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Kend - It is clear you being a Canadian and a Conservative, you will continue to take cheap shots at the present President and the Democrats in Washington or in any other place they may hold office, without any sustenance or real solution. As far as raising revenue, the President and the Democrats in Washington accepted an extremely low tax increase on Capital Gains and allowed the 2% deduction on the payroll tax to end, and they played right into the hands of the wealthy Americans who own the Conservative Republicans in Washington and all the State Governments around the country. Either they, the President and the Democrats knew accepting this position would finish any real chance to raise revenues in the near future, at least while the Republican Puppets run the House or they (Obama and the Democrats) were just plain ignorant to settle the taxation debate before resolving the other cuts that Sequestration would bring or they were just outsmarted by the Republicans. Obama and the Democrats knew once they agreed on this agreement to only raise the Taxes on the Wealthiest by only 5% on the earnings from Capital Gains they would no longer have any leverage to deal with the Republican Puppets who want cuts to the deficit by destroying social programs like Obama Care, Medicare, Medicaid and other needed programs that help the elderly, poor and disabled citizens. Rep. Boehner stated today that the raising revenues had already been settled and it was time to talk about cuts to social programs. I noticed he and his cohorts had been busy making the rounds on the news circuit to lobby Americans that cuts to Military Programs was not the right thing to do for America and our security. So basically the Republicans and the Wealthy have been given the gift they have been trying to get from Washington, which are cuts to Social Programs. Either both Obama and the Democrats are completely incompetent in their dealings with the Conservatives or they wanted the cuts all along, but were afraid if they agreed to give into the Right their base would desert them in the 2014 elections. I believe it was the latter of the two and Obama has sold out his supporters once again. Not a big surprise from a guy who acts more like a Republican in his policies than the Republicans do! So all the noise about Simpson and Bowles is not even worth discussing, the whole deal has been done in Washington and the Republicans know they can just sit back and let the cuts happen or the President and the Democrats will cave in again, like they did on the issue of raising revenue by increasing the taxes on the wealthiest Americans, which the Republicans cry they already did by the Large 5% increase on Capital Gains. And unfortunately\the real game is over and the Republicans have won, due to a spineless President and his cohorts in the Democrat Party. The only question left is how far Obama and the Democrats will go when they start scraping the social programs they swore they would never allow to be cut. My guess the President and the Democrats will give the whole social platform away and come up with a deal to save the Military Industrial Complex and all those millions they will get in the form of political donations from their masters that run Washington and the Military...Again the Republicans and their wealthy masters have won and again the American People will be held in a state of ransom, while Obama gives it all away during his second term. What a joke Washington has become, they do not even bother to hide their disdain and contempt for the middle class and the poor in our country, because they know we are now powerless to do anything about what is happening in the Capital of our Country. I just wish Hartmann would at least give a little effort when it comes to his blog; it is the same old story over and over again. And for those who feel it is important to keep ranting about a lost cause, you are truly in denial of what has happened and what will happen in this country of ours.
Good luck on getting anything getting passed in Washington that even has the remote smell of Marijuana in it. I am not saying you are advocating Marijuana, it is just the idiots in Washington will never agree on any solution that might give the idea they are for Hemp in any form, since it is associated with Marijuana in the little minds of the public on the right and on the left.
Ahh! 2950-10k You took the words right out of my mouth. Here's
#7. Green Energy Grid. A public works program. Here's my proposal!
The real solution to climate change and energy is HEMP.
Marijuana Prohibition Harms The Environment!
Legalize Hemp!
FOR ECOLOGY, PEACE, AND FREEDOM!
HEMP FOR ECOLOGY: Hemp is a soil building plant that is excellent in crop rotation and unlike cotton and corn, does not require heavy fertilization or pesticide use. It grows in any season, in any soil or weather condition, in all fifty states, and its only enemy is the United States Government. In fact, an organic pesticide spray is derived from the plant.
HEMP FOR PAPER: Hemp saves forests. In a 20 year period, one acre of hemp will produce as much paper as 4.1 acres of forest. Paper made from hemp lasts many times longer than that made of wood pulp, without deteriorating. It does not require dangerous chemicals like wood, and has been called the "archivist's perfect paper"
HEMP FOR HEALTH: Hundreds of medical uses of Hemp include treating back pain, asthma, emphysema, glaucoma, epilepsy, cancer, nausea, insomnia, muscle spasms, migraines, tumors, stress, depression, dementia, senility, and anorexia. It is an antibiotic, and expectorant, useful in muscle ointments and to treat arthritis and rheumatism.
HEMP FOR CLOTHING: Fabrics made from hemp are warmer, softer, stronger, more water absorbent and last 26 times longer than cotton.
HEMP FOR HOUSING: Hemp could be pressed into pressed board, particle board, concrete construction molds, paneling, and plywood, with a process developed by Mansion Industries called Environcore. This material is cheap, fire resistant and has excellent thermal and sound insulating properties. Homes can be carpeted with Hemp rot resistant carpet backing (free of poisonous chemicals, plumbed with plastic PVC plumbing pipe, and wired with plastic wire insulation. We could envision a future with no homeless people, and plentiful affordable housing for all.
HEMP FOR FUEL: Hemp is the perfect natural substitute for petroleum. Hemp herds are 77% cellulose and its per-acre output of biomass fuel is about 10 times more than corn, the next best source of fuel on the planet. We could replace nuclear energy and fossil fuel, without any offshore drilling or risk of oil spills, by using Hemp biomass that has been processed with a pyrolytic converter to make charcoal, methanol, methane gas, and gasoline. In turn, any of these can be burned to generate electricity.When fuel burns, it produces CO2 (the cause of the Greenhouse Effect); but, during the growth cycle of a plant, photosynthesis produces oxygen and removes CO2 from the air. Hemp, unlike fossil fuels, actually cleans the atmosphere. Equally important, it does not contain sulfur, the major cause of acid rain.
HEMP INSTEAD OF PLASTIC: The stems of the hemp plant offer a completely biodegradable alternative to plastic and can be made into either regular or "biodegradable" plastic.
OIL IS OBSOLETE
NO WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST
http://thehempsolution.blogspot.com/
The real solution to climate change and energy is HEMP.
Marijuana Prohibition Harms The Environment! Legalize Hemp! FOR ECOLOGY, PEACE, AND FREEDOM!
HEMP FOR ECOLOGY: Hemp is a soil building plant that is excellent in crop rotation and unlike cotton and corn, does not require heavy fertilization or pesticide use. It grows in any season, in any soil or weather condition, in all fifty states, and its only enemy is the United States Government. In fact, an organic pesticide spray is derived from the plant.
HEMP FOR PAPER: Hemp saves forests. In a 20 year period, one acre of hemp will produce as much paper as 4.1 acres of forest. Paper made from hemp lasts many times longer than that made of wood pulp, without deteriorating. It does not require dangerous chemicals like wood, and has been called the "archivist's perfect paper"
HEMP FOR HEALTH: Hundreds of medical uses of Hemp include treating back pain, asthma, emphysema, glaucoma, epilepsy, cancer, nausea, insomnia, muscle spasms, migraines, tumors, stress, depression, dementia, senility, and anorexia. It is an antibiotic, and expectorant, useful in muscle ointments and to treat arthritis and rheumatism.
HEMP FOR CLOTHING: Fabrics made from hemp are warmer, softer, stronger, more water absorbent and last 26 times longer than cotton.
HEMP FOR HOUSING: Hemp could be pressed into pressed board, particle board, concrete construction molds, paneling, and plywood, with a process developed by Mansion Industries called Environcore. This material is cheap, fire resistant and has excellent thermal and sound insulating properties. Homes can be carpeted with Hemp rot resistant carpet backing (free of poisonous chemicals, plumbed with plastic PVC plumbing pipe, and wired with plastic wire insulation. We could envision a future with no homeless people, and plentiful affordable housing for all.
HEMP FOR FUEL: Hemp is the perfect natural substitute for petroleum. Hemp herds are 77% cellulose and its per-acre output of biomass fuel is about 10 times more than corn, the next best source of fuel on the planet. We could replace nuclear energy and fossil fuel, without any offshore drilling or risk of oil spills, by using Hemp biomass that has been processed with a pyrolytic converter to make charcoal, methanol, methane gas, and gasoline. In turn, any of these can be burned to generate electricity.When fuel burns, it produces CO2 (the cause of the Greenhouse Effect); but, during the growth cycle of a plant, photosynthesis produces oxygen and removes CO2 from the air. Hemp, unlike fossil fuels, actually cleans the atmosphere. Equally important, it does not contain sulfur, the major cause of acid rain.
HEMP INSTEAD OF PLASTIC: The stems of the hemp plant offer a completely biodegradable alternative to plastic and can be made into either regular or "biodegradable" plastic.
OIL IS OBSOLETE NO WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST
http://thehempsolution.blogspot.com/
DAnnMarc: I'm in agreement with your plan, but might I add number #7, a massive public works program aimed at the creation of a national green energy grid, and with this we can phase out the Kochs! We're paying for their political contributions spending at the gas pumps right now.
Polls repeatedly show that 7 out of 10 citizens are against all so called entitlement cuts. The same numbers are in favor of lifting the cap on Social Security. Ditto for increasing taxes on the super rich to reduce the deficit. I don't know how Simpson and Bowles view democracy or their role in trying to be economic advisors in a Democracy, but I do know their plan represents egocentric austerity politics favored by a slim minority at best. In other words, a complete waste of time and money.
Of course not giving the slightest damn about what we the vast majority want, Boehner recently made the comment that debate about closing tax loopholes for the super rich is now off the table. This tells me that Sake soaked Kamikaze Boehner is getting ready to climb into his sequestered Zero and fly it directly into our economic recovery. This also tells me that the war is just about over and reconstruction of the Republican Party won't be necessary. There will not be anything left to reconstruct!
The current version of Austerity is the most ridiculous concept the Plutocrats have ever proposed to be used against We the People, since the words, "Let them eat cake!" were uttered by a fool.
Here's an Austerity plan that would work! Budget cuts? Sure! This is what you cut:
1. Military Defense Spending. Bring all of our troops home and close every foreign base in the world. Reopen all closed domestic bases and station all the troops in or near their home town. End all military contractor spending. Cut the Pentagon budget by 80% and insist that any defense spending buys only American parts and services. Mandate that American solders are stationed only in American cities, so that their paychecks get spent in American businesses only.
2. End the War on Drugs and release from Prison all non-violent offenders. Disband the DEA, and retrain and permanently layoff the vast majority of Prison guards. Turn the empty prison space into classrooms for guard retraining and homeless shelters.
3. Medicare for All. Use the vast surplus from the first two actions to pass Single-Payer Health Care. Re-institute publicly funded Mental Institutions, Hospitals, and Clinics. Expand Medicare to cover every citizen, and raise Social Security benefits to a decent living wage.
4. End Free Trade. Tax imports and use the revenue to stimulate domestic small business's with federal loans.
5. Campaign Finance Reform. End the billions of dollars squandered in buying elections by limiting campaign finance to only publicly available funds. Place all candidates on a level playing field and sponsor televised public debates where candidates have to answer random questions over the telephone from random citizens instead of a sponsored monitor. Demand non scripted debates.
6. EDUCATION! Demand that every surplus dollar that is left over after this sweeping Austerity proposal--and there will be trillions of them--be earmarked for EDUCATION ONLY!! Make sweeping reform to Education that increases Teachers salaries and benefits to attract only the best and most talented individuals to the job. Pay the Teachers the same salary that are currently payed to the most talented defense contractors. DEMAND IT!!
That's a plan for Austerity that will work!
I think it is clear America has a spending problem. You just borrowed 6 trillion dollars from China. Where did it go? There is just as many people out of work now as there was when Obama was elected. Well at least there is a lot more Chevy Volts driving around. Well OK a couple.
I contributed $10 today to Warren. It was worth it for her committee question to the administration do-nothings trying to cover their posteriors. What a breath of fresh air! Anyone else want to reward her?
Mass transit, anyone? That alone would handle at least half of the greenhouse pollution and wasteful energy consumption in this country.
RaleighMom states (stridently): "It's pretty apparent, to everyone, that the pressure to do something about guns is coming from the American people more than anything. The gun nuts aren't just shouting out crazy stuff unchallenged anymore. The vast majority of Americans have had enough and want something done."
Why is it, RaleighMom, that anyone that takes a different view on gun ownership than you is instantly transforned into a "gun nut"? What I strongly suggest is that you take a few dozen deep breaths and then find a quiet corner and contemplate whether you might be just a wee bit hysterical on the subject. Then consider the proposition that perhaps the problem (of gun violence) lies in an area completely different from the physical hardware that you like to villify or the great number of people that enjoy sport shooting on a target range, as I do. And, if it isn't too far a reach for you, ask yourself if it isnt just possible that the VAST majority of gun owners in this country are totally law abiding and responsible.
Regarding instant citizenship for illegals, I can't begin to imagine how that would impact the number of people flowing into this country annually.
You, Mom, need to do some serious work on your critical thinking skills!
Nachos says "Electricity to power cars IS NOT THE ANSWER." Well Nachos, they may not be the ultimate answer but it beats oil; and besides, ya gotta start SOMEWHERE. As suggested in my last reply, technology and its limits aren't the problem; it's greed and monopoly, and the politics that serve those interests. Were it not for robber barons who profit off the status quo, and their nasty little habit of stifling innovation, there would be no limit to what could actually be accomplished in solving our energy problems. We would be living in a very different reality today, certainly not getting caught up in these tiresome debates about the merits of fossil fuel. - Alice I.W.
NACHOS says "I don't for one second believe we humans can function without oil, at least not without throwing ourselves back several hundred years..."
And I respectfully disagree. There are some very clever people within the ranks of science & technology who have already innovated pretty amazing things in my lifetime. I think that with enough incentive, and without the political obstacles, we'd be hard-pressed to think of anything that is beyond reach of these inventors & innovators.
Having read so many of your posts, Nachos, I believe we are on the same page on most issues. But we're just gonna have to disagree on this one. The fossil fuel industry has gotten so out of control as to have become the bane of our existence; not to mention all the innocent victims of the wars this American Empire has fought over it, in Iraq and elsewhere! It simply isn't worth all that strife. We urgently need to find alternatives. - Aliceinwonderland
Everyone: Progressives, Dems, the Prez, all need to step up and fight these Brownshirt Republican maniacs tooth and nail this time. They, Conservatives, have had their way too long. It is time to reverse course, tax the rich, stabilize government and offer a chance for opportunity to the people.
ALSO, HAVE YOU ALL GOTTEN OBAMA TO ACTUALLY WATCH YOUR SHOW THOM HARTMANN?
SOMEONE NEEDS TO GET MICHELLE AND BARACK TO REGULARLY WATCH YOUR SHOW----IMPORTANT FOR AMERICA FOR HIM TO STAY AWARE
I WATCHED THE C-SPAN HEARINGS AND THEY ALREADY ARE, CRYING ABOUT HOW THE TRILLION CUTS WILL GET APPLIED TO SERVICEMEN. WOMEN GETTING LET GO AND THEIR HEALTHCARE CUT RATHER THAN TALK ABOUT ANY APPLYING ANY CUTS TO THE DRONES OVER USA PROGRAMS OR AMERICAN SURVEILLANCE OR THEIR OWN TOP RANKING MILITARY EXTRAVAGANT SALARIES AND BONUSES, ETC.
LOOKS LIKE OBAMA WILL NEED TO BOTH SIGN AN EXECUTIVE ORDER, OUTLINE A REGULATED PLAN SPECIFYING EXACTLY HOW THE TRILLION(S) MUST BE APPLIED AND, MAY I ADD, THAT THE MONEY SHOULD COME OUT OVER HIS OWN FOUR YEAR TERM AND NOT OVER TEN YEARS AND MAYBE THAT TRILLION SHOULD BE INCREASED TO TWO TRILLION AND TAKE THE SECOND TRILLION CUT 100 PERCENT DIRECTLY TO APPLY TO THE NATIONAL DEFICIT,
Just for the irony, I think you will actually agree with me when I say we have a spending problem not a revenue problem. We need to spend more and the revenue will take care of itself. Of course to make it effective we need tariffs, enforcement of the anti-trust laws, stop issuing of waivers to the buy American Act of 1936, reduction of H1NB visas etc
Having been under the Doctor a few times i now treat everything that comes from them with scepticism.
Some time ago i decided to investigate teflon - and found some very disturbing information - managed to get in conversation with the man responsble for a large plant in the uk. He told me that teflon in frying pans was not a problem as there is simply not enough to give you more than flu like symptoms(later i found out that the scarring in the lungs is permanent) and kill any bird nearby. It seems that all industry thinks like this. Until we can take back our "power" industry will always behave in this way.
I think there are a lot of things we can do as individuals. The first thing is to be better informed - we need websites not dedicated to any kind of business where information is freely available Right now you have to dig.
Im as far out of the "system" as i possibly can be - if more thought that way then its possible that the "big" companies might pay attention as we are all their customers.
I agree about term limits in general--that elections are the term limits--but the system of electing legislators that I came up with would really have to have some, because otherwise it would be nearly impossible to get someone out of office.
These two old men are pitiful. They should join Romney in the old politicians' home.
Once again, the White House lacks leadership and voice on this Country's budget issues. Great Britain going through a double-dip recession, Spain and Greece have shown that austerity policies will not get the job done. People tout Simpson Bowles as a solution when it is a hodge-podge of cuts and offers no solutions. We don't have a spending problem - we have a revenue problem. I agree that programs should always be evaluated for effectiveness - just as weapon systems should be and be eliminated if it is not the best way to spend tax payer dollars. But if, corporatations want to be people they can pay the 28% tax rate like the rest of the Middle Class.
what's wrong with these people. we need to create jobs that will improve our infrastructre. How about jobs for roads, bridges, railroads, electric grid, etc.
For hour three, I think you mean financial system, not monetary system. I was expecting talk about currency production or something. Not that I was disappointed by the actuality, mind you.
When it comes to currency, though (flimsy excuse for me to blab!), if we ever get around to issuing "new dollars", I'd like to see them use a ratio greater than 100 between units. Considering that we now regularly talk about trillions of dollars, why do we bother with that piddly little ratio of 100 between cents and dollars? So I'd have the penny (the term "cent" wouldn't make sense) be at the bottom, then have 1,000,000 pennies (i.e. 10 thousand old dollars) be a shilling, and the new dollar would be 1,000,000,000,000 pennies = 1,000,000 shillings = 10 billion old dollars.
Cash purchases would be thought of in pennies, purchases made with loans, liens, mortgages, etc. would be thought of in shillings, and national-government-level expenditures would be thought of in dollars. E.g. where we were talking about trillions of old dollars, we can talk about hundreds of new dollars.
Just like Aliceinwonderland says: NO WAR PROFITEER DEATH MERCHANT LEFT BEHIND!!. At least not if the Greedy Oil Party has something to say about it.
ALICE, are you the spokes person for the electric car!?!?
Electricity to power cars IS NOT THE ANSWER. Can you imagine the power grid that would take. L.A. already experiences rolling black during the hottest part of the summer when everyone is running their A/C. Also Electric powered cars "may" reduce emmisions, but the source of their power is dirty as are all the batteries used to store energy. We would bennefit more so by increasing our milage per gallon, as well as cleaner burning fuels (NOT ETHINOL).