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.
Wendale here some video to look at
The True Patriot Network Patriotism IS Progressive! Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer discuss their book, The True Patriot, and the progressive movement surrounding it.
Banned TED Talk: Nick Hanauer "Rich people don't create jobs"
and one more
How Economic Inequality Harms Societies: TED Talks Richard Wilkinson
And remember to progress, you always pass on the left
Walmart is the prime example of what is so terribly wrong in our country. Corporate welfare must end! Pay fair wages! Allow people the dignity to work their way into the middle class. To show their children and neighbors how responsible employees are rewarded by responsible companies. That there is a playing field and it is level enough for all people to better their lives.
The Walton family, the richest family in the world, will tell you that their low wages are meant only for those reaching for the first rung on the economic ladder. What they won't tell you is that over three decades ago a president and his political party, being robbed of their sound minds and thus their essence, removed all of the middle rungs. By this removal it was thought that if the wealth from all of those middle rungs went into the offshore bank accounts of people like the Waltons, somehow it would trickle down to the rest of us.
Tear down that ladder with the corporate death penalty!.....and start sharing the wealth in this fine country.
We have set before us today an economic system which can be described as Conspiratorial Capitalism. The economic conspirators of today have morphed into a destructive force entity prophesized by Thomas Jefferson:
"In every government on earth is some trace of human weakness, some germ of corruption and degeneracy, which cunning will discover and wickedness insensibly open, cultivate and improve. Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves therefore are its only safe depositaries. And to render even them safe, their minds must be improved to a certain degree." - Notes on the State of Virginia, 1782, Thomas Jefferson
the best way to get wages up is to improve the economy. Take where I live in Alberta , A freind of mine just bought a condo for his employees to stay in, he pays for all there education costs because he can't get anyone to work in his restruant with out these perks.
We have have almost zero unemployment here. I saw on the news there is 650 billion dollars worth of projects that have been approved. Create a good business atmosphere and people will invest.
By the way if you know anyone that has a trade or skill there is help wanted signs everywhere. I heard they are fast tracking short term work visas for some jobs. You can also work in camps on various rotations and can still live in the US. 18 year olds are coming right out of high school making $10,000 a month.
"Employees of one of the largest companies on the planet shouldn't have to turn to government benefits to buy food or pay for housing. And, taxpayers shouldn't be subsidizing a company that refuses to pay people a living wage."
But isn't this a kind of socialism?
Yes!! Thom for President!!
Don't forget what they do to the Amazon rain forest.
They won't be happy until NOBODY can afford anything BUT going to Walmart or McDonald's.
It is all about economics. Economists have failed society and life won't get any better for the masses until we change how we perceive money.
I personally favor a currency based on energy and because all resources can be quantified using energy. We can judge people based on energy consumption, but also pay them for energy production.
If we look at economics from an environmental perspective, what is better a vagrant that consumes minimal resources or a multi-millionaire that owns a chain of restaurants and bars.
If society offers a sustainable life job to everyone, that all employers would have to compete against; the minimum wage argument would become mute (along with healthcare).
That job is the personal generation of hydrogen from home.
Why harangue about unemployment rates when if we do employ people in these resource consuming jobs, we end up harming ourselves and or progeny.
It is difficult for me to understand the logic of those who say we need term limits because the voters are stupid. What would make stupid voters vote for a better candidate when the previous office holder was forced out of office by term limits? If their premise of stupid voters is correct, the logical conclusion to get better government would be to educate the populace. Expecting uninformed "stupid" voters to vote for a better candidate is rediculous.
During the conversations about the structure, term limits, or how our government would work. All of those considerations were made in the light of "the technology of the day". The distance of travel and delivery of the mail must have played a major role in how the ideological debate was shaped. As to the question of how long someone servers in an office goes. I would defer to the thought that Con Artists, whether it be from the King to a lowly pick pocket, have existed from day one. This is always the issue with creating utopia and why the ability to adapt to change is so important.
And today most Americans will run off to Walmart for the everyday low prices. If we keep going down this road, the plot to destroy America the crash the 2016, Thom’s new book, will come true. I do suggest reading this book. I believe the Thom Hartmann is one of the true patriots of this country. Instead of the false patriots who believes in self preservation that is dominating for profiteering, as they seek the destruction of the middle-class for their economic power and their kingdom. We must raise the minimum wage to a living wage.
but as to Walmart, The cost is too high.
The lives of its workers isn't the only thing megaCorps like Walmart and McDonalds harms. They also destroy local businesses. They eliminate competition all over the communities they infest in every aspect of the retail world. I do my best to avoid shopping at these cut rate sweatshop community parasites; however, lately it has gotten so bad that they have monopolized the market in many basic goods and services. As they flood the market with these slave wage jobs that further burden our social safety net with people who work but can't afford food they drive mom and pop out of business at the same time and destroy real living wage jobs. How? Smart and good business? No! Providing for a niche? No! Competing in a fair market? No! They do it by robbing taxpayer money to subsidize their labor force. This sort of business practice is predatory, an abomination, and, should be illegal. The sooner we stand up to these criminal enterprises that want to parasitically bully their way into ruining our way of life and raping our cities the sooner we can begin to rebuild our once proud communities and business districts.
Rather than framing as paying workers, how about the employer is buying a person's time which is a limited resource given the other demands which allow for a person to function successfully in a family and society. That limited time resource has a minimal value even if the person is unskilled. We can list the essentials necessary to function and that cost is what must be paid for eight hours of a citizen's time. This would be a floor for wages and only then can competition with additional skill sets emerge to justify greater compensation. Adjust the above annually for inflation.
Kend ~ BTW I said you remind me of a bully. I don't consider you a bully. You just cause me to exercise my brain--like a brilliant 'brain' trainer. Nothing else. Please take no offense! Please, be safe!
Kend ~ Take care, my friend! I hope everything works out and you and yours whethers everything well. Best wishes and blessings from the southland!!
Kend!!! I just finished saying you're not a bully!
Stay warm. - AIW
P.S. Look at the bright side! All that snow shoveling will keep you nice and fit.
I am the bully you guys are always picking on me.
You will probaly happy to know I have a blizzard coming tonight. 20 cm of blowing snow, freezing tempatures, damn global warming. My heat bills have been huge the last 3 or 4 years. My back is killing me from shovelling snow. I can't by a snow blower because it pollutes. I am still waiting for the wind or solar powered one.. Can't wait.
Point well taken, my friend! However I will say (and I think you'll agree) that I don't believe Kend is a bully. Myopic, yes; toxic, no. - AIW
AIW ~ A big KMRA to Senator Thune and his Cabal from me too!!
Aliceinwonderland ~ Yep, me too!! However, please don't discourage him. He reminds me of a particular bully that pestered me in grade school. Nothing came of it; however, he did inspire me to spend countless hours at the gym, preparing for the day... Kend, in his own way, inspires me to work out my brain in ways I might not otherwise do. Ohhh, can you feel the burn...?
Marc to Kend: "If you are going to argue that he [Reagan] is no more responsible for the current situation than Lincoln or Washington the least you can do to show you know what you are talking about is to spell his name right." Sorry Marc, but it'll take a heap more than that to convince me this guy knows what he's talking about. - AIW
Kend ~ I'm not sure if I'd agree with that little time. Cheap package delivery is still going to be needed by the ever increasing online industry. However, I'm willing to concede that one.
Kend ~ Now you've just raised an excellent point. Pension managers, especially in the private sector, have gotten away literally with murder. Pension money is an easy target. Yet, in order to properly meet the needs of the retiring communities it needs to be invested and grown as well as protected from crooks. I agree that pension management is a critical factor that needs a big overhaul in the future. No doubt the best way to begin is to prosecute those who have embezzled pension money to the full extent of the law and recoup those losses. Without justice, any modifications would simply be more B$.
Kend ~ If I get my way? What are you talking about? I don't want you to give up anything? I just want you to do the smart thing for yourself and your employees. Take their pensions and invest it in something that is both conservative in risk and high in return. You can't let it just sit around dormant. Dormant money is lost money. In essence, let the pension money itself work now so that the retiree's don't have to work later. If you can't find any mutual or other stock that you trust, why don't you consider reinvesting the money into your own companies stock and put the shares in your employees names. Not only a great way to provide for your employees; but, then you generate more enthusiasm for the company then ever before. Now your workers have a vested interests in the companies success. In fact, with one stroke you generate the same vested interest in your company that you have. Your workers aren't just working for you anymore, now they are working for themselves and their future. The harder they work, the better and sooner they can retire. According to Dr. Ravi Batra, that is what the future of the economy is going to look like anyway; so, why not be ahead of your time, share your load, and insure that you keep everything that is yours? Such a move would provide you with the extra capital to better run and expand your business; and make even more money for yourself as well. Smart move if you ask me.
Kend ~ Don't even think about it. This blog wouldn't be as interesting without you. You actually bring out the best in us and make the blog more provocative. I wouldn't be surprised if you were sponsored by Thom himself just to stir up the pot. Keep up the 'good' work.
Kend ~ I could go on for hours about why we cannot ignore that particular elephant in the room; however Aliceinwonderland already did an excellent job at doing just that so I will refer you to her post. By the way, Reagon is spelt Reagan. If you are going to argue that he has no more responsible for the current situation than Lincoln or Washington the least you can do to show you know what you are talking about is to spell his name right.
"You have nothing to worry," says Kend. Nor do you! Even if we "get our way"...
Speaking of which... since you're Canadian and across the border from us, what's it to ya if we "get our way" anyway; huh? - AIW
Alice, sorry for the miss understanding but I am in Canada And so is my business. I do have business interests down there Though. As well as a little condo in Scottsdale To get out of the cold. So you have nothing to worry.