Nader addresses throngs of students

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Ralph Nader is used to questions about running for president as an… ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Ralph Nader is used to questions about running for president as an Independent in a two-party system. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Least worst is no longer good enough for the American people,’ said Nader in a speech at Pitt last night. The politician is running as an independent for president this year and will be on Pennsylvania’s ballots Nov. 4. ‘ ‘ ‘ In anticipation of the election, more than 500 attendees packed David Lawrence Hall last night to hear Nader speak. To the right of the podium hung an American flag, the stars replaced by varied corporate logos. ‘ ‘ ‘ Free the Planet, Pitt’s environmental awareness student group, invited Nader to Pitt. ‘ ‘ ‘ First to speak was Pitt professor Titus North, the Green Party candidate for Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional District. He spoke on instituting a universal health care single-payer plan, ending the war in Iraq and investing in renewable energy. ‘ ‘ ‘ Nader began his speech by addressing his removal from the ballot in the 2004 presidential race. He said that he and ticket-mate Matt Gonzalez are on the ballot in Pennsylvania ‘fair and square in 2008,’ as well as in 44 other states. ‘ ‘ ‘ Regarding the 2000 election, Nader said that he was not the cause of Bush’s victory, but probably encouraged more voters to turn out than the number of voters by which Gore lost to Bush. ‘ ‘ ‘ He opposed the increased influence of corporations in U.S. government from a corporation’s constitutional rights, which are similar to individuals’ constitutional rights and proposed a repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act, which limits union powers. ‘ ‘ ‘ On foreign policy, Nader proposed a peace agreement to end the war in Iraq within six months and to enact a two-nation plan to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict. He also called for a reduction of the military budget. ‘ ‘ ‘ Nader later called for greater civic involvement of the American people. He said that the two-party system in the United States is serving ‘corporate paymasters.’ He also berated the system for being closed off to third-party candidates, making it very difficult for any competition to enter the race. ‘ ‘ ‘ He attacked his opponents, calling Sen. John McCain ‘a political coward’ and saying that Sen. Barack Obama is moving too far to the right because he incorrectly assumes that he still holds his voter base. ‘ ‘ ‘ Matt Marks, a sophomore, said of Nader’s two-nation proposal, ‘I didn’t know his views were that black and white.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Lissa Geiger, president of the College Democrats, said, ‘I think that he’s just looking for a place to speak … I don’t think he’s trying to be a spoiler.’ Pitt junior Maggie Adams agreed. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘[He’s] trying to raise awareness for the issues the other candidates are glossing over,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ The College Republicans could not be reached for comment. ‘ ‘ ‘ Other presidential ballot contenders, Libertarian candidate Bob Barr, Republican John McCain and’ Democrat Barack Obama, have not made appearances at Pitt since the primary election cycle.