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.
It would also be a good time to abort the building of that $2billion NSA spy center in Utah that is destined to spy on Americans. It is supposed to be completed by September of this year. Then they will fill it full of very costly spy equipment. Maybe it would be better if they just used it to house herds of sheep. The indignation that some of us who travel have to undergo at airports will be nothing compared to the violation of our privacy that will take place once they get that operation going. We won't be able to TAS without NSA knowing about it. (TAS....take a s...t / NSA..National Security Agency) Sorry about the scatological innuendos...especially the NSA one...but really, I just don't GAS (Give a s..t). Think the NSA can unencrypt that one?
Thanks for the link, DAnneMarc. I sent the following to the bastards:
"The sight of Joe Biden pandering to AIPAC yesterday turned my stomach! This Iran / nuclear program debacle smacks of the WMD farce prior to the Iraq invasion. Do you people actually think you can get away with this crap again, and so soon? How many people do you think you have fooled?
What we need is to cut our 1.3 Trillion dollar military boondoggle in HALF and ASAP, in order to fix the economy, not launch another military adventure. If you start whacking the social safety net while ramping up this hyped crisis you'll be courting the kind of public reaction that hasn't been seen since the Viet Nam era. Don't do it!"
Like others here, I doubt that it will have any impact, but I feel better having gone on record. Maybe we do need to take to the streets like we did back in the mid 60's. They can only push the peons so far before the pot boils over!
The Pentagon Defense Budget must get trimmed with a weed whacker. Ginning up fear over Nuclear Weapons development in any country doesn't impress me a bit. Hording Nuclear Technology is the biggest threat to peace on the planet. All nations must have this technology. Mutually assured annihilation is the only secure path to peace. Everyone must be on a level playing field in order to shift concern from killing each other to doing business with each other. Any other strategy will fail with dire and expensive consequences. Personally, I'd sleep better at night if we shared technology, materials, and weapons with Iraq and North Korea. Let them know we have no reason to fear them. Lift the sanctions and lets start doing good business!
The main job of Government is to care for the needs of it's subjects. When this duty is forsaken--for whatever justification--that Government is no longer legitimate. A Country is judged by how it treats the least of it's subjects. How it cares for it's poorest and neediest of all set the tone for how it deals with everyone else.
I demand no cuts to social programs at all! For anything that demeans the least of us, demeans us all!
Every dime we spend on the US remains in the US. Every dime we spend on Defense is thrown away and destroyed forever. Cut Defense not our social safety net!
Thank you!
The time has come to tell our representatives how we feel. Copy and paste the above rant (or better yet, write your own) into the comment box at this web site:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments
Then sign your name and send. It's that easy to let the President know how you feel. Peace!
This would be a good time to get rid of unnecessary restrictions in airport security: 3 ounces of liquid, taking off your shoes, government-mandated nudity, etc.
Would someone confirm these numbers for me?
Sequester is to cut spending by 1.2 trillion over 10 years.
If all Bush tax cuts were left to expire, revenue would have increased by 6.0 trillion.
The few cuts they let expire or made modifications to, increasd revenue by 0.6 trillion.
The 0.6 trillion in tax increases are what the Boehner and McConnell are claiming as their great compromise.
Outback correctly states (I believe) that Social Security was to be "independent of general revenues, ... a separate cash flow that was agreed to be sacrosanct."
The problem suggested is: that any surplus is not stashed in some back room in the basement;-- -- they are invested in the worlds safest repository -- "US Government Bonds (T-Bills) held in trust." And who is that? -- QED yet?
Bobcox - I watched Joe Biden on the News Hour last night addressing AIPAC, rattling the saber at Iran again. I don't think anyone in this administration actually believes that Iran poses a real threat to the region. I believe that it's necessary to foment more paranoia in order to justify our ongoing obscene defense budget. Even if Iran was pursuing a nuke (which is still open to debate), they wouldn't dare use it. Just like North Korea, they would be vaporized instantly. No, we have to keep up the fear mongering so that our "Captains of Industry" can continue to bleed us dry. Another indication of where Obama's priorities reside.
Not with the current Congressa, they are too pro big business. Possible if the Dems take back the House and increase majority in the Senate.
There will always be those who believe that the earth is flat.
Economic sanctions have never worked. They haven'y worked for North Korea (Since Bush called their leader a "monkey"), they haven't worked for Iran (since they were labelled "Axix of evil") and over sixty years of unilateral sanctions with Cuba has never achieved anything except higher costs for sugar and cigars. Hoeever, economic ties with the largest comunist country, China, abd cultural and economic ties with the USSR finally led to the downfall of a major threat against the security of the U.S. We should learn that thes "Flat Earth" policies don't work and open up cultural and ecinomic relations with them. They won't feel threatened and we obtain definite economic advantages.
With a concerted effort to get progressives into Congress and the courts, people willing to stand up to and clamp down on banksters and corporate manipulation, things could be turned around. At a grass roots level there may be things that can be done. Stop buying, stop getting credit cards, only patronize worker owned businesses and industries. Compile lists of them and lists of companies to avoid and send them viral. Buy organic if possible, or grow your own. Buy hybrid cars or electric, or low impact vehicles, ride a bike, ride a bus, insist on high-speed rail in your community, reduce the need for fossil fuels where possible. WalMart has been a good example, they have lost profits since people have refused to cross picket lines. We CAN make an impact and make a statement.
Your post is right on except for one minor error...
Bill Clinton was the "first Black REPUBLICAN President".
Obama is the first mulatto president.
Honestly and sadly, I have come to believe that Obama's mind boggling concessions are predetermined behind the curtain and he's just another pawn in an orchestrated show of pursed lip indignation and bluster. . With all the power and ideal of the man for whom I voted severely diminished in my eyes at least, I still hold out hope I am dead wrong. But while Obama continues to "negotiate" with congressional domestic terrorists, time after time losing ground, giving them what they want, I have to wonder if this intelligent Harvard graduate is really and truly playing on the team that represents the American people.
The strings George Bush once bounced on are now completely attached to Barak Obama. I'm sure a set of pre-fit hooks for Mitt are now in storage.
Mauiman2 - Hold on a minute. The Social Security Trust Fund is "out the door with general revenues"? Since when? That account was set up to be independent of general revenues from day one. It's a separate cash flow that was agreed to be sacrosanct. The fact that politicians of both parties have seen fit to stuff their hands in that cookie jar (since Ronie Raygun, but not excluding Bill Clinton) does not alter one whit the original intent of the revenue. The SS Trust is backed by bonds (T-Bills) held in trust. It's solvent, barring some hanky panky slight of hand by Obummer or someone else.
And then there's the so called "defense" spending issue. No, my friend, It's common knowledge that when you add up the Pentagon's slice (which is the number you quoted) plus the war(s), plus the ongoing burden we're incurring in disabled veterans from those mindless wars, plus the CIA, NSA, BOTSTAF (Black Ops Too Secret To Account For), government contracts to defense contractors for useless weapons that don't work, we spend a mind numbing 1.3 TRILLION DOLLARS per year! That's more than the next 14 countries combined! Tell me now, Maui, what could you do with 650 BILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR to fix our little deficit problem, assuming you cut the military budget in half? Would that make you feel insecure? Just askin'
July Gunlock is a POS and I wish she would EMS. Sugar is the major cause of Diabetes. Carbohydrates is the major cause of Obesity. Isn't that common sense by now? Or, are we all so stupid that we remain shills to corporate media propeganda like in the movie, "Idiiotocracy"?
Please, someone--enlighten me before I loose my foot!
PS I'd be happy to define my acronyms if anyione cares!
JLC - I read your "household analogy" piece and it made my head hurt. The first problem with it is that it's an extreme oversimplification. If the only way the parent (the government) can force the kids (the private sector) to work the garden in return for some symbolic compensation (business cards) is to threaten them with expulsion from the household, then why even bother with the business cards? "Work the garden, you little brats, or you're out in the cold".
This of course immediately begs a whole bunch of questions, such as whether the parent can actually, physically, put them out on the street. What if it's a single parent household with ten kids, half of which are strapping teens? What if two of the older kids (Tubby and Chubby) decide they're going to become "middle men", collect all the business cards, do little of the gardening and dole out just enough cards to their younger and more naive siblings to convince them that they have a piece of the action?
Business cards? Jesus! What's mom anyway, a realtor? Is that garden really critical to the well being being of the household? If it is, I'd submit that mom will soon give up her job, at least in this market, and be out there working the soil full time with eight of her kids after she and her eight youngest physically eject Tubby and Chubby from the house with just the shirts on their backs!
Mauiman2 ~ Please cite all your information sources for everyone! Thank you!
Hey Outback, where is the social security surplus? It is out the door with general revenues, it is not there. Although I do agree that SS is in the best shape of all of the big three.
To those of you who vented at me, you are dreaming if you think Medicare and Medicaid can survive in their present form. Even if you cut the military in half (and no I do not own General Dyanamics stock) all you are doing is delaying the inevitable.
To those who disagree with me, you have not looked at the numbers, you are just reacting emotionally. That will never get us anywhere. If you disagree with me, show me your numbers, I'll show you mine below.
1 trillion dollar yearly deficit that has to be eliminated, or at least severely reduced
Military budget, 700 Billion a year or so, so even half of that does not cover the gap
"tax the rich" schemes can get you about 50 billion a year or so, just a drop in the bucket.
If you disagree with me, show me your numbers. Otherwise you are proving Fox News correct that lefties just react emotionally and rarely have any basis in fact.
You would not want to prove Fox News right, would you?
Palindromedary ~ Please, don't mention it. My pleasure! LOL Great to see Fluffy back. Thanks to you!
Getting Corporate and Mega-Money out of political campaigns and government is the only issue because it corrupts all other issues. Until that happens, we're simply spiraling down the drain.
Washington Post today editorializes that OFA, the evolved Obama Political Action Organization, is hussling the Big-Buck Contributors. We're all equal; but some are more equal than others --privileges include access to The President).
Hey, It's all part of one big picture open in front of us -- not even a puzzle any more.
Last I knew in a Democracy my vote counts the same as David H. Kochs. Unlike David's, my vote was one of an overwhelming vast majority cast in support of closing tax loopholes on the very wealthy and no cuts to social safety nets.
In fact if Obama checks the polls he will notice that many of those who voted for the same Republicans he thinks he needs to compromise with are in agreement with closing tax loopholes and no cuts to the safety nets.
Thus giving in to compromise is simply giving into the will of a handful of billionaires and their self serving teabagger tools.....a vast minority!....why do it?.....respect our Democracy, that's your job!
Changing the subject, I don't get it...the Teabaggers say they won with the sequester like it was a good thing, and at the same time blame Obama for it, like it was a bad thing? This is insanity, no really I'm serious. However I do think they win if their depraved leaders, Cantor and Turtleman succeed in restoring the military spending, which in reality is truly the out of control socialist spending they constantly cry about..... God Dm hypocrites! With it no politically small matter, this is all about to blow soon!
Sorry, Aliceinwonderland, for my 3 letter acronym..I don't think that one is in the book. Actually, DAnneMarc got it right! Thank you DAnneMarc!
By the way, Ken Ware--I like your new Avatar. Not that I don't like your face. It's nice too--genuine and real. But your new Avatar is very peacefull. Nice! Big improvement over the Airplanes. I like Natural over Artificial any day. Thanks!
I'm sick of this all-or-nothing stupidity (on-table or off-table); while the manipulators behind the curtain pass who-knows-what, likely against our best interests.
Medicare badly needs NORMAL ADJUSTMENTS. It is part of a crazy "camel designed by a committee" delivery system -- a committee that included sabateurs. US Healthcare is a jungle of vulture parasites, serving themselves. I have no problem whatsoever with Rational Cuts and Reorganization of Medicare by rational managers. However, this circus chirade of self-serving clowns ??? No way.
The March 4th TIME Magazine has "Bitter Pill" by Steven Brill, a 33-page documented major expose of US Healthcare issues {ie: Why medical bills are killing us}. It is manditory reading for anyone interested in US Healthcare. Brill documents all my longterm worst fears, suspicions and assumptions about the utterly irrational and detrimental huge-profit billing systems. List prices are meaningless to the Insurers who have huge discounts -- but literally fatal to those with no insurance. You could hardly design a worse access/payment system. The problems are lack of any consumer cost awareness or cost-control. (Though single-payer Medicare seems to work relatively well were it left alone).
Ref: http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20130304,00.html
{BTW: Steven Brill would be an excellent guest on the program; he was on NPR's Diane Rhem Show last week}
Oh Alice, I believe he meant something on the order of "Eat My S(Grits)"