Daily Topics - Monday July 12th, 2010
By shawnt56
Quote of the day: Too many people expect wonders from democracy, when the most wonderful thing of all is just having it. -- Walter Winchell
Hour One: How is Wall Street starving millions and getting away with it? Harper's Magazine Contributing Editor Frederick Kaufman will be here http://harpers.org
Hour Two: Why do libertarians want to prevent parents from protecting their children from disease and disaster at the hands of giant corporations? Thom has a rumble with Jacob Sullum of Reason Magazine www.reason.com
Hour Three: Are teachers and other civil servants overpaid? Conservative Economist Stephen Moore will be here http://online.wsj.com
Comments
#2
Obama Should Take Guidance from Latin leftists
Imagine that Barack Obama, upon taking office in January 2009, had decided to deliver on his campaign promise “to end business-as-usual in Washington so we can bring about real change.”
Imagine....indeed.
#3
In regards to wall street creating food shortages, I recently heard a report about Monsanto. Monsanto had previously provided GMO corn and soy to farmers at fairly reasonable rates which enabled farmers to reap more crop per acre and make more profit. The report, however, stated that Monsanto figured out that farmers receive about a 30% subsidy from the government. This year Monsanto supposedly raised the cost of their GMO seed products by about 30%, thus transferring those government subsidies directly from the farmers to Monsanto. However, the report also state that means that the cost of those commodities will automatically need to increase by about 30% to manufacturers who produce food in order for farmers to make a profit. It also means that food prices made from those products will also need to increase by about 30 per cent. I would like to hear from people in the agriculture industry about this subject.
#4
Don't worry about banksters starving people--now that Harper's published an article about how Wall Street is starving millions, the so-called Pro-Lifers will get right on it and protest outside the homes of Wall Street execs and harrass their families (and hurt and kill some of them), will blow up banks and investment firms, will go on news shows and talk about how banksters are, in effect, murdering people, and they will be heard. And churches will preach about how wrong it is that Wall Street is starving people for profit and instruct their flock to vote for those who aren't murdering millions. And people will listen and they'll work to change public opinion to their way of thinking.
Imagine that.
#5
Jeanie, I don't think the "pro lifers" care about the lives of little brown foreign children.
#6
Or about miners. Or about blown up men on oil rigs. Or about people who can't afford to seek medical care.
#7
Greetings to my live-blog buddies ... didja miss me?
Well, you're gonna continue to. I believe I've mentioned here before that the Internet police here in my office have turned somewhat fascist, and will no longer tolerate any live streaming activity over our internal network. This is mainly due to a handfull of idiots who were live-streaming video of World Cup matches, which eats a whole lot more bandwidth than an audio stream does, but hey, bringing out an Atlas missile when a fly-swatter would do the job IS the Amurilkan way, right?
So, I'm now downloading the podcasts at home every night, and generally listening to yesterday's shows (Fridays show today, obviously). I'll continue to post when something gets under my skin, but it'll be in the topic blogs as opposed to the live blog, cuz I'm no longer listening live.
BTW ... do ya realise that there's only 36:30 of non-commercial content in every hour of this show? I guess Thom really IS a capitalist! :-)
#8
I believe I detect a note of sarcasm in your posts today Jeanie.
#9
Thom isn't a capitalist. Capitalists only pretend that they are working. Their delusions are harmful to society.
#10
mstaggerlee, could you listen on one of those XM radios? I thought that's what I'd have to do if they cut me off. I can't get into Thom's (or anyone else's) chat room because, I think, of firewall software.
#11
re: #7: re:; show time: yeah, until recently, there were 20minutes of commercials in radio and TV hour of broadcast, looks like they upped it recently. however, its not thoms fault.
#12
PMI is only one of the rips foisted upon us. Title insurance is a payment by the borrower to protect the title company from its own incompetence.
See "The Screwing Of The Average Man" by David Hapgood.
#13
@mstaggerlee, even if your not listening to the show live, you can still join the live conversation here, heck we all go off topic from time to time anyway. I'd say after about the first 1/2 hour most of the comments are replies to replies and comments on comments anyway. Sorry to hear that your company has put your Internet gateway on lockdown (that's a bummer).
N
#14
The building I work in is made of Corrugated Steel and Marble - it's essentially a mausoleum, and almost completely radio-proof! Unless you have a window in your office (I'm a cube dweller - no view of the outer world), you have no prayer of getting even local AM Radio (and I'm New Jersey, where lots of the NYC-market transmitters are located!). Sattelite? I can listen in my car, but NOT in here! Also thought I might be able to listen on my Droid, but even Verizon's vaunted 3G network can't penetrate THESE walls!
And so, it appears that I have been relegated to the world of delayed gratification. Such is life at the beginning of the 20-teens, I guess.
#15
Anyway, about the toys in kid's meals, they're cheap! I don't even like my son at McDonald's or any of those places (my husband doesn't mind), and yet we have tons of cheap plastic toys from the few times he eats a Happy Meal. I used to just throw them out, but now I save them (unopened, since my son doesn't even usually open them) and I'm going to give them out at Halloween instead of candy. Along with other small toys that just clutter things.
#16
I thought conservatives are all into State's Rights, or at least the concept. So if a state or area wants to do something, shouldn't they have the right? Anyway, I hardly doubt that no cheap plastic toys in a Happy Meal is going to decrease McDonald's or Burger King's or anyone else's business. Which is the real thing this guy is objecting to.
#17
Thom, there's no Wal*Mart in Manhattan because they can't afford the rent selling "bargains".
#18
Mugsy, are you kidding? Wal mart could BUY manhattan.
#19
@mstaggerlee, perhaps if we baked you a cake with an antenna, antenna wire and a drill bit inside....
N
#20
Here's my question about the Oscar Grant issue, why in the hell did the cop need to even go for his taser if the suspect was already handcuffed?????
Load of BS, seems to be an unnecessary use of force to me.
"Don't taz me bro!"
N
#21
Never disappointed with libertarian arguments that hold water like cheese cloth. Your guest from "Reason" magazine really really believes that putting a toy in a "happy meal" is some sort of free speech?! If there were any truth in advertising, they'd have to change the name of their publication ... maybe they could call it "Agenda" or "Anarchy" ?
#22
Maxrot, good idea with the cake! re: the cop: I find it hard to believe that a cop, even in an emergency, could mistake his pistol for his taser.
#23
I think I got the last word in a conversation on Facebook with a libertarian friend of mine (usually I give up first because he gets me so angry). He had said, among other things, that the government doesn't grant freedom to the people, the people grant power to the government (which I agree with). I said, Yes, so when the people grant power to the government, the government gets to use that power. The difference is that when liberals grant power to the government, they do so to help humans. When conservatives grant power to the government it's to help non-humans, i.e. corporations. Since his issue of the moment was corporate corruption, I may actually have gotten through to him.
#24
My anger over Oscar Grant's killing is over the claim that the cop "only" intended to tase a restrained person who was face down on the ground and completely under the control of the BART police.
The incident was recorded by people on the platform and train. The cops tried to take the cell phones and video recorders from the people, but most refused. There is no law in CA that prevents people from recording the police performing their duties in public.
However, there are 12 states that have "eavesdropping" or "wiretapping" laws that are used to charge people with felonies for recording public servants' actions in public. Punishment may be years in jail.
#25
@Harry Ashburn: The police, possessing deadly weapons, are supposed to know the difference between a pistol and a Taser. That is no better an excuse than that of the cop who ran a stop sign and hit a motorcyclist because he was typing on his computer. The police in that case are exempt from the "texting" laws. It seems that they are also exempt from running a stop sign.
#26
What about subliminal advertising? Its my understanding that even though its unsavory, immoral and repugnant, its also still legal. Do the libertarians defend that insidious style of advertising? Can they say that parents can just teach their children its ridiculous when neither the children or parent are aware of the specific advertising?
N
#27
re: #25: I keep hearing that cell phone use and texting while driving causes more accidents; but there's a disconnect here. I havent heard ONE word about rising auto insurance rates. If there are more accidents, how come no rise in rates, and how come the insurance co.s arent complaining about cell phone and texting while driving??
#28
#29
re #28 that's amazing! I bookmarked it.
#30
Jefferson wanted free education and no standing army. We have expensive schools and a standing army the like the world has never seen. Coincidence? I think not? (Jefferson probably didn't think it otherwise either).
N
#31
Yeah, instead of spending $3000 per second killing people, maybe we could spend just $2000 per second killing people, and $1000 per second healing our country and veterans?
#32
Smartest listeners . . .
Following up on Thom's assertion that he has the smartest audience in the world . . .
I'm struggling to recall the name of a gentleman that Thom has interviewed. He's an expert on taxes and the abuse of government subsidies, used to work for the NY Times and switched to, I think, the New Republic.
With all that said, I cannot remember his name . . . anyone??
#33
re: 32: Dr. Seuss?
#34
@scottgee1: Possibly David Cay Johnston?
#35
@harry, can't be Dr. Seuss, he died before Thom started his show.
N
#36
Harry, I shouldn't have said "rent". It's actually Property Tax.
In Manhattan, they have a graduated property tax. If Wal*Mart would be satisfied with a 5000 sq.ft store, they could probably survive. But not at 30-50,000 sq.ft selling cheap junk.
#37
Bingo!
Give that man a Cheroot! I had it but for the middle name. Interesting that Amazon's search engine doesn't help much . . .
Thanks Gene!
#38
Yeah, but . . .
Dr. Seuss was the Smartest Man In The World!
#39
Love Is the Answer
Turn to the Lord in your need and you will live.
Here are some words from our Church’s newsletter. It was a two picture cartoon. In the first picture the woman says to a priest, “How come people are always telling me to walk in the love of Christ?”
In the second picture she added, ”Are the same people that are always taking advantage of me.” Do those words sound familiar? These words are directed at the hypocrites like Christian fundamentalists, the religious right, and conservative politicians.
These are the very same people who will spew words from the Old Testament but not from the New Testament. They are more into a punishing and vengeful God and not of a loving and merciful God.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Hiding-it-all-from-The-Li-by-Thom-Hartmann-100706-665.html
Sunday’s Gospel was from Luke 10:25-37 on who is my neighbor. In our Church’s Sunday newsletter the Director of Religious Education writes that Jesus shook up the establishment by threatening their lifestyles and comfort zones. Jesus Christ of Nazareth was a humanitarian terrorist in His time.
Thom Hartmann of Portland, Oregon is in good company as a humanitarian terrorist. Thom was in Washington, D.C. and apparently he flew to the city. His name at the present time has not been added to the no-fly list.
#40
@scotgee, and he did a real good job of demonstating economics in his story about sneetches and their need to either get or remove the stars upon thars as the fad dictated. Sylvester McMonkey McBean was the one that made out like a bandit (corporation). Some would say it was just a story about racism, but Seuss delved deeper than that.
N
#41
On KPFK this morning, Lila Garrett referred to Obama and the Congressional Democrats as Trojan Horses (in reference to their support for a resurgence of Nuclear Power Plant building). I think the name is correct, a lot of the Democrats (DINOs) are just that, Trojan Horses.
N
#42
The more things change, the more they remain insane.
#43
Here is the link to the James Cromwell interview in The Progressive, mentioned by a caller. It was interesting. He has something to say and his words are worth elevating. ...hope others find it interesting
http://www.progressive.org/rampell0710.html
Another link (Einstein's Ethics on http://speakingOfFaith.publicradio.org ) that might be of interest is from Albert Eninstein, clearly a progressive. It would be hard to call him stupid...
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/einsteinsethics/einstein-theworldasiseeit.shtml
#44
WOW! A prize for my exasperation?! THANKS!!!
#45
Why do libertarians want to prevent parents from protecting their children from disease and disaster at the hands of giant corporations?
Hartmann, preventing parents from making whatever parenting decisions they want for their children is not a libertarian position. The issue here is whether it's appropriate for the government to curb free speech (yes, really) to pander to hysterics with poor parenting skills. Don't want your kids to go to McD's? Tell them "no." You also have a choice of restaurants.
#46
Well Tonio, we have choices until McD's gets more and more monopolistic and eventually choices are limited to the McDonalds with the playground or the one without. Not every parent is adequately informed, they too get the majority of their education of McDonalds from McDonalds and never think a wit more about it. In other words, don't pretend that individuals are the only ones who need to make choices, there's a reason why Democracy is for the people by the people and not for the Corporations by the Corporations.
N
#47
Tonio, you obviously just read the blurb advertising the segment and didn't listen to the conversation or Thom's points. Anyway, it was not the federal government, it was a county. If people are outraged, then they can choose not to re-elect those who voted for the extremely unfair (?) no-cheap-toy-in-a-kids meal advertising, right?
No regulation of any kind for any corporation, ever!!!!!!!!!!
#48
No one outlawed taking kids to McDonald's or Burger King or Jack-in-the-Box. The recognition that enticing kids to eat meals that are not good for them by advertising this food with toys that are based on the latest movie and then enacting a measure to separate out the food from the toy is hardly going to infringe upon the "free speech rights" of corporations. If sales of kids' meals plummeted at these establishments, then you might have some kind of argument, or at least something to talk about.
#49
I did not use the word "federal" in my post. Reading comprehension fail.
#50
I know you didn't use the word "federal" but it seemed to me you were implying it, as though the big bad Government was hurting poor little McD's.
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)
From Screwed:
"Thom Hartmann’s book explains in simple language and with concrete research the details of the Neo-con’s war against the American middle class. It proves what many have intuited and serves to remind us that without a healthy, employed, and vital middle class, America is no more than the richest Third World country on the planet."
From Screwed:
"The powers that be are running roughshod over the powers that OUGHT to be. Hartmann tells us what went wrong — and what you and I can do to help set American right again."
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"Thom Hartmann channels the best of the American Founders with voice and pen. His deep attachment to a democratic civil society is just the medicine America needs."
Too many people expect wonders from democracy, when the most wonderful thing of all is just having it. -- Walter Winchell
At this point it would be useful to wonder if democracy exists at all in these United States. Between the stolen elections, the voting machines without accountability, the corporate domination of the media, the national security state, the military's revamped domestic spying (TALON), the meme of American Exceptionalism...
Hope and Change...?
Obama’s Health Care Bill Is Enough to Make You Sick
by Chris Hedges