Daily Topics - Thursday January 3rd, 2013

Catch The Thom Hartmann Program LIVE 3-6pm ET M-F!
Hour One: The case against billionaires... Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Manhattan Institute
Hour Two: Do we need to arm teachers? Noel Flasterstein, Attorney & Host-The Gun Show / Plus, Geeky Science - Hitting streaks in baseball may be contagious
Hour Three: 2013...extreme austerity here we come
Comments
Thom, don't let them drag you into this argument based solely on protecting kids in school buildings. They completely ignore the simple fact that kids play on the playground. The go to and from sporting events and field trips on buses. They go to and from school every day on buses. It takes more than a village to protect them. Teachers tend not to be gun owners and gun literate. They spend their time learning and teaching. Few want to assume the personal danger of carrying a loaded weapon and guns should not be forced upon them. But beyond that schools are not the only places where gun violence is a problem. The worst are in urban areas, then obviously there's movie houses, shopping malls and public events. Thanks but no thanks to the NRA for trying to sell more guns by talking only about schools. We ain't buying.

Apropos of the revenue/debt/expeditures discussions, check out this Fiscal Chart infographic from the 9th Census of 1870. Note how the early revenues were almost entirely from customs tariffs. Later in the 1830's, the revenue from sale of land was a major component (revenue through Manifest Destiny).
Maybe I missed it, but how come no one is blasting Michigan for passing a gun law, at 4:30am on the same day as the Newtown, Conn. shootings, allowing guns in schools and day cares? And did the Governor sign it?
This story kind of disappeared from the media



I’m a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, the whole amendment not just the last clause. I call it the “Militia Amendment” rather than the “Right to Bear Arms” Amendment. Each gun owning citizen should be able to present credentials as a member in good standing of a 'well regulated militia.' The ownership of a gun must comply with regulations established by the 'free state' governing the militia in question because a well regulated militia without regulations is absurd. The supreme court will not need a constitutional amendment to support this national practice since we already have the Second Amendment, bruised tho it may be.