I cannot comprehend why supporters of so-called "reform" deny any type of reserach, data or statistics that prove the vouchers do not improve education, eliminating collective bargaining has negative effects on public schools, charters performs far below their counterparts in public ed and the big one - our public schools are not as bad as these reformers claim. How is it possible to fight against these people that are hell bent to destroy public education? Most media companies will not cover this because it isn't sexy enough or they are complicit with these reformers! This movement in education is one of the most dangerous that have come out of the tea party movement. Everyone must write, call or email President Obama and tell him he must stop the destruction of public education.

My answer to Thom's question: "What are the millionaires and billionaires going to do as part of the shared sacrifice?"

They've already sacrificed their disposable income on gold, stocks, and royal toys. They're sitting on the rest and 'conserving'. The rich are willing to pay others to sacrifice. It's always been that way. Whether going on a crusade, conscripting during the Civil War, or buying your way out of the Vietnam War by getting paid-off politicians to get you in the National Guard, it's always been the same.

The 'Haves' live in fear of losing their accumulated wealth; wealth created through the labor of the 'Have-nots'. Indeed, the mantra of today's wealthy is "The 'have-nots' will always try to take from the 'haves'.". So they build up walls, and local police forces, and create a military that will respond and defend only them. For each Prince, a princedom.

Sacrifice is a thankless business. It costs with no observable immediate benefits. It doesn't make business sense. It requires leaders and heroes. The newly rich (wealth created during a time of 2 wars) should be willing to start talking about sacrificing their 'entitlements'. That, or they should be tried under 'War Profiteering' laws and be forced to sacrifice the most valuable thing an American enjoys... freedom.

Thom,
If your leader tells you to jump off a bridge to certain death would you?
Or would you think for yourself and say no.
If I heard you right this morning, you would reluctantly jump.
And that is mind-boggling ugly.

Tom - when you talk to Robert Reich today, please bring up Peak Oil.

I believe that we may be witnessing the unravelling of our government and while there are numerous other causes - Bankster mischief, etc. - the root cause is Peak Oil. Our government is not alone in its instability, as you are aware.

We may not even see a 2012 election. It may be time to look beyond conventional politics for a whole new perspective and set of solutions. We need to create local, self-sustaining institutions to maintain us in a climate of disintegrating rule of law, de-growth as the infinite growth paradigm fails, intertwined with the ultimate causal factor - reduced energy.

The infinite growth paradigm is the problem and always has been. Dependence on fossil fuels is the problem and always has been. These statements are similar because at their root, they are identical - infinite growth = cheap and expanding fossil fuel production. There is a 96% correspondence between CO2 emissions and economic growth.

To be relevant, Robert Reich must recognize Peak Oil and the failure of infinite growth.

Love your show - you're the smartest guy on the radio. I just think you need to hold everybody's feet to the Peak Oil fire.

Enough said.

Yes it is crazy that the House has given itself five weeks of vacation. How about this idea: House Dems stay there and invite the people to come and talk to them. Open a People's Congress in the chambers of the house, for five weeks while the Repubs are on vacation.

Absolutely disgusting.I believe that this will be the proverbial last straw for many of Obama’s liberal leaning supporters. He lost me quite a while ago. This president has absolutely no fight in him. Absolutely disgusting. I would never vote republican, but I for one will not be working for him this year, or donating anything to his campaign. I instead will be giving to true progressive voices that will actually fight for us. I wish Bernie Sanders would wage a primary challenge. His message really needs a larger stage.

Thank you to all the Democrats that voted NO, all of you are real patriots and obviously still believe in DEMOCRACY!

Between Murdoch's moron's, the Supreme Court, and the Koch-heads it was the most discreet Govt. overthrow in history, it's amazing most citizens are unaware that the terrorists are now in full control.

Why hasn't the President called out the military yet? Is he locked in a White House closet while the tea baggers loot.

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"As the head of Freedom House, a CIA-interlocked think-tank [1] that promotes free markets, free enterprise and free trade, Peter Ackerman has been at the forefront of efforts to topple foreign governments that place more emphasis on promoting the welfare of their citizens (and often their own bourgeoisie) than providing export and investment opportunities to US corporations, banks, and investors.

An ex-Wall Street investment banker who was once junk bond trader Michael Milken's right-hand man, Ackerman's speciality these days is regime change civil disobedience –training activists in the use of civil disobedience destabilization techniques to bring down foreign governments.

A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington-Wall Street insiders' group that brings together corporate CEOs and lawyers, scholars, and government and military officials to recommend foreign policy positions to the US State Department, Ackerman also heads the International Center for Non-Violent Conflict (ICNC). Working in parallel with billionaire financier George Soros' Open Society Institute, the ICNC deploys civil disobedience specialists to teach "activists how to agitate for change against" governments on Washington's regime change hit list, "going everywhere from Eastern Europe to train Belarusians to Turkey to coach Iranians." [2]

Ackerman and other civil disobedience imperialists, like Stephen Zunes, a self-styled progressive who acts as chief apologist for Ackerman among leftists who have romantic illusions about popular uprisings, [3] give their efforts to topple foreign governments the deceptively reassuring name "democracy promotion." Democracy promotion, a Bush administration official once said, is a rubric to get people to support regime change without saying the words. [4] Zunes has also sprung to the defense of Gene Sharp, the head of the Albert Einstein Institution, who advised right-wing Venezuelans on how to use civil disobedience to overthrow Hugo Chavez. [5]"

http://www.trinicenter.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2024

Flyguy: People should check out for themselves just who is behind Americans Elect 2012!!! Peter Ackerman, who got very wealthy on CDOs, who sits on a right-wing think tank panel that want's to privatize social security, who co-chairs an organization that sounds liberal-progressive but which is anything but. And has been accused of trying to overthrow other governments by internal subversive means...like the Hugo Chavez government of Venezuela..and others. Look into the people he associates with like Jack Duvall and his company Arlington Institute and all of the military and other right-wing organizations that they do business with. Subversively overthrowing other governments...it is not too far fetched that they are doing the same here in the US. Before you sign those petitions that Americans Elect has out in all those shopping malls you should look into just who Americans Elect is. Don't be fooled by the psycho babble they give you in their literature. They say that they are not aligned to any particular political affiliation but tend to sound like they are going to represent "the people" against the entrenched political system of Democrats and Republicans. They won't tell you who they will run...they say that they will take an internet poll later on to determine who is to be selected. But you are trusting them to run someone who is fairly chosen...can you trust them? Again, look who founded Americans Elect ...Peter Ackerman (his son now runs it).

Well I am through with the Democratic Party. This charade was just like the last charade that ensured the Bush tax cuts, which was just like the last charade that ensured customers to the health insurance industry, and blew up our dreams of a functioning health care system.

I just sent letters to President Obama, Senator Baucus, and Senator Tester demanding that they remove me from their fundraising lists. I refuse to support a party that has gone so far astray from its base.

I voted for the very first time in 1974, and have never voted for a Republican, I have also never missed an election, and not voted. In my opinion, the only way to make the party listen is to defect en-masse, in a very vocal manner. Even though they were probably in on the voting machine scandals, the Democratic party still needs people to go to the polls, and our refusing to do so is the best way I can think of to get their attention.

Not one red cent to the Democratic party until they cave in to the demands of the People. I say fry the bastards if they continue to hold onto the "rails" of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.