Word: nadering
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...easy target for critics, it is not so much because the proposal is without merit as that its proponents have promised too much. The consumer movement has taken on all of the characteristics of a religious crusade, and the consumer protection agency has become its Holy Grail. Ralph Nader and his followers--who see thalidomide behind every drug counter and carcinogens in every can of deodorant--have promised unrealistic benefits from a proposal that would, in reality, be an imperfect solution to the problem of adequately representing the interest of the consumer in the government proceedings. The unfortunate result...
...course, in many cases this assumption is unjustified. Consumers have many interests, some of which are mutually exclusive; for instance, there is often a trade-off between low prices and safety. How the agency would strike an appropriate balance between these conflicting values is a mystery to everyone but Nader, who seems to have an opinion on everything, and to believe that his views and those of the "consumer" are necessarily one and the same. Moreover, there is a question as to whether the consumer's narrow economic interest is always consonant with the public interest. The objective consumer interest...
...hires and by the forces outside of the agency that seek to influence it. Just as existing regulatory agencies are influenced by the businesses they regulate and by interested independent interest groups, so will an Agency for Consumer Protection be influenced by its own constituency, whether it be Nader's Raiders, the Consumers' Union, or the Daughters of the American Revolution. Some group undoubtedly will influence the way in which any consumer agency defines the consumer interest; the problem, critics argue, is that until the agency is set up, no one can be sure who the influential group will...
...WORST THING that critics can say about the consumer agency is that it might not do everything that Nader says it will do. They may be right, but that still leaves room for positive accomplishments. The proposal is worth a try, especially if enacted with a "sunset" clause calling for the abolition of the agency after three years unless Congress takes positive action to renew its charter. This would eliminate the problem created by agencies that have outlived their usefulness, but that cannot be scuttled because they have acquired a few friends and no enemies...
...blew into Cambridge from Southern California with its blistering fields and union speeches, he was all set to bring the workers' revolt to the Yard. Then he met his roommates--an obnoxious Jewish debater from the area who didn't know a thing about Cesar Chavez but knew Ralph Nader was gong to make Aermica safe for democracy, and a completely apolitical Indian chemistry major from Pennsylvania who liked to lift weights and root for the bad guyson the T.V. wrestling matches. The wind may not have gone all the way out of Paco's sails, but the tide...