He proposed progressive taxation for citizens and corporations, universal health care coverage, the adoption of a living wage and the expansion of mass transit.

Best-known as a consumer advocate, Nader and the organizations he founded are credited with the creation of the Safe Water Drinking Act, the enactment of the Freedom of Information Act and the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency. Yesterday, Nader said repeatedly that he would work to move power from corporations to "the people."

"Get the rich off of welfare," he said. "That's where we get our money. Make them pay their taxes."

"You can start right here by getting the Boston Red Sox off of corporate welfare," Nader added. "That's $300 million should be used for community needs, not sports entertainment."

Various celebrities who appeared before Nader on the FleetCenter stage also bemoaned the banishment of their candidate--and his ideas--from the debates.

"Ralph Nader is the most principled public figure in America today, and he can't even get into the debates," said Cambridge native Jimmy Tingle, until recently a comedian on "60 Minutes II."

Funnyman Michael Moore, the noted documentary filmmaker of Roger and Me, challenged the energetic crowd, many of whom were young voters, to stick with their convictions and not vote for Gore simply to vote against Bush.

"A vote for Ralph is a political Molotov that we need to throw into a corrupt and bankrupt system," Moore said. "It's a wasted vote if you vote for more of the same, which is what you're going to get if you vote for Gore or Bush."