Ah, yes, paint everyone who speaks against Ralph is a liar and vicious--let people check out the site, and the references, since all of the the info comes from actually published, sources themselves Luther--It is no crime to be a capable and agressive litigator, and it isn't necessarily a crime to invest and make money, but it certainly is hypocritical to publically claim to live a simple, austere, life of self denial and voluntary poverty, while privately living in luxury and building up a considerable fortune--
As to the PIRG funds, they were automatically charged to students, unless, if they had the time (and realized that they had been charged for the "contribution" amongst the myriad of college fees, tuitions, and other charges) obtain and file documents that would exempt them from the fee.
Ralph didn't doesn't like it when the banks tack on hidden service fees for the atm machines, and he doesn't like it when Comumbia Record House sends you a CD unless you fill out a form asking them not to--why should we accept it when Ralph does the same thing?
I can tell you from personal experience that the PIRG fundraising operation uses the same, unscrupulous door to door techniques that fly by nite jewelry, magazine, kitchen ware, and home cleaning product people use.
They incorporate Fagan-like groups of underage recruits, who often taken by the carload to remote cities and even across state lines, where they are routinely forced to work up to 12 hours a day, often in extreme heat (summer being the time that kids are out of school), and without even the guarantee of the minimum wage.
The kids are only given a small commission on what they collect, and it is not unusual, especially for the new recruits,to return from a twelve hour work day in 90 degree heat with less than twenty dollars.
As you can see above, when someone speaks anything less than praise for Nader, their is someone in their face, immediately. He has a lot of powerful friends, as well as an army of zealots who are always willing to do whatever he wants--