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.
Last Thursday (12/15) Thom indicated that he did not care to have non-lawyers in Congress, citing, for example, that the physician, Ron Paul is less than an ideal legislator. At what point is a physician, who practiced for about 15 years before entering politics in 1976 primarily a politician?
Didn't the founders of our Republic intend for legislators to be citizen representatives, rather than life-long politicians. Of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, fewer than half (25) were lawyers and 7 of those 25 had other occupations (scientist, musician, surveyor, ...).
Many of our existing Congress(wo)men are only too happy to enjoy the perks (both deserved and not) of office, but are not willing to exercise their Constitutional responsibilities (like declaring war, or not). Perhaps it's time to hit the "reset" button, reboot, and fill Congressional seats with citizens more representative of our voting population!
this so called peer reviewed report has not withstood scrutiny. the authors have cherry picked the data to prove cause and effect.but all they have accomplished is to ruin their credibility. So instead of jumping on the anti nuclear bandwagon and instantly damning nuclear energy maybe you would be better served to do a little research first.
Get this Thom and you know how important your work is: There's a blog where I regularly am commentator, because the blog owner inspires me.
Blog owner: "On this short day I have a short fuse. I am so disgusted with the Republicans now, I want to scream. They are playing games with people's lives and they just don't give a damn. Damn, they make me sick. ..."
My answer: "It's terrible, the tea party wing is destroying the GOP! Thom Hartmann said this for months and I didn't take it too seriously. But he's right. The teabaggers are a pest in a menace!
Hey, if you have time and you're too desperate: listen to Thom Hartmann. We couldn't survive without him, he's really helping us to understand what happens. Yesterday a pretty old Republican called in -- over 70 years old. He was one of those good old Eisenhower Republicans and he was very desperate too. Thom Hartmann than began to talk about President Eisenhower and played one of his speeches: It basically was about, it's better to fed people than pay for weapons. .... Without Thom we surely would hate the GOP too much. It obviously isn't that easy.
The old GOPler finally thanked and said he admired Thom a lot. It was heartrending."
House GOP on a conference call as I type this out. It is a little after 4 PM CST where I live. C Span says a deal possible soon. We'll see, I'm keeping watch.
Apparently, according to C Span the GOP are going to discuss the payroll tax cut extension at 5 PM EST. I have C Span on now so we'll see who gives this time around. Amazingly even Karl Rove is now telling the House to vote on the Senate bill, so he's joined with McConnell on this one.
Here is an interesting article that should be discussed ......
http://www.securityweek.com/china-hackers-breach-us-chamber-commerce
Cyber war with China has been ongoning for 5 years .......
Chamber of Commerce had been losing data for a year .....
So where is the coverage?
Thom, your blog may have hit the bullseye when you stated that congress has a approval rating of 11%. It's congress, not congressional republicans with the low ratings. This means democrates are getting the blame along with the tea party, who is at fault. Do you think Americans are smart enough to know the difference? Three months ago I would have said no, but the occupy movement is giving me some hope.
From Our Republican Congressman Randy Forbes
The House voted on Tuesday to go to conference to negotiate the differences between the House and Senate proposals to extend the payroll tax break, unemployment benefits and avert a 27% cut in Medicare physician payments. Extending the payroll tax cut for a full year ensures that taxes will not increase for the nearly 170 million Americans who pay payroll taxes, with the average working family saving $1,000 in 2012. The House's measure would extend these benefits for a full year while the Senate's plan would only provide a two-month extension. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has indicated that the Senate will not return to negotiate a final agreement with the House while thousands of businesses across the country have expressed concern that a short-term extension would cause significant logistical and accounting difficulties for employers. Without further action by the Senate, the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits will expire at the end of the calendar year and the 27% cut in Medicare physician payments will go into effect.
Question of the Week: Do you support legislation that provides for a full year extension of the payroll tax break and unemployment benefits and averts a 27% cut in Medicare physician payments?
( ) Yes, I support a full year extension.
( ) No, I do not support a full year extension.
( ) Other.
( ) I am unsure.
Take the poll here.
Congressman Forbes' statement in support of a full year payroll tax cut extension is available here.
Today, as the show is running, is only the second day of Hannukah, since the days begin at sunset.
Day 1: 6 pm Dec 20 - 6 pm Dec 21
Day 2: 6 pm Dec 21 - 6 pm Dec 22
Day 3: 6 pm Dec 22 - 6 pm Dec 23
Day 4: 6 pm Dec 23 - 6 pm Dec 24
Day 5: 6 pm Dec 24 - 6 pm Dec 25
Day 6: 6 pm Dec 25 - 6 pm Dec 26
Day 7: 6 pm Dec 26 - 6 pm Dec 27
Day 8: 6 pm Dec 27 - 6 pm Dec 28
Thom's wishes of "shabat shalom" on Fridays are also somewhat premature, since the sabbath starts at 6 pm Friday, and the show is on about 6 hours before that.
There are a lot of pessimistic replies to this article. The SS trust fund will not run out of money until about 2037. Between now and then we can easily replace the money up used here by raising the lifetime contribution from about $108,000 to even $120,000 or 150,000 without too much pain. Especially at the top.
I think if we survive this conservative onslaught, there will come a turning point in our culture and our politics. If we stay stuck in this deadlock, mostly caused by the republican NOs, we will go down and nothing will save us, and we are on the march to a corporatocracy, and, beyond that, a truly failed society.
Even then, we need not despair. Look at all the people turning out in other countries. I am heartened by the thousands of women coming out in Egypt to protest the treatment of women by police. The Arab uprisings and the Russian ones as well give me optimism we can do the. After all, we have experienced democracy (mostly) and I think there will be a huge uproar and clamor, eventually, to regain it. The Occupy movement is a beginning.
So the Republicans in congress now want to drug test unemployed workers before letting them have the UEI benefits they paid into when they still had jobs. Presumably the reason for drug testing the unemployed is because too many potential workers are getting high and dropping out of the job market, thus causing an epidemic of vacant positions left unfilled in the labor market... Buzz! What's wrong with this picture? Oh I know, the last time I checked (earlier this morning) the central problem that's been plaguing our economy for the past several years is not a shortage of workers, but a shortage of jobs for them to do. Viewed in the light of this in-your-face undeniable fact, it is obvious that it's the "job creators" in the top 1%, not the job seeking members of the 99%, who are shirking their responsibilities and letting the economy fail by not creating enough jobs for all those who want one. So if the question is who need to be drug tested because they are clearly screwing up and causing the nation's economy to fail, the answer is obvious: drug test the bankers, drug test the CEOs, drug test casino capitalist big investors, and while we are at it, drug test those Republican politicians who think the problem is ordinary working Americans.
DB
comment moved
Better studies are most definitely underway. Only they can't be banged out in a weekend using preposterous titles and published in junk journals. Press coverage of this junk science only hurts the cause but it does satisfy the apparent desire of these authors desire to get attention and generate donations.
Have any of you actually read the so-called "peer-reviewed" paper? Did you, Thom?
I am decidedly anti-nuc power for many clear reasons but as a scientist with 35 years experience in medical radiation research, be careful of assiging too much validity to the referenced paper. It does not pass muster statistically and it makes very little sense scientifically. Effects of I-131 or Sr-90 on the population, especially lethal ones, would NOT be instantaneous with arrival of the airborne plume, there would be a long latency period. The paper in question is an opinion piece and that is putting it politely.
There are many clear reasons to oppose nuc power, not the least of which is the insane economic model. At least at this point, this paper does not add to the discussion it only obfuscates.
Thanks for making us witnesses of the GOP switching off the house mic, while a Democrat was like, "We can't leave old people without medicare! ect. ..."
Who will blink? If the Democats cave in, because they can't take old people running out of food and medicare, I cannot blame them. In this system the mean and selfish seem to have an advatage -- pretty often at least.
Now I'm gonna watch the American people. How many of 'em got what happened? How many are sleeping? How many keep all this in their memory? If the GOP will tell us next summer and fall, the Democrats took food and medicare away from old people: how many Americans will eat that crap?"
Is America a spiritually, intelectually 3rd-worldly country? Are we a bunch of stupid hicks, easily to betray? It'll show in November... Well, if we really should be that way, we will really go to the 3rd world on the long run. We decide in our own heads where we belong and move....
Frankly, I don't think Americans are THAT ignorant. We really MUST get the house back in November.
Another turn isn't enough----period.
Speaking of truth in reporting, in my world...which is quite average.... the biggest truth of 2011 was the republican freaks in the house of Norquist voting to end the most popular "We the People" program that exists....it's on record.....which is why they are avoiding the vote on a tax increase on the working poor....it will be on record! Thanks for nothing tea baggers!
I'm not really interested to a great degree in politics and personalities; I'm more interested in the issues which we hear very little in-depth analysis about on the corporate media. However, in this particular situation, this bad idea will pass. Both parties want it; it's a back-handed attempt to weaken SS. It will become entrenched and is the beginning of the end of SS. This is another Republican policy adopted by Obama that some Repubs are opposing. The only question is how much more corporate-friendly provisions will be included.
We should be funding the projected shortfall instead of taking money out of the trust fund. I think the current projections will be less than expected because of high unemployment and reduced wages. If we want to give money to those in need, use the Make Work Pay Credit.
Agree. The media and the politicians keep talking about a tax increase. This is a reinstatement of a temporary reduction of the payroll tax. The idea of a payroll tax reduction is a Republican idea. Obama started by putting it on steroids with his further reduction and expansion to employers. This is just a continuation of the attempt to weaken SS like the tax-reduction induced national debt is a way to weaken government and present an excuse to reduce or end social programs.
I did hear that the trust fund is supposed to be reimbursed but I'm pretty skeptical of that happening. Instead of taking money out of the trust fund, we should be putting money in to fund the projected shortfall. Pesonally, I think that due to high unemployment and reduced wages, the projections will be off and the shortfall will appear sooner.
A better way of giving money to those in need is with the Make Work Pay Credit that was used previously.
Thom, I don't think Zombies can blink.... but I do think you're absolutely correct....the media in general has failed to report the critical facts related to the tax cut extension.....the poison pills. I share your outrage.Thanks for trumpeting the TRUTH!
Great, we've come up with the solution for nuycleear waste. We can ship it to radster63's home, and let his children have the safety that comes from the totally safe material being stored in totally safe containers....
Obama tries to be fair, compromise & help middle c lass but GOP stalls blocks filiibusters smears at every turn Fox Beck Hannity demonize him. . GOP Bagger run congress demand even more more corp tax cuts- loopholes- subsides and more GOP deregulation...We tried that since 1981 Reaganomics IT failed . Corp run media does not tell us the facts behind the story . Investigative Jouirnalism as we knew it years ago is dead. Media just repeats what each side says without clarifying who is fibbing / leaving out pertinent info. CNN needs Ted Turner back That man had cajones. Fox GOP show is a disgrace. Fox has millions of loyal fans / many are Obama haters.. Rush has millions of ditto heads. whom he speaks for and to. Fans do not question his honesty . Sad comment on voters ability to think logically, check facts- use reason. I'm glad I grew up when public schools gave kids an excellent education . We had NO calculators to do our math for us ..and no google to search for info . We went to the library . NO Face book NO video games NO I phones We were always active walking, jumping rope, swimming in the comm pool, playing hop scotch, tag Your IT yes I am that old 68 .!
Shouldn't that be "And by WHOM?"
The Republicians own the media. The get out the message "we want to give the tax cuts for a year... the dems arn't cooperating" they dont tell the truth of all the poisen in the one year bill. the vast know nothing peaple believe what the media tell them. so we loose
they bumped the wage base by the way for social security. I'm sure in an effort to offset what did not get paid in in 2011. it would be a whole lot better if they raised the wage base to 200k. talk about raking in some $$$ and building a bigger fund! Cha Ching. and by the way, if i, as a single wage earner was fortunate enought to make 200k i am hard press to beleive i'd miss the $8400 if i knew it was part that which keeps us socially sound and united as a nation. I see some of the down trodon askin for $$ at 7-11....makes me sad. don't remember seeing so many homeless when i was a younger bloke and made it a point to see everything with young eyes....
Here is one link. There are many on Google SEARCH. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/03/16/709201/-YWOD:-Republicans-want-to-drug-test-people-on-Unemployment