Ralph Nader: “Smart meters a step toward technological despotism”

by K.T. Weaver, for Take Back Your Power

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.”

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.”

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.