Minneapolis, MN: Ralph Nader Oct 31
News Advisory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ryan Mehta, 202-471-5833, rmehta@votenader.org (national);
RALPH NADER TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE AND RALLY IN MINNEAPOLIS, MN FRIDAY, OCT 31
WHO: Ralph Nader
WHAT: Press Conference and Rally
WHEN: Friday, Oct. 31 at 6:30 and 7 p.m., respectively
WHERE: 220 Blegan Hall, 269 19th Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (press conference); University of Minnesota, Willey Hall- Room 175, 225 19th Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (rally)
On Friday, October 31 at 6:30 p.m., consumer advocate and independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader will hold a press conference at 220 Blegan Hall, 269 19th Ave. South followed by a 7 p.m. rally at the University of Minnesota, Willey Hall- Room 175, 225. Mr. Nader will speak on a variety of topics including the economic crisis, the fraudulent Commission on Presidential Debates which excludes alternative voices from participating, and other pressing issues especially pertinent to Minnesota residents.
The Nader/Gonzalez campaign opposes the use of public money to construct sports facilities like the new Twins’ Baseball stadium in Hennepin County. The facility will cost $522 million with 75% of the total ($392 million) paid by taxpayers via a sales tax increase (0.15% in Hennepin County and 0.5% in Minneapolis proper). Although a 1997 law requires local sales tax increases to be approved by the public through referendum, an exemption was granted by the legislature without public vote due to the "time critical nature" of stadium’s construction (the Twins’ lease at the Metrodome was on the verge of expiration and management had indicated they would move the team without a new stadium).
The Nader/Gonzalez campaign also opposes the use of coal power and supports the development of sustainable energies including solar and wind. That is why the Nader/Gonzalez campaign stands staunchly against the proposed $1.6 billion Big Stone II 600 MW coal plant that will drain 3.2 billion gallons of water from the Minnesota River, and emit 4.7 million metric tons of greenhouse gases every year. For a region in the sweet spot of America’s wind belt, and an increasingly carbon constrained world, it doesn’t make sense for Minnesotans to make long-term and hefty financial commitments to yesterday’s dirty way of producing electricity in, even in nearby states. There is no such thing as clean coal. That is the imagination of the Coal Institute.
Mr. Nader will also speak on the significance of a recent poll conducted in August by Minnesota Public Radio that found that 77 percent of the state’s likely voters say they would consider voting for an independent or third-party candidate. This astounding figure highlights the publics dissatisfaction and distrust with the two-party duopoly and its stranglehold on the American political system. Mr. Nader will highlight the crucial role of independent and third-party candidates in American history and the tremendous accomplishments they’ve achieved in their struggles to end slavery and give women the right to vote.
Mr. Nader will also address other critical issues the major party candidates have taken "off the table" that the Nader/Gonzalez Campaign has put on the table, including:
- a comprehensive, six-month negotiated military and corporate withdrawal date from Iraq;
- a single-payer, private delivery, free-choice public health insurance system for all;
- a living wage and repeal of the anti-union Taft-Hartley Act;
- a no-nuke, solar-based energy policy supported by renewable, sustainable, energy-efficient sources;
- a carbon tax to deter global warming and a Wall Street securities derivatives tax to pay for the Washington bailout of Wall Street;
- an end to the corporate welfare and corporate crime waves that have resulted in millions losing pensions, savings and jobs and squandered tax dollars;
- a major public works jobs program to repair America’s schools, clinics, public transit, bridges, drinking water & sewage treatment systems paid for by reducing the bloated, wasteful military budget and ending corporate subsidies; and,
- more direct democracy reflecting the preamble to our constitution which starts with "we the people," and not "we the corporations."
About Ralph Nader
Attorney, author, and consumer advocate Ralph Nader has been named by Time Magazine one of the "100 Most Influential Americans in the 20th Century." For more than four decades he has exposed problems and organized millions of citizens into more than 100 public interest groups advocating solutions. He led the movement to establish the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and was instrumental in enacting the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and countless other pieces of important consumer legislation. Because of Ralph Nader we drive safer cars, eat healthier food, breathe better air, drink cleaner water, and work in safer environments. Nader graduated from Princeton University and received an LL.B from Harvard Law School.
About the Nader/Gonzalez Campaign
The Nader/Gonzalez independent presidential candidacy will be on the ballot in 45 states, is polling at 5-6 percent nationally, and despite being excluded from the presidential debates,* a recent Time/CNN poll shows Ralph Nader polling 8 percent in New Mexico, 7 percent in Colorado, 7 percent in Pennsylvania, and 6 percent in Nevada — all key battleground states.
For more information on the Nader/Gonzalez campaign, visit: votenader.org.
*National polls since 2000 have a majority of Americans wanting Ralph Nader on these debates.
-End-
