When I saw Ralph Nader speak it changed my entire political life. I remember it being in the spring of my senior year in high school, and he was speaking at Northern Michigan University. Before I went to see him speak I had no clue who he even was. I just remember finishing up my track workout as quickly as possible, showering, slapping a peanut butter and jelly sandwich together for my dinner, and running out the door with my mom and one of her good friends named Donna. On the way there, while eating my PB and J, I learned that he was a third party candidate that had actually gained a lot of public support during the 2000 Presidential election.

I knew that something was up the moment we arrived. Not only was the room almost packed for a good half an hour before his speech even started, but a good majority of the people waiting anxiously for him to come on stage were young college students who looked like they belonged back in the sixties. The room was full of people who looked natural and down to earth. I felt like they were all my kind of people, and I was thrilled to be sitting among so many young activists.

When Ralph finally came up on stage I remember thinking that he looked like a good President would look. He spoke to the audience like we were reasonable adults, not children, which was refreshing. His words didn�t contain just more of the same patriotic gibberish that so often seems to come out of President�s and Presidential candidate�s mouths these days. They were actually true and full of meaning.

In short, his speech was fascinating. I was amazed by what was going on in my country, and, in fact, still is today. I had never once before been told about the corporate influence in the government. I had never been told about just how lawless the war in Iraq really was. I had never been told how outrageously much money goes into the military these days, and how pathetically little goes into education. Before Ralph�s speech I didn�t even realise the need for more than two political parties in America. When his speech was finished I wanted him to keep going. I wanted to find out more. I remember it being very late at night after a long day full of school and a gruelling track workout, and yet I didn�t care. I was so very interested in what that man had to say.

I woke up the next morning as an independent. No longer was I subscribing my beliefs to either the Republican or the Democratic Party. It felt good to be suddenly so educated.

So just who is Ralph Nader? Well, for a brief biography, Ralph attended both Princeton and Harvard, obtaining degrees in government and economics. He is most greatly known for his achievements in consumer rights. In the 1960s he brought to light the fact the auto industries were producing very unsafe cars, and helped to pass legislation to make cars safer. He also played a key role in the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Freedom of Information Act, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. He has continued to work for consumer safety and for the reform of the political system through his group Public Citizen.

Ralph has been criticizing the bipartisan system of the United States for some time now for being far too dependent on wealthy campaign finance contributors. He decided to do something about this, and in 1996 ran for President himself as an independent. He didn�t campaign very much, and didn�t receive much of the vote. In 2000 he ran for President again, but this time got the word out, and an amazingly large amount of people voted for him. He won three percent of the national vote, a substantial amount in such a close election. Many people saw an element of sense in the Nader campaign that didn�t exist in the campaigns of either Bush or Gore. Nader was fighting for the rights of the citizen. He grew up in a normal family and made it through school because he was smart and worked hard, not because his parents were rich.

Ralph is currently running for president again this year as an independent candidate. To find out more about his campaign visit http://www.votenader.org/. In my opinion, any citizen who would like to have their values represented will vote for him. Both the Democrats and the Republicans have proved in previous years that they aren�t working for the average citizen, but for their wealthy corporate sponsors.

Anyway, Ralph Nader gets crowned as the Person of the Issue because he has inspired me. I hope to follow in his footsteps in inspiring others and bringing justice back into the United States government. He has done so much good for this country that part of me is scared to think what we would be like today without him. Congratulations Ralph, you deserve it!

Pumpkin webzine wishes all the best to Ralph in his presidential campaign this year. If you don�t live in a controversial state, like, for example, if you live in Michigan where John Kerry is going to win by a landslide, consider voting for Nader. He can use all of the support he can get! I, personally, will never again be voting for a Republican or a Republican Wannabe, ahem, er, I mean Democrat, so Ralph has got this educated citizen's vote all the way!