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Willful ditziness! Ever hear of renewables, Akunard? Duh-uh
You gotta at least make it sound good. If I was your supervisor for the PR firm doing bogus blog posts for the oil and gas industry I'd fire you.
Hey "chuckle", your post rang my bell. I was raised Unitarian. Not many of us around. - AIW
Of course Kend, this is a right wing tyranny (most tyrannies are) so they like you. It's just the environmentalists, peace activists and labor organizers who are on the no fly list.
And don't say Obama's presidency is leftist in some way. The no fly list was started by Bush but Obama's just a softer line of the same thing. He's hardly leftist.
You feel "safer" because you're less likely to meet a lefty on the plane who might burst your bubble.
This request is for Thom or any member of his staff. SueN, the chat room leader, suggested I put the request here. However, if anyone has a suggestion to solve my problem, I would appreciate it. My request: How can I show the "Last Hours of Humanity" to my church group (Unitarian Fellowship) without WiFi?
Kend ~ You're logic and thought processes--or lack thereof--never cease to shock and amaze me. Think about what you just said for a minute. Are you implying that a Government that can tap the phone of the Chancellor of Germany--along with 35 other world leaders--is going to have to take "control of your health care" to have access to your "health care records?" You're implying that our health care records are sealed up in a vault somewhere in the for profit insurance system and the Government can't get at them? The NSA has pushed the White house senior officials, the State Department, and the Pentagon into handing over their personal rolodexes but somehow the files at Kaiser are off limits? Kend, are you smoking crack?
FYI When you sign the insurance forms before any Doctor sees you here in our current system you acknowledge in the privacy agreement that the hospital will immediately furnish all your information over to any legal entity in law enforcement that requests it. Yes, I always read my Doctor forms. You are forced to agree to government snooping on your medical records before your medical records are created. Government sponsored health care will make no difference. They already have all your information at their fingertips.
The "Intelligence agency pushed Senior officials in the White house?" They PUSHED them??? Hey, who the hell is in charge here anyway? That's like Kindergarten students pushing their teacher to see all the answers on the test in the teacher's edition. If this NSA agency has grown that big--it has to go. It is too big for it's britches and too damn big for Democracy. If the President is that impotent then he has to go too. What is he anyway, a substitute teacher? This kind of breach of confidence is a huge threat to national security. Names need to be taken and a$$e$ need to be kicked. No, I'm not talking about Snowden! That man deserves a medal for exposing all this nonsense. Spying on Germany? Are you kidding me? Nowadays, Germany is one of the few nations on the planet that is doing everything right. They are an example to the rest of us. Maybe that is the reason. We seem to have an stick in our craw with anything done right.
Is it true that Thom has lost touch with reality?
http://obamacareaca.com/healthcare-gov/thom-hartmann-has-lost-touch-with-realitypart-1/
I actually think the death penalty lets murderers off too easy. They should have to sit in prison and think about their actions for the rest of their natural lives.
This doesn't suprise me. This adminastation seems to do what ever it wants. Just imagine what they are going to do with your health care records once the Government takes control of your health care.
Gee, how rude.
The United States is "democratic" by name only. Over the past several decades, I've watched this country morph into more & more of a fascist police state, with all the arrogance typical of fascist police states. And countries like this are nobody's friend; not even to their own citizens, let alone other countries.
I hope these disgruntled nations give Obama and the NSA hell. I don't know if it'll do any good, but they deserve it anyway. The U.S. should be treated like the rogue state that it is. - Aliceinwonderland
Thoughts while thinking:
You're not entitled to your own opinion; you're entitled to an informed opinion.
Would you like to respond to the question that was asked?
Believing something harder does not make it truer.
Compromise is not surrender, it is necessary for a working democracy.
Lobbying is a deductible business expense so it is supported by our tax dollars.
Stealing a loaf of bread to feed your hungry family gets you jail time; stealing a billion dollars on Wall Street doesn't.
Yes, finally! TPP has been creeping around Obama's desk and secret rooms for a long time. Truely, it is another monstrous attempt to put more money in richy rich's pockets. It not only "kills" jobs in America, it harms the poor people in the developing (or, more realistically, trying to develop) countries by keeping their wages lower and lower. TPP is a scam on all people who work to provide goods for consumption. Another of Obama's 2 sided mouth talking, and it does great harm.
"The Insurance Industry Windfall Act" -- perfect.
The huge increase in deductibles and premiums is catching so many people by surprise -- but not the insurance companies who wrote the act, evidently.
Maybe they can no longer refuse a policy to a person with a pre-existing condition. But if someone cannot afford a $5,000 deductible -- the result will probably be they self-ration their medical care.
And I still have the same gripe I had BEFORE the ACA was finalized: I prefer alternative healthcare approaches, and have been able to use my money for getting alternative treatments. When I am forced to purchase a plan that only covers Western allopathic medical care, that means I'll have less or no money for alternatives I prefer. My preferred preventive and healing alternatives have nothing to do with The For-Profit Medical Establishment pushing their dangerous and over-priced synthetic pharmaceuticals.
Aliceinwonderland ~ I have to agree about that! This new budget committee has me concerned as well. There are some extremely opposed positions being represented. If you ask me they are just putting on another show to consume the time of Senator Bernie Sanders with one hand while they push this TPP with the other hand. After all, if they manage to force the disclosure of the TPP legislation to Congress, Senator Bernie Sanders might be one of the very few Congressmen who might actually read it and share the gist of it in session. I would be very pleasantly surprised if this budget committee could reach any unanimous consensus and produced any meaningful outcome that would prevent the debt ceiling drama from repeating again in three more months. My worse fear is that the budget committee will turn out to be a waste of time; and, the TPP will slide through as law unimpeded. As always, I hope all my suspicions are unfounded.
I think it's going to be largely up to We the People to defeat this TPP agenda. We have to put the pressure on everyone in the Government that we can get the attention of--especially the White House. Personally, like you, I don't see myself voting Democratically again any time soon. However, the way Obama handled this last Health Care face off left me very pleasantly surprised and somewhat optimistic. A repeat performance in three months--together with a steadfast rejection and veto on this TPP legislation--could pave the way for me to change my mind; and, I intend to make sure he has that in writing. In fact, I recommend We the People make sure that all our Representatives have that fact in writing.
thanks thom ur doing a fine job we the pobboa realiy like ur views what we would like to know what else are sweet ole boys in dc goning to do to us they have ruined the country we cant find workthey goning to make drugs legal perty soon we will be worse thanmex we will be 3rd world country where is our leaders?????????
Thom,
I remember Bushies proposing this type of trade agreement with china and Paulson/Bush ended up selling us down the river to get China money to support their wars. That ended up costing us 3.5 million jobs sent to China along with plants and tech. Are these trade representatives the same ones or are they Pres Obama appointees? Is this going to be another Bushie legacy or is Pres Obama after a Clinton do-over?
Aliceinwonderland ~ I second that one! Fascism is a horrendous crime that is only outdone by the crime committed by the citizens that allow it to occur with closed eyes and a shut mouth.
Bobbler, I'm with you. I've heard Obama has been TPP-friendly and this horrifies me. Ditto Secretary of State John Kerry (what a sell-out Kerry has turned out to be! Yee gods...) I have had it with the f..kin' Democrats. By the next presidential election, I'll most likely vote for the Green or Justice Party candidate.
As for healthcare, I think the Repli-cons are quite happy with a status quo of pay-or-die healthcare denial. I don't believe they wanted any reform to this twisted, rotten system. - Alice I.W.
Palindromedary says "Putting our thoughts on the internet and other social media so readily makes it easy for others, especially government and scammers (not necessarily mutually exclusive), to monitor our thoughts. And we do it so willingly. But there may come a point where we will all be sorry for having done it." And that, my friend, is a gamble I am willing to take. I'd rather go down as a free spirit than live the life of an obedient no-count serf. I refuse to let those little fascists silence me. - Alice I.W.
Palindromedary ~ You raise a good point. My father was a very tough man; but, I think he had a fear of hospitals and Doctors. He only sought them out when issues got out of hand; and, never sought to resolve any problems despite having the insurance coverage. He lived with a hernia for 10 years. He refused hip replacement and instead hobbled around on canes and with a walker in pain for 15 years. He refused to see a dentist for over 30 years. Fortunately, he was blessed with overall very good general health most of his life. However, his 70's and 80's were full of a lot of preventable discomfort, disability, and pain.
My advice to you is to maintain yourself. If any problem arises, no matter how trivial, seek help and take care of it. Resist the urge to put off anything. It is so much easier to repair one problem at a time when you are younger then to let them accumulate in old age. Of course, no matter what one advices, we are all going to do what we want to do. In the end, we have no one to blame but ourselves.
Ikurnarsky ~ Very well said! I agree! Let's slam that window shut now; and, lock it in place!
I've written frequently about this very subject. My first article, The Enemy Beaneath, appeared in April and my second article, You Have Been Granted A Rare Privilege, appeared in May. There is a video in that article of Congressman Alan Grayson discussing the terms under which he was going to be allowed to see the documents, which is actually frightening. I've been active getting labor union support and small business support in opposition to the fast track. During my weekend with Jill Stein she vowed to oppose it as well. Earlier this week I and others were successful in forcing the local Orange County Florida Democratic Executive Committee to unanimously vote in favor of opposition to both the fast track and the TPP itself. This is an ongoing project and more people need to be aware of it.
Jerry Waxman
Of course the TTP needs to be stopped in its tracks because it is an escalition towards checkmate. The goal is to make our present near defacto neofeudal corporate dictatorship actual, legal, and facto. Thie TTP has little to do with trade fair, free, or otherwise. It is a stealthy means of overiding democracy, which is something business and finance HAVE to do in order to keep amassing wealth and power. If they don't neuter the people's power at the ballot box, if they fail to crush the power of labor action, and do nut defeat the power of mass action, they are doomed. Mindcontrol is failing them. The democratic fig leaf is being increasingly viewed as a democratic farce. And before times become so bad that the critical point of popular revolt is reached, the money crazed meglomaniacs in charge need legal scaffolding to start terrorizing the population into compliance. For they are hyper aware that every day their numbers decrease even as their wealth increases. They recognize a window of opportunity to cement their global takeover, to ensure their continuing ability to hyper-exploit human capital and the resources and ecology of an entire planet. So they make their move now. It has to be now because the socipaths in charge sense that the growing consciousness of the 99% means that the window of opportunity may slam shut on the 1% at any time. They secretly know that this moment of strength is actually a moment of weakness. They are, in fact, desperate and vulnerable. So lets slam that window shut right now, shall we?
Yet again I ave to ask, What is the difference between Obama and a Republican on TPP? This is why I'm voting green..
And for healthcare, I have a strong suspicion Republicans would've implemented something similar to Obamacare if they were in charge (Republicans are only complaining because Obama done it)..
The TPP should be stopped immediately without the american public consent, this is borderline on being illegal. Our congress should demand from the president intimate details on this arrangement. This will screw up our future economy which is not in good shape as it is. I hope the congress has the guts to do this.
Bill A.