End the violence of white-collar crime, says Nader

Fill prisons with corporate criminals instead of non-violent drug offenders, said presidential candidate Ralph Nader at a press briefing at the Nader Gonzalez campaign headquarters. Nader called for a reversal of the War on Drugs, which unfairly targets minorities and the poor.

"Nader-Gonzales would shift the billions saved from the War on Drugs to a war on corporate crime," said Nader

Thousands of Americans die or are injured each year because of "preventable corporate violence," Nader said. 56,000 Americans die each year because of work-related diseases such as black lung and asbestosis.

Unlike presidential candidates Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Az.), Nader has a comprehensive plan to combat corporate crime and violence, according to Nader. With 2.1 million prisoners, the United States accounts for one-fourth of the world's prison population.

Nader's "12-point program" would increase power and resources for the Internal Revenue Service to chase down tax avoiders, grant shareholders of corporations the right to nominate and elect the board of directors, and impose a separation of commercial and investment banking services, which would prevent "conflicts of interest among financial entities." Nader's plan also asks publicly-traded corporations to unveil their tax returns to the public.

In 2004, Nader wrote a letter to President Bush asking him to grant clemency to 30,000 non-violent drug offenders incarcerated in American prisons. The letter recalled President Bush's use of cocaine and posited that if Bush had been imprisoned for his substance abuse, he would not have had such a successful career, Nader said.

Obama campaign: McCain misinformed

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain’s position on the preservation of the Florida Everglades was discussed by former Senator Bob Graham (D-Fla.) during an Obama for America conference call. Graham said that the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) had not been passed since 2000 and that years without funding threatened to cause further harm to the Everglades and southern Florida.

WRDA was passed into law despite a presidential veto and a no-vote from McCain. According to Graham, McCain voted against WRDA, believing it to be an appropriations bill. He said that WRDA is in fact not an appropriations bill but that projects now qualify for appropriations after its enactment. The act intends to sustain the Everglades over the next twenty to thirty years. Funds are shared evenly by the federal government and the State of Florida. .

Graham said that Sen. McCain’s disapproval of WRDA shows that his views are out of sync with a large number of floridians, saying that environmental concerns consistently rank high among voters’ issues in the state. Graham emphasized that growth into the Everglades threatens 40 percent of floridians’ fresh water sources. According to Graham, the Everglades are currently in a state of jeopardy, causing him to question whether Sen. McCain is concerned with issues important to Florida’s voters.

Foreigners make US more secure

International education’s importance to national security was discussed by foreign policy advisers to the three presidential candidates at a conference held by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Advisers alluded to many foreign policy topics but the majority of the discussion centered on education. Advisers stressed the need to increase study abroad opportunities for American students.

Panelists said that increasing the number of international students studying in the United States would not only help to mend its image in the world but that increased international interactions would also help to maintain the United States’ security. Denis McDonough of Obama for America said that drawn out background checks cause the United States to be viewed as unfriendly and withdrawn.

Richard Fontaine of John McCain for President explained Sen. McCain’s (R-Ariz.) proposal to mandate study abroad programs for students at the United States’s military academies. Fontaine noted the lack of knowledge within the US military of languages like Arabic and Pashto. Mara Rudman of Hillary for President said that a grasp of other cultures is critical, adding that President Bush and Sen. McCain have failed in the past to fully understand Iraq.