It's not a criticism, it's an observation.
Unsafe at any time
Mike Cox

Ronald drove a Corvair in high school. It was the biggest piece of crap I ever rode in. The design was loosely based on the Volkswagen Beetle; a small, cute, economical ride. In reality it had all the bad things and none of the charm of the Bug.

A rear engine made it hard to control at speeds teenagers like to drive. The motor wasn't dependable. The back seat was incredibly small; a real minus on date night. Ronald must have done something really bad to be stuck with it.

Ralph Nader established his reputation by declaring to the world how dangerous the Corvair really was, and that Chevrolet knew it and did nothing. If Ralph had retired as the first consumer advocate at that point, today's world would be a better place.

But he didn't know when to stop. Nader became a celebrity, and the world changed because of his actions. And not in a good way. Today's abundance of unlimited warnings and catering to stupidity is a direct result of Nader's stubbornness.

Disclaimers are everywhere. We are warned that coffee is hot, auto sunscreens aren't to be left in place while driving, stunts in TV car commercials aren't real, and objects are closer than they appear.

Any new drug or food item lists all remotely conceivable possibilities, and any fun activity is frowned on because of the danger. To most of us, this is an irritant of major proportions. To some, it is a guidepost to their lives.

The dimwits among us have traditionally kept their numbers at an acceptable level by trying really stupid things and not surviving. Darwin called it natural selection. Now they are warned about such things as survive until adulthood, find mates, and reproduce. The result is a growing number of imbeciles on the planet. You see the signs every day. There's no reason to list them. My point is this is Ralph Nader's fault. And now he is running for president again.

I didn't have a problem when he ran in 2000. Pickin's were slim; none of us knew how slim until we endured the last seven years. But Ralph offered a choice for anyone tired of the mediocrity of the major parties.

In reality, he probably cost Al Gore the election. The highest court in the land had an assist, but Nader got enough votes to send it to the Supremes. It is poetic justice that Nader helped put Dick Chaney in charge of the U.S., and the idiots he kept alive over the years thought that was a good idea.

And now Ralph has announced his candidacy once again. Most voters laugh and write him off. But I still worry. He has power left.

As we stare slackjawed at round the clock Britney television news, see members of Congress investigating baseball players for lying, accept Lost and Norbit as entertainment, and nod in agreement as the executive branch tells us that eavesdropping on our phone calls will make us safe from terrorists, it is easy to see the legacy of Ralph Nader. I am a little afraid to underestimate him anymore.