July 23 2009 show notes

  • Quote: "Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation and freedom in all just pursuits." - Thomas Jefferson.
  • Article: Iron ore spot prices forge path to $100 By Javier Blas (click on the graphic for percentages).
  • Threshold Thom's book "Threshold: The Crisis of Western Culture" is out today!
  • Obama's speech on health care last night had nothing new, Thom guesses because the blue dogs blew up his plan; he thought he had a deal.
  • Clip: Cato Institute's Who Pays? health care ad.
  • Guest: Michael Cannon, Director of Health Policy Studies at the Cato Institute. Thom asked him, "why is it that United Healthcare, the insurance giant whose profit just leapt 155% while 5 million more people became uninsured, will do better than we the people in providing healthcare?" He said profits are 3% of premium.
  • Article: "Capitalism vs. Socialism: Happiness Could Care Less" by Robin Lloyd.
  • Article: Internal RNC Memo: "Engage In Every Activity" To Slow Down Health Care Reform by Sam Stein.
  • Clip: ("They" = children)
    Voice: "They've loaned Barack Obama their future, without even knowing it. Trillions for rushed government bailouts and takeovers, banks, the auto industry." (Chyron: Trillions for government bailouts and takeovers)

    Voice: "The biggest spending spree in our nation's history." (Chyron: The biggest spending spree in history)

    Voice: "And they'll have to pay. The next big ticket item? A risky experiment with our health care." (Chyron: A risky experiment with health care)

    Voice: "Barack Obama's massive spending experiment hasn't healed our economy." (Chyron: Barack Obama's massive spending experiment)

    Voice: "His new experiment risks their future and our health." (Chyron: BarackObamaExperiment.com Risking everything.)
    Michael Steele National Press Club Republican Health Care VIDEO.

  • Clip:
    "And so if I see a proposal that is primarily funded through taxing middle-class families, I'm going to be opposed to that, because I think there are better ideas to do it. ... If you don't set deadlines in this town, things don't happen. ... If we do not reform health care, your premiums and out-of-pocket costs will continue to skyrocket. If we don't act, 14,000 Americans will continue to lose their health insurance every single day. ... I'm not going to sign a bill that, for example, adds to our deficit. I won't sign a bill that doesn't reduce health-care inflation so that families as well as government are saving money. I'm not going to sign a bill that I don't think will work. ... We've just become so cynical about what government can accomplish; that people's attitudes are, you know, even though I don't like this devil, at least I know it. And I like that more than the devil I don't know."
    Obama’s Fifth News Conference.
  • The administration released the health care meeting information yesterday, it is the Cheney information about who met him on the Energy task force; they are not releasing it because of litigation.
  • Bumper Music: Go Walking Down There , Chris Isaak (video).
  • Bumper Music: Crazy, Gnarls Barkley.
  • Article: Ohio phone rage included specific threats By Matthew Hathaway.
  • Tom McCabe - "blood all over the carpet" - how to deal with telemarketers (humorously).
  • Upcoming Events: Thom's book tour for "Threshold":

    July 27th - Portland, OR - Baghdad Theater & Powell's Books 7p

    July 30th - Seattle, WA - Town Hall. Details TBA

    Aug 4th - San Francisco, CA - World Affairs Council. Details TBA

    Aug 5th - Santa Monica, CA - Santa Monica Library. Details TBA

    Aug 17th - Minneapolis, MN - details TBA

    Aug 19th - Chicago, IL - details TBA

    Aug 21st - Madison, WI - details TBA. There will be "Brunch with Bernie" with members of the audience getting to ask the questions.

  • Upcoming Event: Aug 8th - Seattle, WA AM1090 Presents - "Embracing Change: Moving Forward As The Majority" with Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann, Bill Press, Mike Malloy and Ron Reagan - Tickets are just $22 for Reserved Seating, $32 for Premium Reserved Seating, and $47 for VIP Floor Seating. Tickets go on sale Saturday June 27th @ 10AM. Purchase yours at the ShoWareCenter Box Office, or by phone at 253-856-6999. Doors open at 5pm, the panel discussion runs from 6-9pm. (not to be confused with the July 30th Seattle book signing).
  • Bumper Music: You can leave your hat on, Randy Newman.
  • Article: Naked girls plough fields in India for rain.
  • Why do they list helping out banks in the RNC ad, when that was Bush?
  • Consumers pay, doctors provide, so why have insurers in the middle?
  • "NANOPARTICLES IN ITEMS YOU USE EVERYDAY...ARE THEY SAFE, AND WHY AREN'T THEY BETTER REGULATED?"
  • Guest: Dr. Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute. In Europe things are banned until proven safe, in America they are considered safe until proven dangerous). We thought asbestos would save us by preventing fires. Precautionary principle. Straight carbon nanotubes behave like asbestos; "tiny tubes migrated from their lungs to the surrounding tissue—the very spot where asbestos causes the rare cancer known as mesothelioma". Happiness, economics, iron curtain countries. Transitions are painful. He blamed the Federal Reserve, government.
  • Article: Nobody Knows What Nanoparticles Do -- Yet They Are in Your Food, Cosmetics, and Toys By Carole Bass.
  • Article: Tracking gold nanoparticles in the body by Georgy Terentyuk et al.
  • Article: Capitalism vs. Socialism: Happiness Could Care Less By Robin Lloyd.
  • Bumper Music: The Mail Must Go Through, Larry Groce & The Disneyland Children's Sing Along Chorus (clip).
  • Voicemail. Weather gods, same group advising Republicans on global warming? Curtis in Osaka.
  • Some services don't lend themselves to the profit model, including water, education, health care.
  • Bumper Music: Ghost Chickens in the Sky, Sean Morey.
  • Article: Pigeons trigger power outage.
  • How do we know where the nanoparticles are, how can we make a choice with no information transparency? How can we protect ourselves? Bacteria dying off in sewage plants
  • Article: Senate rejects pro-gun measure on concealed weapon. Led by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D.
  • Article: Glenn Beck's Startling Boast: "I Went To The Movie This Weekend With A Gun. And Surprise, Surprise, I Didn't Kill Anybody!" (VIDEO).
  • Everything is connected. The cost of education has lot to do with the cost of health care, people deciding whether to become a doctor, paying off loans.
  • Article: Reid: Vote on health care to wait until fall By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar.
  • DID RACE PLAY A ROLE IN THE ARREST OF HARVARD PROFESSOR HENRY LOUIS "SKIP" GATES JR. AND WAS IT, AS OBAMA DESCRIBED, "STUPID"?
  • Guest: Mark Thompson, African-American broadcast pioneer, human rights visionary, and community leader, Host of Sirius Left program "Make it Plain". Follow him on Twitter. The Gates arrest. Right wing rage at Obama's comment. for example, shameful, stupid. Did the neighbors who called the police not recognize Gates? While in Michigan, Thom heard Mark ranting on the radio about how Obama speaks differently to African American groups than other groups. Eugene Robinson article.
  • Article: Black America's New Reality by Eugene Robinson.
  • "GEEKY SCIENCE ROCKS"
  • Article: Cats 'exploit' humans by purringCats 'exploit' humans by purring
  • Article: 2-year-olds possess grammatical insights By Bruce Bower.
  • Article: Out of order. The crossed chicken the road..
  • Article: Less Empathy Toward Outsiders: Brain Differences Reinforce Preferences For Those In Same Social Group.
  • Article: Taste Sensation: Ads Work Better If All Senses Are Involved.
  • In "Cracking The Code: How to Win Hearts, Change Minds, & Restore America’s Original Vision" Thom said to use three modalities.
  • Article 2 Section 3 of the Constitution of the United States:
    "He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States".
  • Harry Reid saying no health care bill before August recess. Now is the time for constitutional scholar Obama to read Article 2 Section 3. Sick people or people paying high rates are not getting a holiday from them.
  • Email from Martha. For Thom's reply see the newsletter for Friday July 24 2009.

    Your guest fails to recognize that Obama has made a connection between personal responsibility within your family and within your community to expand to the idea that we all have personal responsibility for all of the people in our country. This link is one of the main ways that Obama has shut up the Republicans because they like the concept and can't argue with the theory. I think it has worked well to force Republicans to marginalize themselves.

  • Bumper Music: Democracy is coming to the USA, Leonard Cohen.
  • Democracy for America.
  • Popular blog posts

    No blog posts. You can add one!

    ADHD: Hunter in a Farmer's World

    Thom Hartmann has written a dozen books covering ADD / ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.

    Join Thom for his new twice-weekly email newsletters on ADHD, whether it affects you or a member of your family.

    Thom's Blog Is On the Move

    Hello All

    Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.

    Please follow us across to hartmannreport.com - this will be the only place going forward to read Thom's blog posts and articles.