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To make everything sound so simple is so easy. It is not. The one thing you are missing here, and it is the fundamental building block of society, is who is paying for all those benefits? The other peice you convieniently gloss over is no jobs, no unions, and thus no benefits. I think former Russia is a very good example of this.
Quite frankly, I hate unions. I was born and raised in a union household. My dad is a show steward. They are die hard union supporters, but the see the folly of the union. It strangles the business. I would not be close to where I am today if my company was union.
In my opinon, Unions are for lazy people; people that are to lazy to better themselves. Unions make everybody the same. I thought liberals think everyone was unique. Seems to me this goes against the indviduality concept of a liberal. I am not the same as the guy next to me nor do I want to be treated like the guy next to me. I am willing to stand on my own two feet to prove it. I am willing to work harder, smarter and faster to get that bigger raise. I don't want my potential capped, or anybody's else's potential, earnings or otherwise, capped because of a contract negociated by someone I don't know. The common point between a person and all their problems is the person, not everyone else.
In the USA, we are free to go and get another job. If you don't like the job your, get another one. If you can't get another one I think it is time for some self evaluation. If you want a raise, earn it. A person does not deserve a raise just for showing up to do their job. A raise is a reward for good work. In the real world this is called the risk/reward ratio. Unions remove the risk/reward ratio and therfore reduce the desire to improve and become more efficient.
The perfect examples of this concept are Welfare and Medicare. Welfare receipients have no desire to get long term employment. If they can get a job for a few weeks, or months, they can quit and get back on welfare. If there was no safety net, you bet your bottom they would be working somewhere to get some food. With medicare, there is no desire for a doctor to go the extra mile on any customers. They get paid the same as the next doctor for their services even though they could using 10 year old techniques and technology. Worse yet, they could be a poor doctor, but they are again treated the same as the best doctor.
It is the reward that drives people. For some it is tangible, like money. Others, it is intangible. Either way, unions take away any and all incentive to get better. With the advent of the internet and global trade, every person is now competing with every person in the world, not just the guy across the street. Answer these questions: If your not getting better at your job, why should management keep you around? What is your value add to society and the business? If your not getting better at your job you will be out of one soon enough. Maybe that will be the incentive you need to get better at your job.
Scotth
There was a woman on the show today discussing her book dealing with racism in America. What was the name of the book? I know it had the word "whiteness" in the title.
Thom needs to look again at the history of the Gramm Leach Bliley bill. He said the bill passed 54-44 and Clinton could have vetoed had he wanted. However, that was the initial bill. The house's corresponding bill had so many differences a committee was formed to hash them out and the final compromise bill passed a veto proof 90-8 (not that Clinton would have vetoed) It's interesting to examine the 8 votes against, most notably Dorgan and Feingold. They knew back then this bill was bad. Why isn't Obama listening to them instead of the people who were involved in passing this legislation?
Gee whiz!? I can't find the newsconference video about General Motors, which will be a topic on today's show, on-line at CSPAN.org!? Merely, a message box on CSPAN.org indicates "System Mainenance". So, I performed a random experiment and 'clicked on a total of fifteen' video links. The site was up and running, and I did fifteen clicks, and found one blank. I noted a percentage of fifteen per cent, blank. Overall Results: Higher, in real terms, than one out of sixteen important news conferences, or congressional hearings, etc. is withheld at the random time of the experiment. I am not admitting to any error factor, at this time. Of course clicking stamina, and computer speeds, will vary, as it is with the earthly seasons, which of course are relative to our orbit, third planet from the sun!? (p.s. I feel frustrated....and lacking the relevant facts!!)
Thom, The Chinese system of government sponsored capitalism sounds a lot like the American military industrial complex as is has been working under Republican rule. The Chinese just don't bother to hide their methods from their people!
Wow Thom! Way to go with that David Bossie guy! Loved it.
Thom,
You just said that John McCain was tortured by the Vietnamese and didn't break and give up true information. I'm not sure that you know that as a fact.
I know that he's told a story about being asked to give the names of the other pilots in his squadron and claims that he gave the names of the Green Bay Packers' defense or was it the Pittsburgh Steelers'; he's mentioned both teams in different versions of the story. And we know that he came up with a story about a Vietnamese prison guard drawing a cross in the dirt with his foot, but that story was lifted from a book by someone else.
Now, I'm not justifying torture. I'm against it. But McCain did break and make numerous propaganda films for the Vietnamese, which was probably more important to them from their point of view than any information that he might have had.
It's not that torture never works, it's that the information gotten through torture is unreliable because people will lie and/or make up information to stop the torture.
Couple of things: 1) The only people who are for the war on drugs are the people who cannot follow logic (ie.; what did prohibition do for "curing" drunks?) or economics (without the blackmarket, the problems associated with drugs would not exist) or have a vested interest in the economics (CIA funding, cops getting fast cars for "undercover work", city, county governments getting extra funding to fight the losing battle.
2) What was the name of the man that was on speaking with Peter B about 3 mile Island? and the name of his book? I think it is very scary that we are even considering nuclear energy and "clean coal",
Between censuses, any dysfunction of society, will introduce a set of numbers which are in error. And the social problem of drug abuse may obviously 'hurt' the three layers of the American Pie: the institutional, structural, and familial layers. Decriminalization, may unravel the 'business' of illicit drugs, as it has woven its way ito these abstract, layers.
as for the website, I tried to sign in a while ago and my password didn't work, so I asked for a new one: first they said they didn't recognize my email. But then later they did send me a new password: however the one they sent me didn't work, but now my original one does work
so I am now signed in, but I am unable to get to the Community forum, where I was following a couple of threads
Is this about having to now be a paid subscriber ? or am I being banned?
Thom was way out of his league on this panel. Even Huffington looked confused at his ramblings. No wonder he hasn't progressed in media popularity. What a sad display.
Thanks mathboy... I found it. Last week I was able to get there through another route.
Adios, amigo
B Roll: To log out, click on the word "members" in the Welcome in the upper right. It takes you to the page you get when you log in, and it has a log-out button at the top right..
This website sucks so bad. I logged-in and now I can't log-out. I usually have to go to community and then to my home to find a log-out button. Today that button isn't there. But it does have a place for me to login, So I tried to login hoping that I would then be able to log-out, but it tells me my password isn't correct.
When I tried to log-in during the first hour, the site couldn't find couldn't find the page and gave me a 404 error. So I came back a while ago, I was able to login, but now I can't log-out.
Then there's the fact that it's not uncommon for the home page to not format correctly, and several times it just wouldn't load.
I have no idea what might happen when I hit the post comment button. I hope an asteroid come through the roof. I'm under the desk now and I'm going to click.
Three-Mile Island's problem was human error. Not to mention that humans have actually learned something in the last 30 years. Nuclear power plants don't have to be designed exactly the same way.
I think what really bothers about this issue is that it seems to have reduced all definitions of freedom to purely economical considerations that stay within the parameters of our role as producer consumers. To listen to the mainstream, you get the feeling that Freedom is little more than a choice between Coke or Pepsi, or which SUV to buy, or our questionable right to achieve prosperity. It fails to recognize that authentic Freedom is about how the individual chooses to live and experience their point A to point B. Prosperity and things are little more than a means to those things.
I’ve watched this change saturate our culture since the 80’s. And Obama, by flippantly dismissing the idea of legalization, showed that there is little hope of this development turning back anytime soon.
I don't know about outright legalization of all drugs. For instance, I certainly can't see any justification for legalizing krank, which to me is a nasty bathtub drug. At the same time, it would be nice to see some rational and considerate discourse on the matter -that is as compared to the one sided dictation that has been primarily dominated by hysteria.
What tiffs me off about this is the way politicians play it cool on the subject when they're trying to get elected, then fall back on typical mainstream militancy when they're in. Obama did it when he dismissed the notion of legalization offhand. And if you were to read the Obama website during the election, you might have noticed how they completely downplayed Biden's role in the War on Drugs and how he was the loudest voice in calling for the establishment of a drug czar, Clinton did as much when asked, on MTV's Rock the Vote, if he had it to do all over again, would he inhale. Clinton just chuckled and said he would have but couldn't because of his allergies. Then, after he got in, promised to raise the riot act when San Francisco legalized pot for medicinal purposes. It's like want to court the casual users vote then, when in, want to resort to the politically safe anti-drug stance.
The thing is, both he and Obama threw away an opportunity to show an enlightened and considerate intellect that was above the common fray.
Who 'appointed' Mr. King, as arbiter of a public employee's fate? Without Mr. Hartmann, in that interview it would have been 'pure gottcha'! Why is any trusted MSM voice, post-Cronkite, any more than many, melifluous, bass tones??
I think that Thom is an excellent spokesperson for progressive change in this country. What Thom was saying in the video is essentially what the article today in the Huffington Post says: "If a Financial Institution is Too Big to Fail, It's Just Too Big," By Robert Creamer, Huffington Post. I recommend the article as a good read. It tells us the BofA and Citi have about 45% of the total banking market in the US right now. 45%! That is nuts. They need to be broken up into smaller, more regulated pieces.
I have mixed feelings on whether Thom should spend more time on the cable talk shows. Surely a voice like his is needed, but is it worth his time? I'l rather have him play a role in the Obama administration directly, I think. He's a good one, for sure. He sure represents my views on most issues (immigration reform and globalization are areas we might disagree).
Haha, this is such a fantasy. Liberals think that taxes will solve their problems. This country existed for over 135 years without any income tax. Why do we need them now?
No less, every single tax cut has produced more money in the long term. We went from 90% to 35% and we have more money flowing into the coffers than ever before. Look at the Bush cuts. He cut the taxes and more money flew into the treasury than ever before. Hate Bush Jr., Clinton did the same thing. Hate Clinton, Raegen did the same thing. All of them had the same results. More money to the Government.
If you hate the US, then look at Europe. It is less productive and less influential than the US is in any financial measurement. Hate Europe, Russia failed. Hate Russia, China is turning capitalist and they are growing so fast is incomprehensible. Hate China, look at Mexico and its reduction in income taxes. It was growing quite quickly until this recession hit us.
Don't believe me, try Wikipedia. Andrew Mellon, Treasury Secretary from 1921 to 1932 argued that a cut in taxes would actually increase revenue. It worked. He cut the marginal tax rate from 77 percent to 25 percent. He even believed in progressive income taxes. And I quote "Mellon's policy reduced the public debt (largely inherited from World War I obligations) from almost $26 billion in 1921 to about $16 billion in 1930, ..." Read the information yourself. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_William_Mellon
Oh, I forgot about Bush senior. He raised taxes, against his wish, and we had the 91-92 recession.
Do your research people. Pull the numbers from the IRS Website or history. Show me where more taxes has ever increased GDP or put more money in the Treasury over the long run. The facts go 100% contrary to any argument made yet.
Back in 2002 or 2003 then Congressman Sanders called for an investigation into the IMF regarding the Brazil Bailout.
Q1: Did that investigation ever take place and if yes, what were the conclusions of that investigation?
Q2: Do you think the IMF should be investigated now?
imbillorightsmanandiapprovethismessage
To find the Bill in the House of Representatives - go to http://www.house.gov/ then scroll down to FIND A BILL, AMENDMENT OR DEBATE and click on Search Thomas by Bill Text or Number. Then in the drop down, select Bill Number and enter H.R. 875 (make sure you put in the periods)
Thom,
You said that we learned the lessons of non-violent resistance from Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.
Have you forgotten that Mandela was one of the co-founders and leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe (translated Spear of the Nation) the armed wing of the African National Congress in 1961 when he was 43 years old.
You can say that Umkhonto we Sizwe (aka the MK) participated in demonstration violence for the purpose of encouraging and arousing the black population of South Africa, and took care not to hurt civilians in the early days, but I don’t think it was non-violent. These actions were very similar to what was done by the Weathermen in this country.
However, Umkhonto we Sizwe escalated the violence some years later and there were civilian casualties. Mandela was still in prison at that time, but probably was in contact. And don’t forget that during the waning days of the apartheid regime, there were violent conflicts between the ANC and the Inkatha led by Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
By the time that Mandela was released from prison, the situation had changed dramatically.
I'm not saying I'm in favor of political violence. I'm just trying to set the historical record straight.
Same thing on senate website, searched "425", "S 425", "S 425 organic", nothing that is obviously the same bill we're talking about here... Something Sherrod Brown is working on for biogas...? Is it me, or is it hard to find the actual bills on the government sites? Seems like this has happened before to me - I would like to put something on my fb site, with a link to the actual bills, because for people who aren't already in the same mindset as I am, maybe they would think that is more 'reliable' information than links to blog sites that are railing against something...
Thom:
What happened to Mark Rudd? He was on the air to you talking about the strategy they used in the 60s, etc....can you get him back????
Joe