With a career as a consumer advocate, Ralph Nader’s views on selected issues can many times bridge the gaps between the major political parties. Such is the case on so-called "smart" meters. "[Utilities are] basically stripping individual citizens of what remains as consumers of control over their own lives… and putting it in the hands of Big Corporations backed by Big Government -- what the conservatives call crony capitalism."
by K.T. Weaver, for Take Back Your Power
Ralph Nader on 'smart' meters
“[Utilities are] basically stripping individual citizens of what remains as consumers of control over their own lives… and putting it in the hands of Big Corporations backed by Big Government — what the conservatives call crony capitalism.” – Ralph Nader

With a career as a consumer advocate, Ralph Nader’s views on selected issues can many times bridge the gaps between the major political parties.  Such is the case on so-called “smart” meters.

This article highlights a portion of a recent program on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour.  The program aired on Saturday, September 27, 2014, on KPFK in California.  About 15 minutes were devoted to the issue of “smart” meters, focusing primarily on the aspect of invasion of privacy.

What follows are selected quotes from Ralph Nader on the topic of utility smart meters, complete with two (2) audio files.  One 4-minute audio focuses primarily on the statements by Ralph Nader himself as a part of the radio program.  The second audio provides the entire 15-minute smart meter segment broadcast on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour.

Here are selected quotations from Ralph Nader expressing his viewpoint on the agenda behind “smart” meters:

“They also know when you are not at home and that is even a more serious leakage of information to a utility company that could be hacked or could have rogue elements who want to know when people are not at home for burglary or other purposes.”

“[Smart meters are] one of many examples of how the constitutional right to privacy which often is associated also with health, safety, security manifestations is being eroded, step by step, coercively.  It’s like they’re driving us into the credit economy instead of using a cash economy by actually penalizing people who use cash instead of a credit card or a debit card.  And when you add all this up, you’re basically stripping individual citizens of what remains as consumers of control over their own lives… and putting it in the hands of Big Corporations backed by Big Government – what the conservatives call crony capitalism.”

[T]he propaganda is overwhelmingly on one side.  Oh, here are the great benefits; they never mention the hazards.”

“It’s just one more step toward technological despotism that corporations and government collude under various false arguments… This does reduce the costs of the utility, but do they transform it into lower costs for the consumers?  There’s no evidence of that whatsoever.”

Nader’s entire 15-minute radio segment on “smart” meters:

The viewpoint expressed by Ralph Nader on the topic of smart meters is consistent with those viewpoints expressed at this website on many occasions. These viewpoints are not exaggerations of the facts.  Nader also talked about individuals reaching out to others “getting people to think about these things” to counteract the propaganda from the smart meter proponents.

With a consumer advocate like Ralph Nader on our side, hopefully more people will be inspired to work towards “taking back our power.”

Source Material for this Article Content:

Ralph Nader Radio Hour:
http://ralphnaderradiohour.libsyn.com/smart-meters-shaming-boehner-censored-stories

Take Back Your Power bolt - 100

About the Author

K.T. Weaver is a health physicist who was employed in the nuclear division of a leading electric utility for over 25 years.  He served in various positions, including Station Health Physicist, Senior Health Physicist, corporate Health Physics Supervisor, and corporate Senior Technical Expert for Radiobiological Effects.  K.T. has earned a B.S. in Engineering Physics and an M.S. in Nuclear Engineering with a specialty in radiation protection.  He operates the “SkyVision Solutions” website at www.skyvisionsolutions.org.

  • Nader is right and this does not even take into account the equally deleterious health effects the smart meters (and cell tower radiation) cause. Big corporations and big government (themselves also big corporations-see Dunn & Bradstreet) are absolutely out of control, and the merger of the two, by definition, is Fascism.

  • Excellent discussion on this topic.
    Is there anyway to find out if this gentleman Ken has a webpage so I can download and re-post his brochure?

  • When/ if the government ever acknowldges what scientists and researchers are trying to tell us–it will be after thousands more people are physically damaged from exposure to microwaves in the ambient environment. Anthropogenic levels are soaring and there is no prescident on how this will play out for us healhwise or genetically. Our kids are beingdamaged and nobody even blinks an eye. We are lsoing our privacy and nobody blinks an eye. We are slarady so entrapped by these devices tha twe can’t see what is directly in front of our eyes. It is like alcoholic drunk nd on the floor and has a thousand excusesfor why tht is—only not one of them is because he is an alcoholic. We are steeped in denial and we don’t care.

  • How do we get a copy of the leaflet they were talking about in the interview? What a great discussion, its really important this is raised in every country and community across the world. The Power companies need stopping.

  • i currently view the Not-so-smart Automated Meter Infrastructure through its non-thermal cancer causing activity as described in this document: http://images.edocket.azcc.gov/docketpdf/0000154321.pdf
    We all have the right to post documents on the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC).

    Arizona Public Service (APS) propaganda has been one-sided. It never mentions biological hazards. It seems to me that because of that, and because ‘smart’ meters are experimental in nature, there is no informed consent among the APS customer base. Anyone know of legal support for that?

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