Why I will vote for Ralph Nader

September 27, 2008 by Curt Siters

Since 1980 when the actor Ronald Reagan was elected to the presidency the somewhat prophetic lines of a song by Creedence Clearwater Revival have come true - “actors in the white house.” The Republican Party, which I was a member of for years, has had considerable control of the government.

President Jimmy Carter tried to start us on the road to energy independence in the 1970’s by trying to get Congress to invest in alternative energy. He even installed solar panels on the White House. Reagan put the end to that within months after being elected. Since then our dependence on foreign supplies of oil have grown. John McCain says he is a maverick and wants us to become free of foreign energy. I don’t see it. If he was he should have been seriously pushing for our independence, not just from overseas sources of oil but domestic as well since he first went to Washington 20 some years ago.

Where were McCains cries in the last 20 years as workers wages decreased and corporate profits, as well as CEO salaries, skyrocketed? Where was he as American Jobs were outsourced and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans have lost everything because they couldn‘t afford health care?

I see John McCain as a war hero that was denied victory and is hell bent on achieving it now.

For the last 20 years I have not voted for a Republican or a Democrat because as I see it both parties are dividing the U.S. and separating us from the rest of the world. I am not for a world government. I am for cooperation between nations. I don’t believe in a one, or two, party system which is why I vote third party. I would feel much better with a 5 or 6 party system.

I still feel that way, I feel that at the present time it is more important to bring and end to our current tribulations. One way to do that is to break the strangle hold the two party system has on this country. If you are dissatisfied with the government - vote for a third party candidate. Send a real message to the folks in Washington. The approval ratings for Congress and the Presidency are at all time lows. Why keep sending the same people back? Why send the same 2 parties back? If they aren’t doing the job we elect them to do why put up with it?

Barak Obama almost won out in my opinion. I don’t like his sponsoring a bill that would make vaccinations mandatory even though there is no evidence they work - just the say so of the pharmaceutical industry. That is just an example. I do believe he will end the war in Iraq (which by the way just signed an agreement with China for oil worth approximately $3Billion. So much for Iraqi oil revenues paying for our war.

However, even though I said I would vote for him when he spoke at the last DNC, something has gotten under my skin about him. Maybe he has gotten a bit to politicky for me in the last few years. I dunno. If he does win he has one hell of a job a head of him - as would any other candidate except McCain.

Ralph Nader. With Ralph Nader you know where he stands as he has stood there all his life. He has been on the side of the working man. How many of you remember that he is the one that has saved countless lives by getting the government to get on the auto manufacturers to install seatbelts, and airbags, in cars? That is just one of the things he has done for the average person. Read more about what he has done in “An Unreasonable Man” by Independent Lens.

Naders Raiders worked for decades on our behalf, most often with little or no thanks. He has become much maligned by both political parties and is despised by a lot of companies. He is not against business. He just wants corporations to play by the rules and to level the field between us citizens and the corporate world.

Visit Ralph Nader's website.