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.
Up here in the Northwest, the occupiers are everywhere progressives meet, taking a cram course in how to communicate with the powers in some other way than camping. My opinion of the ones I've seen is that they're bright, driven, and rightfully angry at the way their future is being stolen by the greedheads. They're everywhere meeting to make lists of what they want to achieve and communicating not just nationwide but worldwide to come up with a unified set of demands. God bless them. They are growing very, very fast and it's exciting for this old lady to watch.
It's a little tiring to listen to the Republicans extole the financial greatness that Reagan created. Give me a credit card with 2 trillion behind it (the deficit he created even after raising taxes) and I will be the greatest job creator this country has ever seen. But alas they believe what they want to. "Don't confuse us with the facts our minds are made up".
Mike
Super Wealthy want Miit but 75 % of the Repubs do not trust him . Lots can happen in 11 months I can not believe that GOP can not find a decent reliable honest candidate to run . Its like a Rerun of the Mc Cain / Palen disaster 2008 Ron Paul is doing very well in Iowa Obama won IOwa Fla Indiana in 2008 That was quite a feat for a young senator . I made 400 calls for Obama and spoke to voters in all those states . This time race will be close NO excuse NOT to vote this time Another GOP pres after Reaganomics Bush 1-2 Cheney GOP congress's . US can not survive that The Bagger GOP will finish middle class off, bust more t unions, lower our wages,benefits even more.. gut education, disabled, mentally ill, old sick No one is safe from the massive Greed. GOP wants even more corp cuts , loopholes More deregulation Look how well that worked last 30 years ...since 1980 Reagan deregulation- amnesty for slave wages.Guns sold to Iran contra a bribe to get ourmhostages back ? Reagan lied about gun sales . Unemployment was up to 10 % under Reagan Learn & spread the facts ..not innuendo,smears ,rumors & vile name calling
Instead of setting up tents and clashing with police the occupy movment can be instrumental in leading the way to engage concerned citizens in such projects as amending the Constitution to end corporations as people and money as speech. Occupiers could lead the way to form coalitions to fight to unseat Republicans (and Democrats) who continue to obstruct, filibuster, and vote against the majority in bill proposals. Isn't this what they are protesting agaisnt anyway?
p.s. My son Kyle Curtis was an intern for Thom a few years ago and often speaks about his experience!
I think it will continue on in various forms thanks to the Republicans' actions like stopping unemployment benefits unless the Pipeline is speeded up. This needs much publicity.
I think it is already morphing into several things--especially since they've been kicked out of parks. Their various, specific agendas will start to emerge--with the help of Republicans.
Mathboy, Why? The purpose is to get a job, not collect benefits.
Washington's Blog makes an excellent point...
How to Guarantee a Real Debate
Even if you intend to vote for Obama in 2012, you want him to have to answer debate questions on these issues … and you want the mainstream media to have to discuss them.
How can you do this?
Initially, Obama has the Democratic party nomination locked up. So Democratic primaries are not an issue.
So register as a Republican for one-year only to – as Huffington Post notes – ensure that Ron Paul gets the GOP nomination.
Even if you’ve never done so before and never will again (we all know how bad the mainstream Republican party has been!), register one time as a Republican to vote for Paul in the primaries.
Why?
If Paul gets the nomination, then he will debate President Obama in the election itself. Then 3 of the issues that are important to all of us – ending the stupid wars, restoring freedom on the Internet and in the real world, and reining in the out-of-control Fed – will finally be discussed.
Even if you intend to vote to re-elect President Obama, make sure that he is forced to answer tough questions about endless war, our drift towards a police state, and an unaccountable Fed.
Helping Ron Paul get the GOP nomination is the way to do so.
From what I remember in my times of unemployment, you have to apply to 5 jobs per week in your field if you want to collect benefits. I think that should be relaxed as the unemployment rate--or perhaps the ratio of unemployed people to available jobs--goes up.
Given what's happened in Ohio and Texas, we need a more objective districting process. There was even contention in Colorado, where we have a bi-partisan commission instead of letting the legislature do it.
I did a blog post here about it a year ago: http://www.thomhartmann.com/users/mathboy/blog/2011/01/objective-redistricting. Unfortunately, to see the graphics you have to click on them, because they're mostly cut off by the margin.
Democrats: Here’s How to Force President Obama to Debate Endless War, Indefinite Detention, SOPA and Other Assaults on Our Freedom, and Reining in the Out-of-Control Federal ReservePosted on December 19, 2011 by WashingtonsBloghttp://www.washingtonsblog.com/
The Crotch brothers and Murdoch ain't about to let Ron Paul win. David and Charlie Crotch want Mitt.....
What is your suggestion for paying for these entitlements? We are not dumb, so that should offend many people. Why are they smarter in, say Japan? School is a focus for them. They are in school 243 days a year vs. 180 for US students. Too muc time off. That is why we lag behind. I know that PELL Grants have nothing directly to do with this, but it speaks to the "dumb" comment. We are raised at a disadvantage. Why dont we require schooling at the 243 days a year pace? One reason that comes to mind is that teachers in general would not want this and would use their unions to fight it without obscene pay raises. Before anyone says it, i am not anti-union or anti-teacher. I am stating this from my sister who is a teacher and an active union member. As far a college, one of the reasons prices are so outrageous was because of government grants and loans. Universities are stealing from the government, thus the taxpayers, because they can through these grants and such. Just one reason ut I feel one that carries a large deal of weight in the reason for high costs.
what do you make of this?:
Following the Obama administration's withdrawal of its veto threat Wednesday, the National Defense Authorization Act passed both houses of Congress easily and is now headed to the president's desk.
So what exactly does the bill do? It says that the president has to hold a foreign Al Qaeda suspect captured on US soil in military detention—except it leaves enough procedural loopholes that someone like convicted underwear bomber and Nigerian citizen Umar Abdulmutallab could actually go from capture to trial without ever being held by the military. It does not, contrary to what many media outlets have reported, authorize the president to indefinitely detain without trial an American citizen suspected of terrorism who is captured in the US. A last minute compromise amendment adopted in the Senate, whose language was retained in the final bill, leaves it up to the courts to decide if the president has that power, should a future president try to exercise it. But if a future president does try to assert the authority to detain an American citizen without charge or trial, it won't be based on the authority in this bill.
So it's simply not true, as the Guardian wrote yesterday, that the bill "allows the military to indefinitely detain without trial American terrorism suspects arrested on US soil who could then be shipped to Guantánamo Bay." When the New York Times editorial page writes that the bill would "strip the F.B.I., federal prosecutors and federal courts of all or most of their power to arrest and prosecute terrorists and hand it off to the military," or that the "legislation could also give future presidents the authority to throw American citizens into prison for life without charges or a trial," they're simply wrong.
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/12/defense-bill-passed-so-what-does-it-do-ndaa
Dear Thom and Louise: Let me add my praise for the thought-provoking comments you make, and for your engagement with guests and callers across the entire political spectrum. A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your entire staff. Sincerely, Duncan MacLaren
Police State..banned episode
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dys3xE2Bnk
The Breakdown: Are Antitrust Laws a Thing of the Past?Christopher Hayes April 1, 2011 http://www.thenation.com/article/159629/transcript-breakdown-are-antitrust-laws-thing-past
Now Republicans are using the spending bill to cut Pell Grants too. They want to keep American's dumb...who else is going to vote for them?
With the death of small business (due to unenforcement of monopoly laws among other things),
What unenforced monopoly laws are you refering to? Use your vote to control these things "don't shop there" or even better buy some of these local business yourself. These legal entities are buying and doing business because the lawmakers allow them to. They are not doing anything wrong or illegal. Stop complaining about legal activities "get a life"
Totally agree! I was thinking cut 25% across the board, but 40% will probably take us back to force levels of the 90's. Our paper reported the other day that local police will help out Highway Patrol by pacing interstate traffic. Really, is that what tax dollars pay for, wasting gas on the highway because ticket writing is slow. Ticket writing is about 30% of their revenue. Tax dollars just don't support 1 police officer for every 50 citizens. Maybe they should work within their budget! The county has a hummer that can be seen sitting around idling at any hour day or night. Now we have a new vehicle, I have not seen yet, described as a Bradly tankish looking thing with hatches for easy machine gun access. THIS IS WHAT A POLICE STATE LOOKS LIKE!
You asked us to tell you the result of calling Wyden. I went to his site and found that the local phone number on it is out of date and belongs to some poor beleaguered private party. So you will have to call him in DC. I emailed and asked him if he had lost his mind or whether instead he was working to undercut his own party and lobbying for a cabinet position with the Republicans.
Forget the right wing sociopaths -- they will never change. We have to care about people like him:
http://young-southern-baptist
"Why is it that everyone hates caring for the poor so much?"
This is his central--downright desperate--question. He thinks it's his moral duty to vote for GOP -- but as you can read over there: he's very unhappy in this role. It's obvious that he has goodness. It's just abortion that makes him struggle. We have to care about him! And there are more young Christians like him....
The court system of the UK seems to be a bit convoluted, and the Supreme Court was created in 2005 and started operating in 2009. There's a chart on the right of this Wikipedia page; however, it includes only courts with some jurisdiction over England and Wales, so it doesn't show whatever separate courts Scotland and Northern Ireland have.
Re: Where did all the jobs go?
It used to be touted as to how many jobs small business were responsible for. With the death of small business (due to unenforcement of monopoly laws among other things), is it any wonder that the jobs have disapeared?
The banks used to be local, the hospital used to be local, the doctor's office was local, the list goes on and on. All have been bought up by for profit, mega corporations.
NDAA Set To Become Law: The Terror Is Nearer Than Ever
David Seaman
American Democracy: 1776-2011.
It turns out that destroying the American democratic republic was easy to accomplish, historians will write someday. Simply get the three major cable news networks to blather on about useless bull**** for a few days, while legislators meet in secret behind closed doors to rush through the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (NDAA), and its evil twin sister, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which is a clever name for an Internet censorship bill straight out of an Orwellian nightmare.
Sure, some independent media web sites and Jon Stewart warned us about this. Ron Paul & Son warned us about this. Amnesty International and the ACLU have been screaming from the rooftops, crying bloody murder. But the American people let it happen, because the vast majority of us simply didn't find out in time.
And now President Obama's advisers are saying he is withdrawing his veto threat against NDAA, so it will become law.
As will SOPA, since it is becoming ever more apparent that our "elected officials" in Congress are not satisfied with their 9% approval rating. They want a 0% approval rating.
I have no idea why Congress is pushing through anti-American legislation that is not only incompetent, but openly belligerent.
I have no idea why an American media blackout on NDAA is still in effect -- Anderson Cooper, Chris Matthews, Bill O'Reilly and the other broadcast "journalists" have been disgustingly silent on what is undoubtedly the most important news story of the past decade. The single most important news story since September 11th, 2001.
Combined, NDAA and SOPA simply destroy American democracy. That isn't hype. That isn't exaggeration. Within a few days, your freedom of speech will be gone -- post something controversial online, and the government can legally "disappear" it.
Annoy the government too much, or criticize Congress' infinite wisdom and mercy, and you may find yourself in military prison for the remainder of your life, without access to a trial or attorney. Even if you're an American citizen on US soil.
This is a brave new world. Watch what you say. Be mindful of who you associate with. You may criticize your government within the privacy of your own home, amongst close family or friends, but do not post negative comments online. Do not assemble. Do not protest. Do not agitate. Do not give "comfort" to the "enemy."
This is a sad day for all of us. All of our military spending, all of our fortresses and moats, and it turns out democracy was attacked from within, the historians will write someday. We didn't even see it coming.
I don't write articles every day, but when I do, they are on subjects you should know about. You can follow me on Google+ to see my newest posts and keep in touch.
Please follow Business Insider on Twitter and Facebook.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/ndaa-set-to-become-law-the-terror-is-nearer-than-ever-2011-12#ixzz1gilO3eFm
President Obama: A tough-talking coward http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/