I hear this BS all the time. I know of know reason why it is not done today, so if it is such a good deal let it be done.

Bush had the right ideas when he promoted the ownership society. He just was confused about what ownership he was talking about. When workers own the companies and the banks then society thrives, and nobody gets laid off. Cause if you are the owner you are not going to vote to lay yourself off. This system has gone on successfully in Spain, known as the worker owned cooperatives of Mondragon, for about the last 60 years in the northern Basque region of Spain and is something to look at. When Bush told us to go shopping and told us to buy houses he was really thinking we would do so by going into debt, in which case we really do not own anything. I guess he thought we really are that stupid to not know that if you do not have a say at work and do not have control of the bank and do not actually own the roof over your head then somebody else really is in control.

So the actual ownership society that shares and requires investment from every participant but also shares decision making authority amongst all the investors is much more powerful and much more resilient. Study the worker ownership models of Mondragon and the member owned co-op credit unions and all the variations of true participatory democracy.....then take over the company or start new companies organized with power vested in the hands of the workers. Lots of information available at the US Federation of Worker Owned Cooperatives. BTW This aint socialism, it is real Democracy, one worker - one vote - everybody buys in either with cash or sweat equity over an entry level time period. The buy in price is about the equal of one year's salary over 3-5 years. There is no free lunch here. This is just an understanding that the workers know what is going on, are willing to fund the operation, and should have decision making authority. Check it out, it works! Over the time span the Mondragon Cooperatives have been running their unemployment rate has not gone above 1%. In the last 2 years in Spain, with 25% of the conventional businesses failing, the Mondragon Cooperative Companies lost one company with 35 employees out of 120 companies in their system. Those 35 went to work for other companies, so no one is out of work. Everyone voted to make a little less, but no one is kicked out. We need to stop asking capitalists to stop behaving like capitalists and instead ourselves start acting like cooperativists in the spirit of the Democracy we profess.

You can't have big government and a job to... because your boss can't pay for big government and your job to! You should try being an employer for a day!

I cannot believe the stupidity of this blog entry or, even worse, the stupidity and ignorance that it assumes of its readers. The Republicans are somehow to blame because an exceptionally heartless woman attempts to sell her child for money; we are all supposed to forget that the Democrats were as strongly in support of NAFTA as anyone else. Every President from either party supported NAFTA from its inception to the present -- and the point is not just NAFTA, but the White House's support of Big Business and its willingness to ship jobs outside the country to cut costs.

How much money did Bill accept from the Chinese?

Some of us are old enough to remember this stuff.

I am sorry to read such idiocy in a public venue.

We HAVE to repeal NAFTA and every other similar treaty. You've said it many times on your daily radio broadcast, Thom. If a widget costs $5 to produce in America, and it costs $1 to produce in China or India and they want to sell it in America, there should be a $4 tariff on every widget that is imported! I know there will be a hew and cry from the right about protectionism ... but WHAT'S WRONG WITH A LITTLE PROTECTIONISM? Isn't the American way of life worth PROTECTING?

Regarding social security there is one aspect that Thom seems to never mention that Ravi Batra points out in his book the Greenspan Fraud. When Reagan doubled the social security tax, he immediately used the money to offset the huge deficit created by his tax cuts for the rich. In addition, as Dennis Kucinich pointed out in the Presidential debates, Clinton would not have been able to claim a surplus if it were not for the social security tax.

And while we're at it, all earnings should be treated as income and taxed as such. Then maybe we could entertain cutting the tax rates on income.

The poor and working class took a big hit when ACORN was wrongly slandered and defunded. They lost a powerful advocate.

Meet John Atlas tonight author of Seeds of Change: The Story of ACORN tonight in D.C He will discuss the ACORN and the importance of community organizing. You should invite him on your show.

Progressivism on Tap with John Atlas and Steve Kest

Nov 10, 2010 ... About Us down arrow ... About This Event. John Atlas, president of the National Housing Institute and ... will discuss the history and the future of community organizing. This is a special joint-event with the Progressive Book Club. Progressivism on Tap is a lecture and discussion series from the ...
www.americanprogress.org/events/2010/11/ontap_atlas.html

Thom, it is my understanding that Limbaugh has an eight year contract worth $400. He receives $50 million per year.

The problem with SS is it typically brings in more than it pays out. The surplus buys treasury bonds to prop up the rest of the governments shortfall. At some point those t-bonds have to be paid back.

Tea Party-Progressive Coalition For Defense Cuts!
http://pr.thinkprogress.org/
... a path forward? One unified suggestion is outlined here:

http://cdn.publicinterestnetwork.org/assets/3ffceaf43849e603a903fe29b117d51a/USP_NTU_Fiscal-Report-List_Final-Oct2010.pdf

... and Alito headlining at American Spector fundraiser.
http://www.thinkprogress.org/
From that interesting post:
Spectator publisher Al Regnery helps lead a secretive group of conservatives called the “Conservative Action Project,” formed after President Obama’s election, to help lobby for conservative legislative priorities, elect Republicans (the Conservative Action Project helped campaign against Democrat Bill Owens in NY-23), and block President Obama’s judicial appointments...

...As Alito entered the event last night, I approached the Justice and asked him why he thought it appropriate to attend a highly political fundraiser with the chairman of the Republican Party, given Alito’s position on the court. Alito appeared baffled, and replied, “it’s not important that I’m here.” “But,” I said, “you also helped headline this same event two years ago, obviously helping to raise political money as the keynote.” Alito replied curtly, “it’s not important,” before walking away from me.

Hey Thom,

The breakdown of debt (in millions) by administration:

PeriodAdministrationEnding DebtDebt/Admin% DebtBefore 1981Various 998,818 998,818 7%1982-1989Ronald Reagan 2,829,770 1,830,952 14%1990-1993George H W Bush 4,315,517 1,485,747 11%1994-2001Bill Clinton 5,732,802 1,417,285 10%2002-2009George W Bush 11,853,142 6,120,340 45%2010Barack Obama 13,510,840 1,657,698 12%

Source: US Treasury; debt level at the end of administration last budget, September 30.