Recent comments
ADHD: Hunter in a Farmer's World
Thom Hartmann has written a dozen books covering ADD / ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.
Join Thom for his new twice-weekly email newsletters on ADHD, whether it affects you or a member of your family.
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.
FYI Thom Hartmann does not write this blog.
PAL -- The "pendulum" for FDR had swung to 33% unemployment before action could happen. We are around 7%. I think these measures are of the same thing, since we know real unemployment is around 17% now. So the 33% may have been 50%. In any case, our mission on the left is to make something happen when the pendulum is only at 7%.
PAL -- Per Thom, the violent revolutions in France slowed down the process of democratization. Violent revolutions seem to have a much better chance of succeeding if the ruling government is not indigenous. Great Britain was able to rid themselves of autocratic rule without a violent revolution. India and South Africa showed that non-violence has hope of ridding themselves of autocratic rule.
Rather than say the govenrment has too much power, it would be more accurate to say that the system of incentives in the government (applying to the elected, the appointed and the hired) is not constructed to serve the people properly.
Michael Brown's head may also have been bowed because he was doubling over in pain from other wounds. There's seems to be very little logic to be had from it.
I might be getting paranoid, but I think the DOD is selling weapons to our police departments because there are plans down the road to declare martial law for some 'planted' crisis. I'm sickened by the 'dog whistling' race baiting on the Fox propaganda channel, on right wing talk radio, and even from politicians. This irresponsible behavior is giving racists a free pass to openly proclaim their hatred of blacks and all people of color. It's almost like some powerful people are hoping for mass rioting, and thus an excuse to declare martial law.
Holy Cow! Really? I never checked how much their current price is...just what I've heard from others...which was about 3 times that amount for 1Gbps.
When you vote for a Republican or a Democrat you are voting for the Aristocrats. The Aristocrats owns both parties.
With such a huge difference in racial composition between the population of Ferguson and it's police force, I have to wonder how much of the police personnel lives, and was hired from, outside the city. This would add another dimension of lack of empathy.
PAL -- Thanks. I went to their website and the offer 1Gbps for $24.99 per month
Imagine a world where things are done for people not because it's profitable, but because it improves their lives!
This country has increased inequality for the average working American for the past 30 years. The Downward fall started with Pres. Ronald Wilson Reagan tax cuts that he gave to the 1%, the Aristocrats, of this country that gave an advantage over the working American family.
We need a new game in this country, a new game that gives back to the American working family dignity as they once had before. The Aristocrats has seized control of our government to give the power to a limited group of people. We no longer have a Government of the people, by the people and for the people as Abraham Lincoln stated in the Gettysburg Address. In his opening statement, Abraham Lincoln said.
Today that statement all man a good equal, is no longer valid.
One of our founding fathers the man who drafted the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson knew of this concept that he expressed to a friend in a letter that he written that goes by the name of William B. Giles on 12/26/1825, has Jefferson explains to his friend the threat that can be held over the common people by the 1% of their days.
Thomas Jefferson had experience with monarchies and government, he knew of the power of aristocracy of a King and the ruling force that he has, and the threat a monarchy can propose upon our new nation. The main purpose of the Founding fathers was to design this country for the benefit of the common man that works for a living and not a ruling Aristocrat, which can dominate a nation. Another founding father who was George Washington’s first secretary of treasury, Alexander Hamilton also knew of this repressing concept expressed this in his writings of the Federalist Papers Number 17 when he said.
We are now engaged in a great civil war once again, not of armies, but instead of the power of great wealth over the average working American families. I call this great wealth the Aristocrats, which they do believe because of the wealth that they have, they should have control over our government and over you. They believe that the average working American family is not the more than peasants, only to serve the aristocrats for their pleasure, and that there are not created as equals.
Even back during Herbert Hoover administration, Americans knew that the trickle-down economics does not work, here is a quote from a very famous American from that time.
The founding fathers truly believe the common people, in which they believe can set up a government by the people and for the people would create an environment for equality instead of a Kings inequality. Little did they know or realize that they left a pathway that would permit a major organization or a corporation to succeed in a Monarch type authority, which would take the power from the common people away, then spread it among the small amount of the elite. That would drive a division that will separate different types of classes of people like the one it was set up in a monarchy. The Republican Party also known as the Conservatives supports this type of divisions of classes among the people of America.
This coming November if we want to take our country back from the rich white man, we have to remember who brought the most freedom, the most prosperity and the most equal rights and equality to our nation, and it’s not Republicans, it was the Liberals/Democrats that did. If you have not registered to vote do it, get active in your community, encourage your neighbors friends and relatives to register to vote as support their community. if we do not take an Active Interest in our lives and our Community, We will lose it To The Aristocrats, The Wealthy The 1%.Go Vote in November. Just one more thing,be aware of the East India Company.
There’s two books I suggest for you to read, The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger By Kate Pickett, Richard Wilkinson and The Crash of 2016: The Plot to Destroy America--and What We Can Do to Stop It by Thom Hartmann both these books will help you out
The Governor of Missouri brought in their National Guard to protect police command post from the citizens of Ferguson. To ease the tension, the Missouri National Guard should create a buffer zone between the Police Department of Ferguson and Missouri State Highway patrol, not to protect law enforcement from the citizens. This just show how far this country’s Justice Department along with law enforcement, (the Police Department) has deteriorated into a totalitarian state controlled by a political police force that secretly supervises the citizens' activities, what we called, a police state! Where is Andy Taylor of Mayberry when you need him!
When the Middle Class grows in numbers, those folks have to come from somewhere. When the economy is regulated properly, a growing Middle Class becomes the attainable goal of the majority of the poor, and the wake-up-call dose of reality for the entitled wealthy. I find that in most credible plans for a smart government geared explicitly toward a healthy middle class, "shoring up the poor" is a big component.
leighmf; Thank you for your contribution to the ineffective post-blog "squabbling" you complain about. Cheers.
chuckle8: My guess is that it is the name of the company.
https://epbfi.com/
So, yes, revolutions do not make permanent change; but without them, nothing would change. We'd still be ruled by Kings and Czars and Emperors and Dictators. Some historians might argue that a revolution every now and then is not a bad idea. Not all people are created equal...some excel at conniving others out of their wealth, property and power. And eventually, cliques form...perhaps familial or otherwise. Some even may exploit the gullibility of the people's propensity to believe in superstitious things...like the sanctity of their superior station by fictitious, immortal, mythical beings.
The bullies force their will upon the others. Most people just want to live peaceful lives bringing up a family and are usually too busy trying to do so to be very wary of the the dangers lurking in their midst. Before long, before they know it, they are backed into a corner. The manipulators have slowly rigged the game in their favor and there is no other means of fighting back unless they manage to lash out en masse...with others who have been screwed. All it takes is a spark or several sparks to ignite a rebellion. And every time these things happen, the ruling elite gets a little nervous. They begin to change things a little...until the energy of the rebellion is played out and then they can go back to their exploitative games once again. Nothing really does change unless these flare ups happen. For a truly systemic change, like what FDR did, there has to be many more flare ups nationwide. Things happened to improve our situation in the FDR era and things changed to improve our situation in the anti-Vietnam era. Then Reagan came along and was used as the vehicle by the ruling elite to swing the pendulum back in the other direction.
chuckle8: That is all quite true, however, they don't have a monarch now, do they? All revolutions are followed by a shaking out period that have to settle down. If France had not had a revolution, if Russia had not had a revolution, if the US had not had a revolution, we'd all still be living under a very different system of government now. As a matter of fact, I've read that the politicians of France, and the wealthy elite of France, still haven't quite gotten over the specter of the guillotine and get quite nervous when their people demonstrate.
As a matter of fact, had there not been those revolutions, I doubt that we would even have anything close to a system of democracy now. And it looks like our system of democracy has been gamed so that in effect it is really more like a plutocracy (ruled by "aristocrats") that likes to pretend it is a democracy. Some people may believe that it is time to start sharpening their blades once again. I suspect the people of Ferguson may be predisposed to that idea.
You didn't really think that providing the nation's police forces with military grade weapons was all about guarding against Muslim terrorists, did you? It was all about foreseeing how the 3 decades of unfair exploitation of the masses would culminate in mass rioting and disobedience. In other countries, that have overturned their governments, like Egypt and Libya, etc., the masses were far outgunned by government forces yet the people overturned their unpopular governments. And they didn't do it through the ballot box.
Seems to me that the only ones that have the balls to push back are the people in Ferguson, MO. I don't entirely agree with their premises, exactly, but when people feel intimidated enough they will push back. And it is going to take such push back in all our cities and towns, by people of all color, in order to really change things. History has proved that unless the people cause the ruling elite enough headaches nothing will change. A rigged "democracy" is not going to change things as we have seen with Obama.
Had it not been for the massive and prolonged push backs of the people, sick of the exploitation of the ruling elite culminating in the crash of 1929 and the following depression and then WWII (where FDR really did need the cannon fodder to unite in harmonious jingoism), he would not have been convinced himself, let alone convinced other wealthy elites, that they had to make changes that would better the lives of the lowly classes....before they got their heads lopped off like the aristocrats did in revolutionary France.
Here's one way Big Brother spy's on us all:
http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/watch_this_cat_video_or_anyt...
How laughable. The Army (National Guard) should be brought in to insure the police does not behave as a "gestapo". They should be there to protect the PEOPLE from the police, NOT the other way around !!!
I agree with you wholeheartidly about effective government vs large or small. However, I think it is very difficult to make comparisons between European countries and the United States. The problem here when it comes to social services is the Republicans believe that everyone receiving them is cheating the government. The Democrats believe that everyone who gets them needs them. Of course the truth is somewhere in between but neither side will admit to that. And that is where I believe we are different from most of Europe.
The mindset for dependency is much higher in the US (and countries like Greece and Spain) than it is in the Scandanavian countries and Iceland and Switzerland. It's certainly not Romney's 47% but it is certainly higher than the Democrats number of zero. It was interesting that the conservative Danes oppose immigration. Could it be because they know that most immigrants are poor (hence their desire to emigrate) and will be a financial burden to the country. Again we, think (or so the Dems say) that millions of poor, uneducated, low-skilled people, half of whom can't speak the language will be a financial benefit to the country. Of course that is patently absurd and most assuradly will lead to a bigger strain on the social safety net be it direct aid to them or to our workers who will lose their jobs and have to go on unemployment, welfare, food stamps etc.
Thom, I agree with you way more than not and consider myself a pretty far left leaning liberal but when it comes to illegal immigration I know that so many of the things that liberals believe will be hurt and hurt badly by legalizing 11+ million people. I think you believe the same which is why I have never seen you do one column on immigration.