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Published: Aug 25, 2010

REAL ENEMIES

I worked for the Fund for Public Interest and the state PIRGs for more than 14 years, including raising money, managing fundraisers and eventually as an environmental and public interest advocate. My experience with the organization was quite different from the individuals featured in Mr. Thompson's article [Cover Story, "Idealists for Hire," Isaiah Thompson, Aug. 12]. I started as a fundraiser for the organization in 1993 after family challenges prevented me from entering college. ... I worked hard, continued to get promotions and eventually became the director of PennPIRG, developing policy and lobbying in Harrisburg for consumer protection. I left the organization in 2007, but remain on the board of both PennPIRG and PennEnvironment because I believe in their work.

Without the opportunities I had at the Fund/PIRG family of organizations, I doubt I would now have a career as a progressive advocate. ... Do I wish I got paid more, and didn't have to work 70- to 80-hour workweeks? Absolutely. ... But at the end of the day, I made a difference for consumers and our environment, and built an activist career that I'm proud of. I can say with absolute certainty that every door I knocked on, every phone pledge I received, went toward real victories for Pennsylvania's environment and consumers. ... Special interests continue to run amok in Harrisburg and Washington, and they are the real enemies to our economy and quality of life, not the hardworking activists at the Fund, PennPIRG and PennEnvironment.

Thank you for your excellent article on Sestak's horrific actions against the Greens [Naked City, A Million Stories, Aug. 19]. May I take this opportunity to suggest that the idea of Nader's candidacy helping elect Bush is a well-financed urban myth propagated by the Democrats? Here's why: Al Gore ran a sorry-ass election campaign. He didn't even win his home state (Even George McGovern won his home state); more than twice as many registered Democrats voted for Bush as voted for Nader; before the 2000 election the Democrats tolerated years of election corruption, obstruction and manipulation of votes ... ; the Clinton Justice Department also refused to investigate violations of black voters' rights in Florida and other states; when the Senate confirmed Bush's victory, NOT ONE Democratic Senator stood up to support the Congressional Black Caucus' challenge to the vote count.

Some day you may realize that the two parties are really the same. A symbiotic relationship of status quo control. Until then, keep up the good work. Yes. I was once a staunch Democrat myself.