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Show i THE VOICE OF BUSINESS Leopolds never j change heir spot It's been so long since I've heard anything about Ralph Nader that frankly frank-ly I was getting a little concerned something might have happened to America's favorite super-consumer. When we last looked, Ralph was busy organizing what he probably thought would be his most definitive assault yet on American corporationsBig Business Day. Unfortunately, despite all his personal efforts, and sacrifice, and pleading and propaganda, the big day was something of a fiasco. It fizzled and flopped. The good news is Ralph apparently emerged unscathed from that disaster and is busy preparing a brand new venture. ven-ture. In fact, this time around he is going go-ing to turn the tables and actually do something for business. I gleaned this little piece of intelligence from a special dispatch in The New York Times, which announced Mr. Nader will be holding a special conference in Washington on May 18, to teach cor-' cor-' porations how to hold down their legal fees, because, in his words, "they have gone through the ceiling." How touching! The very individual who has single-handedly pushed for so many of the regulations that caused companies to hire more and more lawyers will now instruct any executive-for only $150, mind you-how to cut the fat from his or her legal expenses. ex-penses. In his interview with the Times, Mr. Nader revealed the stunning sweep of his economic insights by pointing out that business "passes the buck to the consumer" every time it raises prices to make up for the billions of dollars it spends in legal fees. Well I'll be darned! His solution? I certainly wouldn't want to let the cat out of the bag and risk spoiling Ralph's conference, but I think I have a pretty good idea what he won't be telling his paying corporate guests. Chances are no one will hear Ralph support the President's plan to terminate all federal funding and authority for the Legal Service Corp. LSC. That's the organization which supposedly pays some 9,000 professionals profes-sionals in over 300 offices around the country to provide legal counseling to poor people who want to sue or are being be-ing sued. In reality, however, the organization functions as a kind of an enormous CETA program for aspiring young lawyers determined to wage ifc; war on private enterprise. As Lambro noted in his excefc "Fat City: How Washington i Your Taxes," legal services iir ment paternalism at its worst assumes the poor will always re. their disadvantaged state in r provide employment for a c-government c-government paid attorneys r ready to litigate at the dropofi. Some examples: In Massac. LSC attorneys lobbied for a ;. come tax and challenged test terviews of 15,000 welfare nc the purpose of which was to : fraud. In California, LSC la: bied to prevent research interns: prove agricultural producti might have meant a loss ok migrant fruit pickers. Unfortunately, Ralph Nai friends are very supportive oft vices, so his prospective is: guests shouldn't look for mut from that particular headaci come to think of it, should pr their breath waiting for Mr.fe denounce any of the regular doggies he supports that tavt-1 so much litigation for corporal: the years. That includes Kiting Ki-ting defense of one of his far.': the automobile air bag. Back in 1979, the General to -Office estimated the air tag $850 if installed in 1982 cars be , unless, of course, it is ' misfires, in which case it -: $2,100 to replace. GAO also :.v air bag was not nearly as Nader and others claimed, si deploys in frontal collisions But you see, while system nouncing any of us who oncost on-cost or value of certain reguu----Nader has invariably m. most expansive estimate ' benefits himself. That s his upcoming conference real cause of mushrcomi. litigation fees, and instead. on convincing his Pf', their own regulation of m activities. In fact, it's very ungj people will even attend lto; The few that do may weje Nader is a man whose tu and gone. |