As a supporter of Ralph Nader and one of the chalk artists, I need to respond to Jason Tkatch’s letter in Wednesday’s Daily. He uses unsupported data and fuzzy logic to label Nader a hypocrite. His main point is Nader accepts corporate money, which would contradict his stance on campaign finance reform.

His evidence is sketchy. He read it on a sheet and doesn’t remember the details. I cannot accept this as valid.

After his main point, Tkatch’s logic breaks down. He asserts Nader attacks the auto industry because “Cars are one of the biggest wastes of natural resources,” then attacks him for using a car himself.

While it may be true they are wasteful, Nader’s attacks on the auto industry are founded on the auto industry not raising fuel efficiency and safety standards. If Nader were to avoid using motorized transport like Tkatch says he should, it would have been impossible for him to visit all 50 states.

Also equally ludicrous is his attack for the use of the Nader Van. Because vehicles are not the issue in themselves, this argument no longer stands. In fact, the Nader Vans (there are three) were a brilliant idea to get Nader information all over the States. And as to why there was no information chalked around campus about the auto industry, the answer is simple. We forgot.

In his statement about NAFTA, he claims that it lets countries specialize in the areas that they excel in. Oddly enough, Mexico did not “excel” at making car parts until all three American auto makers started moving their factories from the United States to there. In Mexico, these companies, and many more, could pay their workers less and relax safety regulations at their facilities, while the American workers are laid off. If he wants to try and explain why this is a good thing, he has my blessing.

Lastly, Nader does have views on rising education costs, religion in schools and all the other issues that are too numerous to list, and these issues are also too numerous to chalk all over campus. However, the URL we left in at least 30 places was there for a reason. If Tkatch wanted to know these views, it would have been less of an effort to simply type votenader.org into his computer than to write in an editorial comment about the perceived lack of information.

We, the chalk artists, flyer distributors and demonstrators, do what we do because we really do want people to vote for what they believe in.

We believe that Nader, far from being a hypocrite, is truly the most honest and qualified candidate, and that is an affront that both the government and media exclude him.

If you plan on voting for Gore or Bush, by all means do it, but not before you know the facts on them and about the other candidates running for election. If you do not know this, you could be voting for evil without even knowing it.

Ryan RitsonSophomorePhilosophy and religious studies