Have the Banksters Already Have Found a Loophole?
By Louise
As President Obama announced he would support reforms not allowing banks to own own, invest or trade "unrelated to serving customers," the banks think they may have already found a loophole. By claiming that its hedge fund investments or trading operations are "related to serving customers" - either by allowing outside clients to invest in the funds or treating their own employees as customers in the hedge funds — the banks believe that less than 1 percent of their overall business would be affected. Time to bring back Glass Stegal - forcing banks to decide if they're going to be investment houses or banks that offer checking accounts and mortgages - and quit nibbling around the edges. Reagonomics/Clintonomics has done so much damage to this country with things like the Graham-Leach-Bliley and Commodity Futures Modernization Acts, which enabled all this gambling by the banks by rolling back New Deal protections. This administration should just directly return to sanity.
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
At Mondragon - both the mountain and the cooperative city - in Spain (written about in "Threshold" book)
Mueller's favorite place to pray (written about in "Prophet's Way"), and the roof of the room where the Last Supper is reputed to have happened.
Thom & Louise at a "private audience" with His Holiness Pope John Paul II at his summer palace, Castle Gandolfo, Italy
From Screwed:
"I think many of us recognize that for all but the wealthiest, life in America is getting increasingly hard. Screwed explores why, showing how this is no accidental process, but rather the product of conscious political choices, choices we can change with enough courage and commitment. Like all of Thom’s great work, it helps show us the way forward."
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"With the ever-growing influence of corporate CEOs and their right-wing allies in all aspects of American life, Hartmann’s work is more relevant than ever. Throughout his career, Hartmann has spoken compellingly about the value of people-centered democracy and the challenges that millions of ordinary Americans face today as a result of a dogma dedicated to putting profit above all else. This collection is a rousing call for Americans to work together and put people first again."
From Screwed:
"If we are going to live in a Democracy, we need to have a healthy middle class. Thom Hartmann shows us how the ‘cons’ have wronged this country, and tells us what needs to be done to reclaim what it is to be American."
