[RE-wrenches]

[Jeffrey Wolfe, Global Resources]

Dear Mr. Nader:

Since I was a youth, I have respected your work in creating a better 
America. I have applauded and supported that work, and you have made the 
United States a better place. However, you now stand to erase many of your 
most important victories, and change your legacy from someone who has 
helped us, to someone who helped role back the clock on so many movements. 
Of course, I am speaking of the probability that your candidacy will result 
in G.W. Bush being elected president because you will take enough votes 
away from Al Gore.

Your campaign has been an inspiration, and your message has been heard far 
and wide. But now it is time to make sure that previous gains are not lost. 
It is time to withdraw from the race and strongly endorse Vice President 
Gore. The stakes are too high to act in any other manner. Consider the 
following:

THE ENVIRONMENT

As governor of Texas Bush has put the polluters in charge of the state's 
environmental program with the result that Texas is now an environmental 
disaster.  Although he doesn't dare articulate it during the campaign, the 
Republican agenda includes doing away with the Environmental Protection 
Agency.  If it's not eliminated completely it will be emasculated to the 
point where it exists in name only.

And in service of his major contributors, the Oil and Coal conglomerates, 
Bush and the Republicans will encourage oil exploration in environmentally 
sensitive areas and the burning of fossil fuels to produce electricity etc. 
 If you think global warming is bad now, just give a Bush administration a 
few years to pay of its debt to these special interests. And even without 
Global Warming, oil depletion is real. Rather than conserve and shepherd 
our stocks, Bush will use them at even higher rates than now. This will 
imperil our nation in just a few years, as we will quickly become even more 
dependent on Middle East oil.

And whether you want to admit it or not, Mr. Nader, Al Gore has been one of 
the strongest advocates for environmental protection.  He recognized the 
danger of global warming before most people had heard the term.  And he 
almost single handedly, and against the advice of all his political 
advisors, saved the Kyoto Accords.  But a rabid Republican Congress has 
blocked their implementation along with almost every other environmental 
effort put forth by the Clinton Administration.  You're correct. 
Clinton/Gore haven't got a lot done.  But if you'd been president these 
past eight years, neither would you.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM

You warn us of the growing power and influence of the corporations on our 
lives and our democracy yet you threaten to help defeat the only candidate 
with any chance of doing the one thing that will help solve this problem. 
 You know Bush and the Republicans will not support Campaign Finance 
Reform.  But Gore has promised that he will work with John McCain in his 
mission to bring about the reform we need.  Why on earth would you actively 
work to keep this from happening?

THE SUPREME COURT

Bush will appoint activist conservative judges who will actively seek to 
take away a woman's right to choose.

They will also support the corporate interests you have been so gallantly 
fighting against by promoting "tort reform" which, as you know, is another 
way to disempower the average citizen and take away his or her right to sue 
corporations who damage them or cause death.

And the Bush Supreme Court will be anti-environment and side with the 
exploiters and polluters who so willingly sacrifice the public health and 
safety on the alter of short term profit.

THE DEFICIT AND THE MIDDLE CLASS

While Gore intends to use the surplus to pay down the deficit, Bush plans 
to refund a large part of it to the wealthy.  He says it's their money and 
they should get it back.  Well, it's their deficit as well and they should 
help pay it off.

At this time the nation is almost five trillion six hundred billion dollars 
in the red.  That's $5,600,000,000,000.   Over the past ten years we have 
paid over three trillion dollars in interest.  This year we will pay an 
estimated three hundred and sixty-two billion dollars in interest.  That's 
$362,000,000,000, Mr. Nader.  About $1,400 for every man woman and child in 
this country.  Do you have any idea what that amount of money could do for 
the environment and health care and education if it was not being wasted on 
interest?

Next year we will pay even more.  And the years after that still more. And 
instead of paying down the deficit it will grow larger.  Why?  So Bill 
Gates and Paul Allen and all the other multimillionaires can have their 
much needed tax breaks.   And if Bush is elected and then inheritance tax 
is eliminated, the middle class will be asked to make up the hundreds of 
billions of dollars in those lost revenues as well.

SOCIAL SECURITY

You know Bush plans to divert hundreds of billions of dollars to Wall 
Street.  It seems like a great scheme while the market is going up as it 
has been for the past several years.  But what goes up also comes down. 
 While this risky scheme may put a few billion in the pockets of the 
brokers and underwriters, it will turn Social Security into Social 
Insecurity and endanger the retirement of many people who unfortunately 
don't have as much money as you do.

Mr. Nader, you have stated publicly that you would rather see Bush win than 
Gore.  You seem to believe that Bush will make things so bad that the 
country will rise up.  This reminds me of the days when doctors bled 
patients in order to cure them.  The problem was the patients often died 
from the treatment rather than the disease.

As someone who agrees with you on so many things and would love to see you 
continue your campaign to educate and enlighten us about the things for 
which you care so much, I ask you to do the right thing.  The election is 
too close and now is the time for you to throw your support behind Gore. 
 If you help Bush win you will have single handedly done more damage than 
any well meaning person could possible conceive of.  Please don't let this 
happen.

Sincerely,

Jeffery D. Wolfe
P.O. Box 51
Strafford, VT 05072


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