--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have a consistent rule: The American…" description: "\"I have a consistent rule: The American people should know as much about the Pentagon as the Soviet Union and China do, as much about General Motors as ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/ralph-nader-1783_american-people_i-have-a-consistent-rule-the-american-pe_441610.png" --- # I have a consistent rule: The American people should know… ![“I have a consistent rule: The American people should know as much about the Pentagon as the Soviet Union and China do, as much about General Motors as Ford does, and as much about City Bank as Chase Manhattan does.” quote by Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/ralph-nader-1783_american-people_i-have-a-consistent-rule-the-american-pe_441610.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/ralph-nader-1783_american-people_i-have-a-consistent-rule-the-american-pe_441610.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/ralph-nader-1783_american-people_i-have-a-consistent-rule-the-american-pe_441610.png) > “I have a consistent rule: The American people should know as much about the Pentagon as the Soviet Union and China do, as much about General Motors as Ford does, and as much about City Bank as Chase Manhattan does.” [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Citizens should be equally informed about powerful institutions, just as rivals know each other's capabilities. **In simple terms:** Know all major institutions equally. Key Takeaway Demand transparency across sectors. Themes accountability information power dynamics Mood concerned motivated Type political activist When to use this quote - voting decisions - consumer choices - policy advocacy - media literacy Key Concepts Corporate transparency government oversight Questions to Reflect On - What information gaps exist today? - How can citizens access balanced data? A Different Perspective Complete parity of knowledge is unrealistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Consistent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consistent/) [Consistent Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consistent-rule-3871702/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Ford Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ford-does-3871703/) [General motors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/general-motors/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Manhattan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manhattan/) [Motor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motor/) [Pentagon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pentagon/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Rule American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule-american-3694404/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Soviet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet/) [Soviet union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet-union/) [Unions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unions/) ## Related quotes > [Tom Ford does everything perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zoe/tom-ford-does-everything-perfect/) [Rachel Zoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zoe/) > [The first iron rule of American politics is Follow the Money. This explains, oh, about 80 percent of what goes on in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/the-first-iron-rule-of-american-politics-is-follow-the-money-this/) [Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/) > [... the major rule in the American belief system - that anyone can do anything ... is a lie that we have perpetuated, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-ryan/the-major-rule-in-the-american-belief-system-that-anyone-can-do/) [M. J. Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-ryan/) > [If America could be, once again, a nation of self-reliant farmers, craftsmen, hunters, ranchers, and artists, then the rich would have little power to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/if-america-could-be-once-again-a-nation-of-self-reliant-farmers/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [It's very important to go back and keep in mind the distinction between handling these events as criminal acts, which was the way we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/it-s-very-important-to-go-back-and-keep-in-mind-the-distinction/) [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) > [If you want to humble an empire it makes sense to maim its cathedrals. They are symbols of its faith, and when they crumple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/if-you-want-to-humble-an-empire-it-makes-sense-to-maim-its-cathedrals/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [General Motors could buy Delaware if DuPont were willing to sell it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/general-motors-could-buy-delaware-if-dupont-were-willing-to-sell-it/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [I think Hillary Clinton is a militarist. She is a political coward. The interesting thing about Hilary Clinton, like Bill Clinton dodging the draft,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/i-think-hillary-clinton-is-a-militarist-she-is-a-political-coward-the/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [Sadly, at Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler sales continually trend downward, manufacturing costs rise, and employment declines. As the result of the decrease in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-o-toole/sadly-at-ford-general-motors-and-chrysler-sales-continually-trend/) [James O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-o-toole/) > [“It is a fact that today steel can be made more cheaply outside America. This is also true of many other products: shoes, shirts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/it-is-a-fact-that-today-steel-can-be-made-more-cheaply-outside/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [Instead of mindlessly tossing billions at or taking billions from the Net as such, investors should be spending their time making sure that it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/instead-of-mindlessly-tossing-billions-at-or-taking-billions-from-the/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [The power of branding, particularly when it comes to automobiles, is overwhelming. You go back to the seventies and eighties with the General Motor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-power-of-branding-particularly-when-it-comes-to-automobiles-is/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [People are in denial all the time, hiding things. If I tell you a racist or dirty joke and you laugh, you're telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/people-are-in-denial-all-the-time-hiding-things-if-i-tell-you-a/) [Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/) > [I don't hurt the industry. The industry hurts itself, by making so many lousy movies - as if General Motors deliberately put out a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/i-don-t-hurt-the-industry-the-industry-hurts-itself-by-making-so-many/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [Well, as you know, General Motors does not make hybrids. Ford only made 4,000 hybrids last year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-markey/well-as-you-know-general-motors-does-not-make-hybrids-ford-only-made/) [Ed Markey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-markey/) ## More by Ralph Nader > [This welfare for wealthy companies wastes taxpayer dollars, harms the environment, and makes a mockery of the recent reductions in federal social spending programs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/this-welfare-for-wealthy-companies-wastes-taxpayer-dollars-harms-the/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [Nuclear power must be dealt with irrationally. . . . Nuclear plants are carcinogens. Let's get that story out. . . . Their lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/nuclear-power-must-be-dealt-with-irrationally-nuclear-plants-are/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [In 2000 the majority of people wanted me and Buchanan on the debates in two thousand. And me on the debates in 2004. have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/in-2000-the-majority-of-people-wanted-me-and-buchanan-on-the-debates/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [What we need to recognize, less than 1 percent of the people organized around issues that are already supported by conservatives and liberals, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/what-we-need-to-recognize-less-than-1-percent-of-the-people-organized/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [We live in a two-party tyranny that doesn't believe in competition, can enforce it with penalties and obstructions, and they're getting closer and closer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/we-live-in-a-two-party-tyranny-that-doesn-t-believe-in-competition/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [George W. Bush is very vulnerable but not if you campaign the way the major candidates - except for Dean and Kucinich - are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/george-w-bush-is-very-vulnerable-but-not-if-you-campaign-the-way-the/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [In the meantime the big corporations are fleeing America for tax havens and places like Ireland, Luxembourg and the Grand Cayman Islands; the rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/in-the-meantime-the-big-corporations-are-fleeing-america-for-tax/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [Full Medicare-for-all, free choice of doctor and hospital: that comes in sixty to seventy percent without even further explanation. And if you ever explained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/full-medicare-for-all-free-choice-of-doctor-and-hospital-that-comes/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [I always say there's no ticket of admission for active citizenship. Anybody can get through that gate, and anybody can ask that basic question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/i-always-say-there-s-no-ticket-of-admission-for-active-citizenship/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [People have got to show up, showing up at meetings, rallies, marches, City Council, courtrooms. You've got to show up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/people-have-got-to-show-up-showing-up-at-meetings-rallies-marches/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [For almost seventy years the life insurance industry has been a smug sacred cow feeding the public a steady line of sacred bull.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/for-almost-seventy-years-the-life-insurance-industry-has-been-a-smug/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [It is fascinating to watch legislators turn away from their usual corporate grips when they hear the growing thunder of the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/it-is-fascinating-to-watch-legislators-turn-away-from-their-usual/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [In 2004 Professor Stephen Farnsworth, when I report saying that I got about five minutes on all the networks after Labor Day to election…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/in-2004-professor-stephen-farnsworth-when-i-report-saying-that-i-got/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [Young wives are the leading asset of corporate power. They want the suburbs, a house, a settled life, and respectability. They want society to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/young-wives-are-the-leading-asset-of-corporate-power-they-want-the/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [Moral courage is the highest expression of humanity ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/moral-courage-is-the-highest-expression-of-humanity/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) [Explore all 208 Ralph Nader quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) ## More American people quotes > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-as-much-as-government-can-do-and-must-do-it-is-ultimately-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Given a choice between two bald political candidates, the American people will vote for the less bald of the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-gold/given-a-choice-between-two-bald-political-candidates-the-american/) [Victor Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-gold/) > [When the American people saw the LA riots and crowds of Blacks cheering O.J. Simpson (who was acquitted by the almost all Black jury),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duke/when-the-american-people-saw-the-la-riots-and-crowds-of-blacks/) [David Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duke/) > [In any event, it is one thing to assert, then or now, that the Iraq war was ill-advised. It is quite another to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-silberman/in-any-event-it-is-one-thing-to-assert-then-or-now-that-the-iraq-war/) [Laurence Silberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-silberman/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [I don't know a politician who enjoys fundraising. The system is such that the American people have lost faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-don-t-know-a-politician-who-enjoys-fundraising-the-system-is-such/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Probably the greatest single obstacle to the progress and happiness of the American people lies in the willingness of so many men to invest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/probably-the-greatest-single-obstacle-to-the-progress-and-happiness/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [If a financial institution has business operations in the United States, hires people in the United States, if they are clogged with illiquid assets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-paulson/if-a-financial-institution-has-business-operations-in-the-united/) [Henry Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-paulson/) > [The American people reject the idea of giving Washington a blank check to increase the debt limit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-roby/the-american-people-reject-the-idea-of-giving-washington-a-blank/) [Martha Roby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-roby/) > [The coronavirus has yet again exposed the strong contrast between President Trump - who is working ardently for the American people - and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/the-coronavirus-has-yet-again-exposed-the-strong-contrast-between/) [Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/) > [The American people demand results, not rhetoric, especially when it comes to national security issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-hayworth/the-american-people-demand-results-not-rhetoric-especially-when-it/) [J. D. Hayworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-hayworth/) > [Hillary Clinton truly is sincere, but she has to connect more with the American people in terms of what she believes in and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/hillary-clinton-truly-is-sincere-but-she-has-to-connect-more-with-the/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [The American people are incredibly generous and even playful when you open yourself up and feed the media beast until it goes away satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/the-american-people-are-incredibly-generous-and-even-playful-when-you/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) [Browse all 2,233 American people quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have a consistent rule: The American people should know as much about the Pentagon as the Soviet Union and China do, as much about General Motors as Ford does, and as much about City Bank as Chase Manhattan does.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ralph Nader" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/i-have-a-consistent-rule-the-american-people-should-know-as-much/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American people" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/i-have-a-consistent-rule-the-american-people-should-know-as-much/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/ralph-nader-1783_american-people_i-have-a-consistent-rule-the-american-pe_441610.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/ralph-nader-1783_american-people_i-have-a-consistent-rule-the-american-pe_441610.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/ralph-nader-1783_american-people_i-have-a-consistent-rule-the-american-pe_441610.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have a consistent rule: The American people should know as much about the Pentagon as the Soviet Union and…” — Ralph Nader", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ralph Nader", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have a consistent rule: The...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/i-have-a-consistent-rule-the-american-people-should-know-as-much/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/i-have-a-consistent-rule-the-american-people-should-know-as-much/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```