Ralph Nader Writes a Novel - Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us

In his book, Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us, Ralph Nader takes on the corporate state in the form of a utopian novel. Nader's concern that the mismatch between the corporate dominated government and the needs of the people are deteriorating American society. The new novel is Ralph Nader's answer to The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, the famous novels of Ayn Rand who claimed "altruism is deadly, compassion is lethal."

Nader imagines a group of older super-rich Americans who, past the accumulation of wealth stage of their lives, decide they want to make some kind of significant contribution to their country. He uses real people to populate the plot including Warren Buffet, Phil Donahue, Bill Cosby, Yoko Ono, Ross Perot, Ted Turner, and (the now deceased) Paul Newman.

The group believes that America had been robbed of its democratic birthright and that corporate power has turned the United States into a plutocracy. Confident that having an in-depth understanding of their adversary, they will be able to redirect social-political-economic progress.

Pivitol points in their plan include an improvement of fuel, health care, and housing costs as well as the establishment of a real living wage for all working Americans.

In order to achieve their goals, the group realizes that they need to counter the power of corporate lobbyists and gain influence over Congress. Mass media can be addressed, they feel, through funding as they pool their significant wealth. Right wing talk show hosts are distracted with decoy issues such as the suggestion that we change the National Anthem from the Star Spangled Banner to America the Beautiful and rewrite the Pledge of Allegiance to "with liberty and justice for some." The right wing talk show hosts take the bait and run with it.

While the noisier factions of the right are horrified that the suggested last line of the Pledge of Allegiance actually gains popularity, the group realizes that they need to alter the poverty of the justice movement.

They buy local banks, small insurance companies, and small businesses to create a sustainable sub-economy in order to counteract the power of the corporate megalith. New small business groups establish trade associations and crate a mascot to represent their ideals through TV ads and other mass media outlets.

People are mobilized by large, urban, lunch time rallies, parades, and solar energy festivals. As the new movement gains momentum, the two forces collide as the the energy of a few, idealistic super-rich create a political battle between factions representing the corporate state and the justice movement, representing the needs of the people.

On a book tour for Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us, Ralph Nader begins his talk in his famous dry style. But as his talk progresses, Nader gradually becomes animated,punctuating the summery of a serious yet playful idea with wit and humor. The audience of admirers interrupt his talk with laughter and applause.

At the book talk that I attended, one man asked in an aggressive tone, "How much money do you make?"

As highlighted in the novel, it's not how much money you make but what you do with your wealth and the power that wealth conveys upon people in leadership roles.

According to an article in the New York Times, data shows that the wealthiest 300,000 Americans earned almost as much money as the bottom 150 million Americans. Per person, the highest earning group received 440 X as much as the average person on the bottom half.

Nancy Birdsall founding president of the Center for Global Development points out that a certain economic disparity is healthy for a stable society. Constructive inequality of wealth distribution encourages growth and benefits the common good. But, she points out, that destructive inequality is inefficient, constrains growth, and contributes to civil unrest.

How can democracy function when corporate power holds dominion over all? Robert D. Kaplan pointed out that 500 of the world's largest corporations account for 70% of world trade.

In his novel, Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us, Ralph Nader points out the dangers of economic disparity and the increasing power of corporate America. He suggests that in order for the United States to survive as the democracy that is our birthright, a downsizing of corporate power is a necessity.

In Crashing the Party - Taking on the Corporate Government in an Age of Surrender, Ralph Nader claims that the US has allowed business interests too much say in local, state, and federal government. The huge lobbying industry has increased the power of corporations to the detriment of the average American

In Direct Democracy - What if the People Ran the Country, Ralph Nader calls upon American citizens to regain control of the United States and allow the country to become a nation of self government by the people, for the people, and of the people.