Progressive policies work!
By Thom Hartmann A...
Republican governors all around our country are slashing education to cover the cost of tax breaks for the rich. But, Governor Mark Dayton of Minnesota wants to invest a portion of his state's budget surplus in universal pre-K.
Rather than dishing out tax breaks, the Democratic governor actually raised taxes on the top two percent in his state, and it's turned in to quite a success. Republicans in Minnesota balked at the tax hike idea, saying that businesses would leave that state, but that hasn't happened. In fact, higher wages, stronger unions, and better education systems have lured business to that state, and that's paying off in terms of more investment in the people of Minnesota.
Universal Pre-K would ensure that every child starts school with stronger skills, and allow parents to work more hours instead of caring for kids. Families get the help they need to be stronger, and Minnesota gets a better educated workforce.
This is what happens when progressive ideas are allowed to become real policy. Governor Dayton has proven that these ideas work for the state of Minnesota, so let's keep fighting to implement these policies nation-wide.
Comments
#2
I saw a Hitler mustache in an old photo on Facebook yesterday. The mustache had nothing to do with the post.
I really like the German language for the most part, but I detest the formality of interpersonal relations concomitant with the pronoun "Sie". In my life, I've never gotten the hang of moments of transition like the one Thom mentioned. I rely on the ability to drift in or out of relationships without having to suddenly relabel them. On the other hand, if I'd grown up in that atmosphere, maybe I'd actually be able to handle it.
#3
It should be no surprise that republicans want to cut spending on education...after all, an uneducated populace is easier to decieve.
#4
ATTN Thom Hartmann!!
Not sure how else to get this important info to Thom and his staff, so hoping someone will bring this to his attention. There is a Judge in Alaska, Anna Von Reitz, that has done extensive research into the validity of the US Inc. (government), and it can be viewed here. I have known of this for several yrs. now, and this all seems to be verifiable with numerous documents, articles and links available. This is a game changer, and requires our immediate attention! Please forward to other sites, and share with your readers, thanks.
Peace out, Todd.
#5
BTW, with regards to education in the U.S? With Common Core running rampant these days, our children are at risk of perpetuating the 'slave system' that many of us have been duped by for decades. Please open the link in my first comment to research this government fraud. Also youtube the trouble with Common Core!
#6
You wrote:
Universal Pre-K would ensure that every child starts school with stronger skills, and allow parents to work more hours instead of caring for kids. Families get the help they need to be stronger, and Minnesota gets a better educated workforce.
How about instead of giving families the ability to work more hours we give them the ability to earn a fair wage. Like in the 50's when a man could earn enough to support a family on one income, then his children could have the best pre-school in the world where they can be taught by their families religion, cultural values, and be exposed to the wisdom of their grandparents rather than cared for by aides being paid at minimum wage resentful of the fact that they cannot be with their own children. If a women or man wants to stay home with their children verses work, because their partner's wage makes it possible that should be possible. What we did is be duped into doubling the work force so competition could drive down the cost of labor for our corporate oligarchs.
#7
I caught that 'allow parents to work more hours' also and am glad you said something. You couldn't be more right.
#8
W1ders-thank you for you comment. It just kills me that the Democrats use giving pre-school to us like it is some kind of a gift. It Is a gift to the rich to drive mothers into the work force as soon as possible at the expense of not developing our children's family values. This proves that "our money gets you into politics corrupted system" has developed one corporate coin, democrats on one side republicans on the other working out compromises that only benefit their corporate funders. We the people are totally screwed.
#9
Minnesota still cares about itself as a culture and seeks to provide kids with a good education. There used to be good vocational schools around that taught electronics. After "free trade" was pushed through by our two party all non-sense system, most electronics jobs left the USA, and the vocational schools teaching the subject matter quit teaching it. There appeared to be no vocation left. Maybe robotics will either free us all to live in Paradise or maybe it will only let the 1% Royalists in control of finances live well. We must fight for Democracy here before we go off pushing it in other places. I recommend reading Thom Hartmann's The Crash of 2016 though I doubt we will crash. We will print 20 trillion more dollars to save the failing system. We need to change the system. It's Easter - all about the theme of transformation.
John c anderson, "lucky"
#10
This may be true, conservative republicans cut education spending to keep the numbers up on on the ignorant people that vote for them. By doing this, conservative republicans are doing a dis-service to business owners who benefit from a more educated workforce. By the way, business owners tend to vote republican too. My local union, plumbers local 17, Memphis, had a contractor to drop out of the union for about 10 years and then sign back up with the union. Why did he do that? The answer is education. In the building trades unions there are apprentice and journeyman training programs where apprentices, who must first have a high school diploma, go to school at night for 4 to 5 years while working in their trade by day, thereby learning in the classroom and on the job. The training is paid for 100% by the workers and the contractors, jointly. When the contractor dropped out of the union, he had a workforce that cost him less payroll wise, but cost him more because of the amount of work that was done wrong and had to be redone because of the lack of education and training on the part of the non-union workforce. That's why he rejoined the union where he had to pay more but could make more money with a better educated and trained workforce. Cutting education funding is bad for business and spending on education is good for business and good for the economy because better educated and trained workers earn more money and spend more money. The contractor was my last employer before I retired, White Plumbing and Mechanical.
#11
New York's Gov. Andy Cuomo needs to be clued in on the positive results of Dayton's pro union/progressive economic ideas.
Speaking of getting clued in....when will the Teabaggers realize that the billionaire's phrase, "taxed enough already," was never meant to apply to Tea Party participants, or any working people for that matter? In fact most working class citizens have seen their taxes skyrocket with the republican austerity madness. Revenue loss due to tax cuts for the rich becomes austerity for the rest of us. This eventually trickles down in the form higher property taxes, which have to cover mandated programs at the local level. What a great deal for the rich....they pay the same tax rate as the working poor on property tax....the most regressive tax ever imposed. Everyone pays property tax....even those who rent, it's built in to their payment.
The billionaires are laughing behind the scenes at the Palin's, and other Tea Party fools.....who keep doing their dirty work!..... austerity for everything except military industrial spending.
#12
Really? Jefferson went "nuts" 16 years after the Marbury case in 1803? He didn't say anything about it until that letter to Spencer Roane in 1819?
Without the judicial check on the other two branches, the Constitution would be "a mere thing of wax" in the hands of the President and the Congress. So what do you want, 2 branches that can mold the Constitution on their own initiative, or 1 branch that can mold the constitution in only one direction (striking down laws but not creating them) and only at the behest of plantiffs that must follow a long process?
#13
Bishop Gene Robinson was on The Colbert Report several times.
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
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.
From Unequal Protection, 2nd Edition:
"Beneath the success and rise of American enterprise is an untold history that is antithetical to every value Americans hold dear. This is a seminal work, a godsend really, a clear message to every citizen about the need to reform our country, laws, and companies."
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 Screwed:
"Hartmann speaks with the straight talking clarity and brilliance of a modern day Tom Paine as he exposes the intentional and systematic destruction of America’s middle class by an alliance of political con artists and outlines a program to restore it. This is Hartmann at his best. Essential reading for those interested in restoring the institution that made America the envy of the world."
"Quaternary" is the word Thom was thinking of--primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary. There's also a geologic period by that name, running from 2.588 million years ago to the present, but I'm guessing we'll have a period division soon, considering climate change, impending mass extinction, etc.