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.
Thom
I cannot resist, Peter Farrah. How do you address ignorance so profound. That guy couldn't make up his mind to cross the street without somebody paying him to do it or to write it for him. Case in point the new Exxon Mobil advertisement were some African-American gets up there and tells us about all the jobs that the tar sands will create. My question for Exxon Mobil ,Peter and yours well Thom,
Why is he telling me about the potential jobs in the tar sands in Canada? Exxon Mobil is one of the most profitable corporations in the history of the universe. They should know how to do it, go to Canada create jobs, but instead they have to pander for finances ,for more pandering. American corporations have lost their way, they cannot make it without government intervention. So I don't care about the tar sands I really don't care about Exxon Mobil I surely don't care about Peter. Get the job done shut the bleep up! Exxon Mobil the Coke brothers and all the Republican welfare cases need money to keep fleecing the voters that's what that commercial was about. Telling you about the great Nirvana but instead giving you massive degradation of the environment as in British Petroleum and the gulf of Mexico. Good job Thom and thank you Louise for this form.
Just a point of fact, WWI hostilities ended in November 1918, but the war wasn't officially over until the signing of the Treaty. Also America did not immediately move troops from France back home, not only because it was logistically impossible to return everyone home the day after the signing of the treaty, but also because they thought it important to keep a military presence in France and more importantly parts of Western Germany to make sure that the Germans didn't get any ideas of starting up the war again. The bulk of the American troops had returned home by the end of summer 1919. Then logistically the soldiers that returned home, didn't just get on a train and return to farms, they were still in the army and had terms of service to complete. Therefore there was still an enormous cost to the government to feed and shelter the Army for a couple of years after the Armistice of Nov, 11 1918.
And wow, Peter take a f'n chill pill man, if you can't handle the truth don't peddle non-factual talking points man. A lie can not be made a truth by shouting it out, and Thom isn't going to let your delusions just fly by.
N
Of course 4/5ths of US think government can't solve the economic problems because only 1/5th of US are still well-paid. Let's turn all that cynicism about government against the root of our economic and government problems: the money power that has corrupted our democratic government into a oligarchy.
Corporate personhood satisfies neither original intent or logic when based on equal protection. Equal protection for corporations gives the owners and operators of corporations an extra layer of rights defended by lawyers paid for by corporate funds. Granting human rights to corporations creates unequal protection and thereby can not satisfy equal protection.
We the People ~ Move To Amend ~ the US Constitution ~ to Restore American Democracy
A Constitutional Amendment would reinstate campaign finance laws previously struck down under the false doctrine of 'corporate personhood'. It will also allow Congress to free itself from the need to incessantly raise campaign funds. We need a government that will 'Free the Hostages!' instead of threatening support for the elderly and the infirm.
Wow, Peter Ferrara is approaching the territory of Glenn Beck's "Get off my phone!"
Thom should get some special effects to show his dripping sarcasm. That would be cool.
A three-judge court ruled Monday that a federal law banning most foreigners from donating to U.S. political campaigns is constitutional.
So how do we make superpac's show who gave them money?
The war on Democracy
Obama Is Implementing Plans For War Throughout the Middle East Created 10 Years Ago by the Neocons
The former director of the CIA’s counter-terrorism center says that American policy in the Middle East is failing because the U.S. doesn't believe in democracy.
http://georgewashington2.blogspot.com/
How about Fundocracy instead of Dollarocracy?
Government is made up of Republicans and Democrats. To lay blame to only the Republicans is short sited. If you believe only Republicans accept corporate dollars, means the problem will never be solved. Both parties share equal fault. Don't expect either party to solve your problems. If you want something done, the best way to get it done, is do it yourself.
I crave uncensored world news. Does not the rest of the world care what the insane republicans are doing? Like taking a vacation right now? There has to be news we are not getting about what the world thinks of the obscene behavior of the rightists in USA. If they're screwing their own country, they must be screwing the countries they hide their money in also. Reuters, Al-jazeerah, etc. must have uncensored news of the ugly people destroying America. It just is really hard to find. I'm still looking.
The only question I have is, who will be our Spartucus. You see what has happened in England. Do you know the difference- We the People have weapons. Best wishes to all
Thank you! maybe I could hook-up with a Swiss Bank hiring Senior Level Poets.
Alps and scalpers,
Skulls and Bones.
Maria Von Trapp,
Jones for Loans.
Lest we forget, an elitist, monarchial, oligarchic run country is what sparked the American Revolution - it wasn't "high taxes", it was "taxation without representation". Do you think the Republicans and special interest groups who support them, and are "cornering the American wealth", are representing the interests of the middle class and under privileged? Not! This is “back to the past”.
Strike the last comment in the blog: "Long live the Oligarchy."
The oligarchy must die.
And we can't blame the oligarchs for this. Oligarchs do what they do. It is our complacency and naievite. It is our own selfishness and prejudices that are exposed when we progress once again down this path. That's the gift and the challenge in this. If the unionized blue collar workers could have embraced hippies, liberated women and gays in 1972 we would have triumphed... and on it goes. But they weren't coming for the steel worker then, were they? No were most of us FAA workers when they got canned by Reagan. Nor are most of us government workers now. But it's interesting that in the 80's government work was looked down on not because those government workers had it better than everyone but because it was felt you could do so much better in the private sector. Now those government slugs have it better and therefore who cares if they get trimmed a bit... divide and conquer. and we get another opportunity to learn. It's inclusiveness that is our greatest strength as a people and that's why it's divisiveness that is the first thing they sew. We should learn to hear it and instantly ask; "Who is getting shafted now? Who am I being asked to defend now?" Then "we the people" will rise again.
@Lindawyeth: Exactly right - no matter how they choose to speak together, with one voice, their right of free speech shall not be abridged. The corporation is merely one type of association, no more or less privileged than any other type of association. That's the whole point, individually or as a member of a group, identified or anonymous, congress shall make NO law!
you lnow with this type of crookedness smothering the election process,with greed and criminal practices the norm on wall street and blatant political and judicial(clarence thomas etc>)corruption being financed by transnational corp.does anybody ever wonder if somewhere,sometime jeff skilling from enron fame is sitting there and saying-how the hell did i get sent to prison compared to what these guys have been doing and getting off scott free!!oligarchs-to say the very least!!
MIshima,
You are quite wrong. SOME of the super wealthy are using their wealth to influence decisions in Congress. The most offensive and obvious is the pledge not to raise any taxes. The economic theory and evidence are quite clear about the issue of the tax burden on the wealthy and corporations. Lower taxes for the wealthy, as has been done since the 1980s, increses the gap between the rich and poor. Conversely, increasing the tax rate of multimillionaires will decrease this gap.
The evidence is also clear that there is a strong relationship between the level of inequality in society and the health of society. As Thom pointed out on his show, this is well documented in the book, The Spirit Level.
Raising taxes on the wealthy will also help stimulate the economy. With higher taxes, more money will be redirected into the business, rather than taken out as profit. Doing something with this money, research, development, etc, will create jobs and consumers. With a healthy middle class, demand will increase and the economy will grow. This further increases revenue for the government, which will reduce the stress of deficit.... Hence, lowering the tax burdens on the wealthy and corporations have a significant role in the economic and ill health our country faces.
-BG
The death of the Republic began November 22, 1963. It continues relentlessly today.
Thom,
It is time for We the People to rise. As you say on your show, grass roots movements are the real drivers behind change in our country. We have done it before, we can do it again. Move to amend (movetoamend.org) the constitution to strip corporations of their "rights" is THE first step.
As a physician (general surgeon), I glad to hear someone finally discuss The Spirit Level. The rich oligarchs are not only waging war on the middle class, they are literally causing us to die young; this is a big killer which needs to be stopped. The culture of blame and shame needs to go.
-BG
The key phrase in your comment is "as a member of a neighborhood association, as a member of the ASPCA or as a shareholder in a corporation" -- you see, they are all individuals, persons, if you will. A corporation is not a person, and money is not speech. Simple as that. I have a feeling that Ayn Rand would see the point!
Pretty simple math......[undocumented big money] + [low info voters] = [desired] election results! The [desired] part is anyone willing to serve their masters the Oligarchs, and thus far it seems like one party in particular is jumping at the chance. Their proposed legislation is a dead giveaway. Can you say Paul Ryan? Thom is right, the Supreme court has really ffffffdddd up our Democracy!
Advertising works which is why so much is spent on it whether you are selling products or a candidate. With enough money, you can make the average person believe that the sky is red so I don't see how our democracy can survive. This becomes even more true the more financially desperate people become. Even if people can find the time to vote, desperate people do not have the time or resources to become knowledgeable. It is sad to see really. The same people who are becoming more and more desperate are the ones who are increasingly voting against their own best interests (and the common good) because they buy the lies. It is natural for the big corporations and the very rich who run them to want less effective government and less regulation because it increases their wealth and power. The unnatural thing is how effective they have been in getting the masses to fight against their own best interest and to hate the one thing- government- that might be able to protect them against the Oligarchy.
I was replying to #16 (I think) not to you. The # on the reply is off it seems...(and yes it is, this is in reply to #43 not #42)
Well I'm guessing with a depleted 401k being their only retirement income, television is no longer affordable and they would be alone with their thoughts, but you could be right, without fox, internal dialogue might be assuming to much.
You are assuming that Tea Party people can have an independent thought without fox news or hannity telling them what to think.