|Aug. 8, 2008--While the
McCain-Obama race seems to have devolved into a series of charges and
countercharges, independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader has been
working to get on the ballot in a projected 45 states by the end of the
summer. The veteran consumer activist held a sparsely attended
press conference in which he called for ending "the failed war on
drugs" and launching a war on corporate crime.
Nader presented a twelve-point plan: increase corporate crime
prosecution budgets; ban corporate criminals from government contracts;
crack down on corporate tax avoidance; democratize corporate
governance; expand corporate disclosure; rein in excessive executive
pay; fix the pension system; restore the rights of defrauded investors;
regulate derivatives trading; end conflicts of interest on Wall Street;
track the extent and cost of corporate crime; and foster a national
discussion on corporate power.