In front of an audience of students, activists and curiosity seekers, Ralph Nader, legendary consumer advocate and presidential candidate, made a rousing speech via telephone denouncing the National Governors' Association and corporations.

The Nader teleconference was part of weekend activities set up in conjunction with Redirection 2000, the student-led people's conference in response to closed meetings of the NGA.

For 25 minutes, the large crowd of spectators listened to the robust voice of Nader ringing from a lone speaker hanging high overhead in Osmond Lab. In a short amount of time, the presidential nominee addressed a wide range of issues including campaign finance, corporate interference in government, citizenship and the death penalty.

Nader began his speech focusing on the corruption of governors in the NGA and the large corporate presence at the annual meeting.

"The National Governors' Association is only open to businesses which can pay for the ticket to enter," Nader said. "The governors should be representing the people first, not corporate lobbying. They should banish the massive corporate presence that exposes too many of these governors for what they really are which are cronies of corporate power."

After speaking of corporate corruption, Nader went on to speak about corruption in the electoral process and balloting. Currently, Pennsylvania has some of the toughest balloting laws in the country, making it difficult for any third party presidential party candidate to get on the ballot.

Another problem Nader spoke of the lack of publicly financed campaigns. The Green Party has denounced the use of "soft money" in political campaigns and is determined to run its campaign only through public sponsorship.

"We have public schools that are publicly financed, public parks that are publicly financed, but we don't have public elections that are publicly financed," Nader said. "The two major parties have had their day. It is time for a fresh and clean political move."

At the end of the speech, Nader talked about the state of the prison systems in the nation and the lack of rehabilitation offered in jail. He said prisons are a breeding ground for criminals to learn their trade and suggest few solutions to habitual criminal activity.

Nader also dealt with issues of the death penalty and the lack of the governors addressing the issue. During the entire weekend meetings at the NGA, the death penalty did not appear on any formal agendas despite large protest movements outside the convention.

"I urge them (the governors) to have the guts if they favor the death penalty for themselves to apply either lethal injection or pull the switch if it is electrocution," Nader said. "The governors must recognize that the death penalty is a racist policy aimed at the poor and minorities who can't afford legal council."

John Stith, Pennsylvania Green Party Petitioning Coordinator, spoke of the impact he hopes Nader will have on the presidential elections in the Fall.

"Nader is running to win," Stith said. "We want to have an effect on what Bush and Gore are saying in their campaigns.

Other members of the audience expressed interest in the Nader campaign and the effect he could have on the elections.

"Nader serves as a role model of action and people sick of the two-party system," said Garrett Fitzgerald (senior-environmental engineering), former president of the Undergraduate Student Government.