddies with profitable contracts.”
Much more purposeful than a polemic, THE GOOD FIGHT is filled with inspiring examples of what independent thinking, high expectations, community spirit, and renewed citizen action can do for our country. Nader hails the courageous works and positive gains of sundry activist groups and individuals, including lawyers and members of the media. He concludes with words of encouragement and clear-eyed guidance for the conscious voter. “All in all, it takes a little work and some time to become a super-voter, impervious to manipulation by politicians who intend to flatter, fool, and flummox,” Nader allows. “But I dare suggest that this education can also be fun, that the pursuit of justice can offer great benefits to the pursuit of happiness, and that such civic engagement will help Americans today become better ancestors for tomorrow’s descendants”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RALPH NADER has founded or organized more than one hundred civic organizations. Through his mammoth network of groups, he has made an impact on freedom to obtain government information, tax reform, atomic power regulation, the tobacco industry, renewable energy, clean air and water, food and drug safety, auto safety, safety in the workplace, access to healthcare, civil rights, civil justice, Congressional ethics, corporate reform, and worker rights. His previous books include In Pursuit of Justice and Crashing the Party. The Independent candidate for President in the 2004 elections, he lives in Washington, D.C.
THE GOOD FIGHT
Declare Your Independence & Close the Democracy Gap
By Ralph Nader
July 6, 2004
$25.95 / $39.95 (Can.)
294 pages
ISBN: 0-06-075604-7
Published by Regan Books, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Nader also highlights the ways marketplace predators try to flatter, flummox and fool consumers with his “Ten Simple Ways to Shaft Yourself as a Consumer” checklist.
