"Jail time, not bail time:"

On Friday night, Independent Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader brought his fight for office to Buffalo.

Standing at an altar in Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church on Elmwood Avenue, Nader addressed local voters about his national campaign and incorporated talking points on national issues including the Wall Street bailout, health care and the Iraq War.

The government needs to reform the $700 billion bailout package, Nader said, because the bailout is completely socialist.

"Capitalism will always survive, because socialism will save it," Nader said. "The corporate crime wave in this country must be confronted by a large measure of law and order."

Nader strongly disagrees with the government using taxpayers' dollars to save big companies.

"Humans are given rights, not corporations. Corporations should be stripped of all rights given to them by the government...nowhere in the constitution does it mention the word 'corporation,'" Nader said.

According to Nader, he was alone in confronting the corporations that rip off consumers, jeopardize public safety and harm the environment. He believes that legislation needs to regulate the "corporate crooks" and offer "jail time, not bail time."

The presidential hopeful plans on rebuilding the Western New York economy by starting a massive public works program that would improve public facilities like schools, parks and drinking water systems.

Money for the program will come from decreased government spending with a withdrawal from troops from Iraq.

Nader also plans on adding to the nation's budget by creating new technology industries that can rejuvenate areas with economic troubles.

In Western New York, Nader plans on investing in alternate energy technologies including wind farms and solar power. This would help keep the environment clean as well as increase employment and boost the economy, he said.

Other plans to help the economy include initiating taxes hikes to make wealthier Americans and big corporations pay more.

Nader said his tax agenda differs from Obama's and McCain's. He wants to increase taxes on cigarettes and gambling. He is the only candidate who plans on taxing corporations for carbon pollution.

Foreign policy with China is another issue where Nader stands alone in the run for presidency, he said. Putting the policy simply, Nader said that until China has stricter health and safety standards for their products and employees, he would ban all trade with them.

At the news conference, Nader spoke about plans to help the country's college students by expanding grant systems and providing more student loans.

"The longer range is to move toward Western Europe, which is essentially tuition-free university education only in public universities," Nader said.

Universal health care, free public universities, good public transit, free daycare, paid maternity leave and four weeks paid vacation are benefits available to all citizens in other countries that Nader believes should be gratis to Americans.

Nader said our country spends more money on health care than Canada and Switzerland and that he is dismissing the propaganda of big companies that say universal health care would be too expensive.

During the conference, Nader discussed the differences between political and personal freedoms to explain that the two-party system does not offer voters much of a choice, adding that elections for prime minister are typically between six candidates.

"I believe highly in a three-party system, if not more . . ." said Josh Boyle, a Buffalo State College student. "I think that Ralph Nader deserves my time and my energy. I think he's worth listening to."

Nader attributed the lack of media attention to his campaign to a doubt in his chances of winning. Although this is his fourth race for the presidency, Nader is not looking to win as much as he is looking to bring attention to the issues his campaign is based on.

"Because of how similar the Republican and Democratic candidates are in this election, and how neither of them are really doing much to change our country it really does matter to give the third party a percentage," said Heather Wilson, a senior psychology major.