Low-income children are screwed when it comes to getting a good education. New studies show that a quality education in America is now increasingly only available to the very rich. A study out of Stanford shows that the gap in standardized testing scores between rich students and low-income students has increased 40% since the 1960’s. And another study out of the University of Michigan shows that gap between rich and low-income students when it comes to college completion – which is the single biggest factor when it comes to succeeding in the economy – has grown 50% since the 1980’s.

As the New York Times reports, “The changes are tectonic, a result of social and economic processes unfolding over many decades.” Those social and economic processes are called Reagan, Clinton, and Bush-onomics. In the last 30 years, thanks to the Reagan Tax Cuts, Clinton’s attack on welfare and embrace of Free Trade, and Bush’s Great Depression – our economy only benefits the very rich.

And with public education budgets being slashed around the nation – and taxpayer dollars being diverted to for-profit schools – the one great equalizer in America – our education system is under attack.

-Thom

(How do you see the future for young Americans? Tell us here.)

The Daily Stack

Hour One: If it's Friday, it's "Brunch With Bernie"... the honorable Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) joins Thom with all the news from our nation's capitol and as always he'll be spending the hour taking your calls and answering your questions too...
Follow Bernie: campaign site.

Site: "Candidate Walmart".

Case: "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission".

Article: "America's Plutocrats Play the Political Ponies" by Sam Pizzigati.

Article: "New England Town Meetings To Challenge Corporate Personhood" by Common Dreams.

Article: "A Petition to Support the Saving American Democracy Amendment" by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Article: "Budget Ducks Big Benefit Cuts" by Damian Paletta.

Article: "Senate invokes cloture on $109B transportation bill" by Keith Laing and Josiah Ryan.

Book: "The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class" by Bernie Sanders.

Article: "Obama frees 10 states from No Child Left Behind" by Mary Beth Marklein.

Article: "Bank Settlement: $25 Billion Down, $675 Billion to Go" by Van Jones.

Article: "GOP rejects Dem push for bike paths, sidewalks in $260B transportation bill" by Keith Laing.

Hour Two: Keystone XL & alternative energies
- Charles Drevna, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers.

Bill: Kansas "SB 113 - Selling KU hospital for not less than $600 million and depositing the proceeds into the Kansas public employees retirement fund.".

Bill: Kansas "HB 2330 - Enacting the cannabis compassion and care act.".

Article: "Michigan Democrats can vote in presidential primary and caucus, party says" by Maria Amante.

Video: "Thom interviews a corporation now running for Congress".

Article: "PRESS RELEASE: Catholics United Supports Obama Administration's New Compromise Regulation on HHS Contraception Rule".

Article: "Eric Cantor Is Short Treasurys (Sort Of)" by Mark Gongloff.

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Victoria Jones, White House Correspondent

Article: "Mitt Romney Tells CPAC He's Lived Conservatism, Not Just Talked About It".

Article: "Rick Santorum's full CPAC 2012 speech (21:00)".

- Ellen Ratner, Bureau Chief

Article: "Obama adjusts birth control policy after protests" by AP.

Hour Three: Is Prop 8 unconstitutional?
- Dr. John Eastman

Article: "NOM Condemns Ninth Circuit Ruling Finding Prop 8 Unconstitutional, Imperiling the Marriage Laws of 43 states" by NOM.

Book: The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Eliot, Russell Kirk.

Book: "Conservatives Without Conscience" by John W. Dean.

Video: "Betty Bowers Explains Traditional Marriage to Everyone Else".

The good: Green Jobs: "Jobs in California’s core green economy show greater resilience".

The bad: "Santorum Says Emotions Too Strong to Allow Women in Front-line Combat" by Brian William Greene.

The very, very ugly: "Cal Thomas: Maddow ‘is the best argument’ for using contraceptives" by Caroline May.

Video: "Jesus Was a Capricorn" - Kris Kristofferson ("everybody's got to have somebody to look down on).

Video: "Tv Theme Flipper " ("They call him Flipper").

Article: "Senate Republicans push to weaken Violence Against Women Act" by Laura Clawson.

Site: "Occupy Solidarity Social Forum".

Bible: "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:8".

Article: "Rep. Spencer Bachus faces insider-trading investigation" by Haraz N. Ghanbari.

Article: "Education gap grows between rich and poor, studies show" by Sabrina Tavernise.

Article: "Greek Unions Strike as Venizelos Cites Euro to Push Vote on Cuts" by Bloomberg.

Article: "British economy set to reenter recession".

Article: "NRC approves first new nuclear plant in a generation" by Ayesha Rascoe.

Article: "Virginia legislation advances to let private adoption agencies bar adoption by gay parents" by AP.

Article: "January 2012 the fourth warmest for the contiguous United States" by NOAA.

Read an excerpt here, and buy the book!

And, the best of the rest of the news and your calls right here on...

The Thom Hartmann Program...your media support group for "we the people"...TAG, YOU'RE IT!!!!!!!!! (OCCUPY SOMETHING!!!!!)