Daily Topics - January 19th 2010
By Louise
Quote: Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is in an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe. -- Frederick Douglass
Hour One - Doesn't Haiti demonstrate the failure of objectivism and libertarianism? Alex Epstein www.aynrand.org
Hour Two - Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel prize winning American Economist www.motherjones.com Moral Bankruptcy...why are we letting the banksters off so easily?
Hour Three - Raj Patel rajpatel.org What is the "Value of Nothing?
Comments
#2
How to reinstate progressive tax brackets on themMegarich?
Give them a clear choice showing how the funds raised will be spent on jobs, strengthening our nation, defeating terrorists...
PLI's Fair Tax Bracket Reinstitution Congressional Proposal or paste
Graphic tax bracket reform http://worldservicecorps.us/tax_bracket_reform.htm
#3
@Ryan - just read your post! Tag! Your it! Good on you! :)
#4
@AVATAR - It seems to me that the points from the Heritage foundation refer more to FREE trade than to FAIR trade.
The major difference between the 2? FAIR Trade is fair, for both parties in the trade.
FREE trade is neither free nor fair to the producer-class. It may result in lower cost per unit of product to the consumer, but the longer-term, hidden costs are outrageous.
#5
@ mstaggerlee
Of course not! Everything in it's time. You don't want to set off on a trip with bald tires, a bad transmission, and no road map to where you want to end up. You must crawl before you run. Doing health care, as complex as it is politically, last summer, exposed the many hollowed out and decrepit foundations of our liberty left from the past 30 years of not only neglect but assault. Blue Dog Democrats and their dis-proportionate power to thwart the will of the people is but one structural flaw in our system. How and why they are elected goes to the mechanics of our current campaign finance laws. Special interests are the source of opposition to the public interests in health care. All are tied together and rely on the influence of money on our elections and over our governing to accomplish this coup. Reforming health care is navigating through extremely rocky shoals; as demonstrated this past year.
Come back after the midterms after having focused on the economy and begin again by having a public debate about what happened last time. Expose the danger of special interests which thwart the will of the people and then begin again starting with single payer, comprehensive, & universal health care vs. all other rational alternatives. Plan on doing everything without Republican help. Look to the people like FDR did. Manage the debate!*
* President Obama has been largely ineffective at managing public debate.
p.s. fire Rahm....better yet demote him....fire Geithner & Somers!
#6
When the Robert's court calls bribery free speech, when our president seeks to compromise with those in favor of tyranny, when our congress is so corrupt that it won't even provide for our health care, It is time for the people to stand up and be heard. If revolution is what is necessary, we should embrace our fate with the hope that we leave a better world!
#7
Ryan A,
Good on you! You are farther along the political path than I was in college. The sky's the limit! Hurray, and bless you!
#8
@Dwayne Hunn - The link you gave is to a page under construction - no graphics exist there, and what content is there is fairly difficult to digest.
Try this one ... http://www.worldservicecorps.us/Tax%20bracket%20proposal.htm
The best of it is right here -
Sec 4. Proposal to reinstitute Fair Tax Bracket that grew a robust Middle Class
Therefore, be it resolved that this bill will add two tax brackets the revenues from which will help promote economic freedom, fairness, and growth opportunities for America’s middle, lower, and upper classes.
A. An IRS tax bracket will be added so that those amounts earned over $20 million annually will be taxed at a 50% flat rate
B. An IRS tax bracket will be added so that those amounts earned over $50 million annually will be taxed at a 70% flat rate.
C. These will be flat tax rate brackets with no deductions, so that loopholes do not allow the effective tax rate to be significantly less than IRS codes purportedly call for on the rich.
Overall, it just sounds too good to be passed by THIS Congress. :(
#9
@ Mark Marcario
We may need to change your name....maybe Patrick Henry or Thomas Paine!
Upon completing the Constitution our fore fathers said something along the lines of : Well, we gave the people a constitutional, democratic, republic...lets hope that they can keep it. We have neglected to guard it. By we... I mean liberals and progressives. We have allowed the right to pervert it with their conflation of capitalism with liberty. We should first try to correct things constitutionally before starting the revolution. If it comes to it though, I'll be there. Armed.
#10
@DDAY - Your last two points, my friend - DEAD ON!
#11
Why are capital gluttons considered more “fit”?
#12
Ummmm - my previous post referenced the last 2 points in your post addressed to me, above.
#13
@ mstaggerlee
Thank you! By last two points, did you mean fire Geithner & Somers? I hope I had more than that...? :-)
#14
@Richard L. Adlof - Right - why do the Social Darwinists consider the FATTTEST to be the fittest?
#15
The Corporate Media calls it “LOOTING” cuz darker-skinned folk are doing it.
#16
Good food gathering abilities allows percentage of body fat to support fetus gestation . . . BUT excess = health breakdown and cha-chunka butt . . .
#17
I agree with kathi . now is the time for the real revolution. the teabaggers and corporatist can do it, why can't we?
#18
The proper term for Cha-Chunka Butt is glutial megally. I like cha chunka butt however. I almost always learn from the esteemed Mr. Adlof.
#19
I would like to hire Ryan A.
#20
G'nite Gracie
#21
@DDAY - Firing Tim & Larry (& maybe Rahm, too), and his seeming inability to manage the debate. I still think that we gotta do SOMETHING to fix health care BEFORE we try to tackle anything else.
Health Care has employers over a barrell too. The owners of the company I work for are, as I write this, sitting in a meeting with our insurance agent, discussing what part(s) of our coverage they're gonna drop, decrease or otherwise screw with in order to control their costs, without increasing the employee's portion of the premiums.
When I started here (1993), we had a REAL Cadillac plan. Under our prescription coverage, I could get a 90 day supply of ANY prescription drug for $1.00! Now, that same 90 day supply costs $50! Still cheaper than retail, of course, but that's a 50x increase in out-of-pocket costs, all of that cost borne by the employee. And now, they're looking to see what other takeaways they can implement.
Right now, the ONLY reason I'm keeping this job is for the health coverage. When my wife is eligible for Medicare (she's younger than me) I'll retire.
So, from where I sit, health care's gotta get fixed FIRST - It'll make all the other fixes soooo much easier.
#22
@ Adlof & DDAY - And here I thought it was just "too much junk in the trunk!"
Which reminds me of an anecdote - One of my favorite bands these days is an outfit known as Gov't Mule, which splintered off of the Allman Bros. Band in the early '90's. When I mention them, people often ask me where that name came from. Here's the scoop -
One night, backstage at an Allman's gig, bassist Allan Woody and drummer Jai Johnny Johnson were talking when somebody's wife walked by - I forget whether it was Chuck Berry's of Ray Charles', but that's beside the point. When she was out of earshort, Johnny said to Woody "Man - that woman's got a butt like a government mule!" Soon after, when Allan and Warren Haynes decided to start a band of their own, that was the name they selected.
"See" y'all tomorrow!
#23
As Progressives, we had faith in Obama to do the right things; I wish he would have faith in us.
#24
ANARCHY MARKET..
I like it but:
Liberals like the free market too, just not so free that it becomes like the monopoly game.. So calling anarchy market could open the door to educate the right wingers (educate, LOL).. I find many of them are programmed to think against their best interests, with corporate media sound bytes, and actually want the same things we want (in many cases).. SOmetime one on one discussion finds common ground..
RELIGIOUS SLOGANS ON RIFFLE SCOPES:
This church state violation is probably from the Bush admin giving favoritism (govt. contracts) to their fundy Christian friends who make weapons.. Many fundies dont like killing, some do.. So this is even more a separation violation giving favoritism to the brand of fundamentalist that likes to kill. I believe it is no accident killer type fundies are also dominant in the Muslim governments and groups.. Because Christiam or Muslim, the religion drive (energy/power) is channeled into doing things.. I wish the ones who like to do good would take a more active role in fighting the warmongers..
bobbler
Freethought Society
#25
Yes, we are on the cusp of a revolution.
But . . .
In the days of the Vietham war, where we (unfortunately) revolted against Johnson (to get NIXON), the people took to the streets.
We disassembled the great society to end the war by stepping away from studies, jobs, and "social obligations."
The revolution CAN NOT BE Tweets, Facebook posts, My Space sites, or statements to this blog.
The Obama Presidency was fueled with internet financial donations, not rallies in the street.
Disassembling the corporate aristocracy (and potentially the Obama Presidency) will require marching in the streets (as Martin Luther King encouraged) and shutting down the businesses that fund the concept of government against the people and for the corporations.
Revolution isn't "time out" from the job, but a job in itself.
Are the so-called Progressives up to it?
#26
THE NEW THING: "EXCEPTIONS"
Thom, people have been telling me about something new that the health care industry has come up with. Since they are going to have to include people with preexisting conditions, they have come up with a strange "go around". It's called "exceptions" An exception is where they treat you for everything BUT your preexisting condition. For example, a women with a preexisting condition of breast cysts would still be a patient of the company, but any problems concerning her breasts would no be covered. The patient is covered "except" for her breasts. Can you believe it???
#27
Oh PS. Your show was red hot today. People cannot stand this fakery any longer. People's lives are at stake and these coddled elite have got to stop using us like this. It has to stop. We want the party that ran and won to step up to the plate, The Progressives and the Progressive Policies.
Thom's Blog Is On the Move
By webmaster
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.
Images of Thom
From Cracking the Code:
"No one communicates more thoughtfully or effectively on the radio airwaves than Thom Hartmann. He gets inside the arguments and helps people to think them through—to understand how to respond when they’re talking about public issues with coworkers, neighbors, and friends. This book explores some of the key perspectives behind his approach, teaching us not just how to find the facts, but to talk about what they mean in a way that people will hear."
From Screwed:
"Once again, Thom Hartmann hits the bull’s eye with a much needed exposé of the so-called ‘free market.’ Anyone concerned about the future of our nation needs to read Screwed now."
From Unequal Protection, 2nd Edition:
"If you wonder why and when giant corporations got the power to reign supreme over us, here’s the story."
If you study American history, you know that George Washington’s first act in taking office was to put a protective economic curtain around the USA by imposing economic tariffs. This practice was consistent with a fair trade strategy used to protect the American economy.
Per TransFair USA .org Fair Trade principles include:
* Fair price- a minimum floor is guaranteed with a premium for certified organic and pre-harvest credit
* Fair labor - safe working conditions, living wages, adults labor only
* Direct trade- importers purchase directly from producer groups
* Democratic and transparent organizations- decisions are made democratically, not forced
* Community development- profits the community as scholarships, internships, organic certification
* Environmental sustainability- no agrochemicals; ecosystems are preserved for future generations
Per Heritage Foundation.org
* Higher standard of living- allows higher quality goods at lower consumer prices
* Competition and innovation- protecting stagnancy, for example the American car market in the 90s
* Economic Growth- free of tariffs, inflationary pressures, regulations, property rights and government.
* Stronger Institutions and infrastructure- are necessary as well as insurance = spawns business
* Peace- thru prosperity
What the Heritage Foundation does not include in their 5 points is that what has been evidenced in real use when their model is set into play is a competition in which there is always an underclass. In free competition there are not only winners, but losers.