April 13th 2009
By Louise
Topic: "National Tax Day Tea Parties" Thom confronts Andrew Langer of the Institute for Liberty about the anti-Obama conservative protests www.instituteforliberty.org
Topic: Thom and Harvey Kaye, author - Thomas Paine and the Promise of America, talk about Glen Beck’s modern-day reimagining of Thomas Paine's “Common Sense”
Topic: "Labor Update" Doug Cunningham of Workers Independent News joins Thom with all the latest news from the labor front www.laborradio.org
Comments
#2
I am planning to show up at our tea party and pass out flyers with a copy of what is at http://www.lcurve.org/
The US population is represented along the length of the football field, arranged in order of income.
Median US family income (the family at the 50 yard line) is ~$40,000 (a stack of $100 bills 1.6 inches high.)
--The family on the 95 yard line earns about $100,000 per year, a stack of $100 bills about 4 inches high.
--At the 99 yard line the income is about $300,000, a stack of $100 bills about a foot high.
--The curve reaches $1 million (a 40 inch high stack of $100 bills) one foot from the goal line.
--From there it keeps going up...it goes up 50 km (~30 miles) on this scale!
#3
Thom,
You mentioned the pulling out of the WTO.
I recently left on message on this blog that Lori Wallach, the director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, said in an interview on the Ron Reagan Show, that she found a footnote in a WTO document in which the Clinton Administration had pledged to get rid of Glass Steagall.
When you mentioned the WTO this morning, I remembered that she also said that she found language in a document from the recent G-20 meeting that committed the G-20 to upholding WTO rules, and that this would negate many of the agreements reached by the G-20.
By the way, I’ve heard that the agreements reached by the G-20 only required “voluntary” compliance.
Lori Walllach describes herself as a recovering trade attorney.
#4
If this Tea Party movement is an AstroTurf movement rather than grass roots, maybe people should show up with packets of artificial sweetener.
(OK, people. This was a joke. Please don't lecture me that I just showed the world that I haven't done research on artificial sweeteners. Thank You.)
#5
Thom, I found a wonderfully interesting video about bacteria on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVfmUfr8VPA
It seems they can communicate and exhibit democratic behavior!
They actually have a word called "quorum sensing". Ask Bernie Sanders if he uses chemicals to sense if the Senate has quorum.
I don't know if you've ever heard of TED Talks, but they're addictive! Technology Entertainment and Design talks led by the nations best and brightest. Look up the user "TEDTalksDirector" on Youtube to watch them.
#6
KMH, you are a genius. I love that idea. Handing out L-curve stuff at a teabagging party.
#7
Get back at ATT! Use Google phones- its free! You put your phone number and number to call into the computer and your call goes over the internet. If you cant figure out Google Phones try this: http://www.jajah.com/registration/
#8
Is Maddow going to respond to the IFL thing regarding the EFCA?
#9
Sean! Thx for this 'friendly bacteria' film! Genius' on this program here!.
#10
thanks Thom for the info about the real Boston tea party.
thinking about what I was thought in school (during the 90's) I don't remember the reason being stated for the tea party was a corp tax cut but instead raising taxes on people (for example the stamp act)
#11
The family with the name of KOCH, as in the founder of the John Birch Society is pronouced "COKE" not like the name of the former mayer of New York.
#12
does anyone know the name of the book that Thom talked about today, written by a man that took part in the boston tea party
#13
Here is a link to the article Thom wrote about the Tea Party and the only extant first-hand account of it in print.
http://www.thomhartmann.com/2007/11/02/america%E2%80%99s-first-anti-glob...
Oddly, Thom wrote about it in Nov. 2007. I stumbled on it last night and had time to read it. It was very entertaining and informative. As Thom pointed out today, the current Republican tea party demonstrations are a crude and specious counterfeit of the actual historical event.
#14
Our view of the Tea Bag Party we attended was sad. It appealed to the lowest common denominator of racial insecurity. All white no minorities. This group was a rabid anti-Obama administration. They refused to admit it was bush's tax policy they were paying yesterday. It had the feeling of a mass mixed message lynching.
sigh! Would like to see Fox News Channel changed to Fox Republican Propaganda Channel.
#15
Texas Governor Rick Perry whooped it up at a 'Don't Mess With Texas' tea party rally on Wednesday outside Austin's city hall. During the event, people waved "Don't Tread on Me" flags, and some shouted, "Secede!"
Love those patriots. The minute things aren't done in Washington to their liking, they're ready to secede from the union.
After the party was over, Perry suggested to reporters that his constituents might some day get so fed up they would want to secede from the union. "We've got a great union," Perry said, "There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that." He added that when Texas entered the union in 1845 it was with the understanding it could pull out (a questionable claim).
I have a thought: let 'em go! Maybe even help them leave. Offer amnesty to anyone wishing to leave the new Texas entity (except, of course, suspected war criminals) for a period of a year. Once Texas is no longer a part of the United States and suspected war ciminals lack the protection of the U.S. government, any country in the world is free to go after them.
Let the Texans keep every tax dollar they've been sending to Washington; naturally, they'll lose every dollar they receive in return, but they'll be ahead by six cents on the dollar (see Tax Foundation Report). Let 'em have it.
Allow Americans to send money to family in Texas, but only if the fledgeling government doesn't take a cut. Allow U.S. medicines to be sold to them at full retail prices, just like Medicare pays now. The drug companies oughta love it.
Pull out any movable military assets, and let the new entity keep the buildings and grounds. Destroy any un-movable assets (i.e. missle silos) that might endanger U.S. national security. Members of the U.S. armed services and other Federal agents and emplopyees can sign up with the new entity's government or be offered similar positions within the United States if they choose to leave.
Build a security fence between Texas and the U.S. Require Texans to have passports for entry into the U.S. Require them to have papers to work inside the U.S. Offer them the same benefits extended to guest workers from Mexico to the U.S. After all, they'll most likely be annexed to Mexico eventually anyway, don't you think?
With only 98 total members of the U.S. Senate, Republican procedural maneuvering should no longer be a problem. Then perhaps President Obama can accomplish what we Americans sent him to the White House to do.
Hey, Rick: don't let the security gate hit your fanny on the way out.
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Thanks Thom for giving them (Andrew Langer) the exposure they deserve, exposing funding and motives. THANKS Thom, I like it, that's what I like in a debate- expose the truth to their face, GOOD JOB Thom.