Michael Hudson, economist- wrote this in Nov 2010:
"What is needed to put Mr. Obama’s sell-out in perspective is the pro-Wall Street advisors he has chosen – not only Larry Summers, Tim Geithner and Ben Bernanke (who last week reaffirmed his loyalty to Milton Friedman’s Chicago School monetarism), but by stacking his Deficit Reduction Commission with outspoken advocates of cutting back Social Security, Medicare and other social spending. Their ploy is to frighten the public with a nightmare $1 trillion deficit to pay retirement income over the next half century – as if the Treasury and Fed have not just given Wall Street $13 trillion in bailouts without blinking an eye. President Obama’s $750 billion tax giveaway to the wealthiest 2% is mere icing on the cake that the rich will be eating when the bread lines get too long."
"The Obama 'Regressive Tax' commission spills the beans with its proposal to remove the tax subsidy for high housing prices financed by mortgage debt. The proposal moves only against homeowners – 'the middle class' – not absentee owners, commercial real estate investors, corporate raiders or other prime bank customers."
"Wealth and income inequality destroy job creation. This is because beyond the wealthy soon reach a limit on how much they can consume. They spend their money buying financial securities – mainly bonds, which end up indebting the economy. And the debt overhead is what is pushing today’s economy into deepening depression."
"Alas, the Obama administration has backed the Geithner-Bernanke policy that “the economy” cannot recover without saving the debt overhead. The reality is that it is the debt overhead that is destroying the economy. So we are dealing with the irreconcilable fact that the Obama position threatens to lower living standards from 10% to 20% over the coming few years – making the United States look more like Greece, Ireland and Latvia than what was promised in the last presidential election."
"If the present direction of tax “reform” is not reversed, Mr. Obama will shed crocodile tears for the middle class as he sponsors the Deficit Reduction Commission’s program of cutting back Social Security and revenue sharing to save states and cities from defaulting on their pensions. One third of U.S. real estate already is reported to have sunk into negative equity, squeezing state and local tax collection, forcing a choice to be made between bankruptcy, debt default, or shifting the losses onto the shoulders of labor, off those of the wealthy creditor layer of the economy responsible for loading it down with debt."
"Mr. Obama’s appointees are turning the U.S. economy into a Permanent Emergency, a Perpetual Ponzi Scheme requiring injections of more and more Quantitative Easing to rescue “the economy” (Mr. Obama’s euphemism for creditors at the top of the economic pyramid) from being pushed into insolvency."
But how many Democratic voters just stayed home because they saw how the Democrat politicians had screwed them over? One way of saying to those Democrats who believed that "the people have no other choice" to go to hell. How many have just given up because they realize that it really no longer matters because the system is so crooked that voting is a waste of time. They realized that once they voted the turn-coat Democrats would just pull a fast one and act in the best interest of the corporations anyway. It is a lost cause.
No one pulled on Obama's legs to force him to appoint the people he appointed. They should have been put in shackles for what they did to our economy yet Obama appointed them...Geithner and Summers and others. Nope, Obama blew it! We now know his true colors and they are mostly red for all of the blood that he is now responsible for when he did not push hard enough for bringing our troops home...and green for all of the money he has bestowed on the already wealthy which takes away from not only future tax payers but from the value of any money people have saved up to buy necessities.
He did not even push at all on the subject of pursuing the last administration for war crimes and, in fact, continued on with Bush's war crimes.
That's right...Obama does not yet have the powers of a full blown dictator (although he can have Amercans abducted out of their homes and tortured and murdered without due process) and has to make deals and persuade others in congress to get things done. But all he did was start off the bargaining process by giving away any position that he said he stood for...right off the bat.
As often as Obama sold us out...one has to wonder...or highly suspect..that he is certainly not going to do us any good....ever. Obama is just as much owned by corporate greed as any of the Republicans. Obama is not the only Democrat that is owned by corporate money. Like I have said before...there really is no difference between the Democrats and the Republicans except the Republicans try to stir up their brainless twit multitudes, mostly thumpers, and get them to vote against their best economic interests; and, the Democrats play the other role in pretending to be the great protector of the working class in order to get their useful-idiots to vote for them. In both cases, the ruling elite come out ahead. So unless Obama does something really spectacular to counter all of the damage he has done it is very dumb to vote for him again. Killing OBL was not the rabbit in the hat Obama had hoped for...people will get over that and still be saddled with a really terrible economy. Obama thinks that if he can just pull out another bubble out of that hat then people will think that the economy has turned around but it isn't going to happen. The government just prints more money to throw into Wall Street which is what keeps the numbers up artificially. It is a giant Ponzi scheme and the rest of the world sees this.
It would be very difficult for politicians, or even school book publishers, to preach that America is the exemplar of democracy when it has such a corrupt democratic system as proven by the lack of voter enthusiasm created by constantly being lied to and screwed over.
Of course, the counter propaganda would be that Americans are just too darn lazy to vote anymore. But that would be hard to weigh against desperate people starving in the streets and dying of treatable diseases and freezing to death without decent shelters....it's coming and already happening in some places.
Gotta love the way those French settled matters with their corrupt ruling elite...the guillotines were pretty scary. But even the French politicians seem to have forgotten their history and lost the fear of what raging mobs can do. I think the Muslim countries are putting Americans to shame....but maybe it won't take much more before we are emulating them...as has been seen recently in some US cities. When we realize that voting with our ballots have no effect then we will have to vote with something else. Voting won't do any good...it will take actively demonstrating in the streets before things change.
I am not a clinical psychologist but I do recall a clinical psychologist’s talk on one issue. He said that Republicans (my word) say that Democrats hate America, the Republicans are actually projecting onto persons their true emotions about America. For Republicans to admit their hatred of America would be too damaging to their persona and psyche. There are Republicans who are living in a fog or twilight zone. Projection of true emotions by Republicans to someone else helps them to survive in their narrow world. The Anti-Christ is projecting their true emotions on human rights, torture, and the killing of God’s children that is present in our country and in other countries. Satan’s disciples, such as members of the Anti-Life Party and their faithful and loyal followers have lust in their hearts for taking away human rights, increasing the practice of torture, and the killing of human beings in our country and in other countries.
And this is why! They held a VOTE in the Senate tonight to stop the Big Oil Subsidies! Outcome - NOT!
The Republicans and 3 Democratic Senators voted against it! We have a Majority of Democrats in the Senate and yet we cannot even get this passed!
Folks, you ALL need to learn how your OWN GOVERNMENT works!!! It is NOT all Obama - it's how our government is structured.
WE the People vote in our Representatives - it is the PEOPLE who place these representatives into our Congress and our Senate, both State and Washington. And guess who voted in all those REPUBLICANS into office last tear? THE AMERICAN PEOPLE! So whatever happens, it not OBAMA, but the American People who are at fault here! Obama is NOT a dictator - he does not wave a magic wand - he is not Harry Potter!!!
He has to work with what the AMERICAN PEOPLE gave him! When will all you Obama Bashers realize this and understand that it is the AMERICAN PEOPLE who are technically running this country, and last fall the American People voted in a bunch of people who are now busy trying to destroy their Medicare and Social Security! This is NOT Obama's Fault!
If you want to rage against someone, rage against the 150M Americans who vote in these Repugs every year! The Democratic Party and Liberals are Not the Enemy here – it is the Republican Party and the neo-conservative right with their religious agendas! And the Big Banks and the Fascist Corporations who are funding them!!!
"Has this man not read one single page of world history regarding the violent outcome that almost always takes place when religious beliefs are forced on a population, let alone mixed with Govt. and public policy?"
No and it is NOT only this man - It's the whole Republican Party and the Right! And The Catholics! And The Baptists! And The Fundamentalists! Need I go on?
80-90% Americans is of some religious persuasion or other. A good portion of these people would be hard pressed to explain Evolution, let alone who Darwin was! Most of them know very little science or how it works.
And of course they do NOT know the part of their own Constitution where it states something about the separation of State and Church! In fact, those who do know want to change it to reflect the RELIGION part only!
Scientific Creationism is an Oxymoron. Science always starts out from not-knowing, stating a theory, gathering facts, and then testing the Theory. But it does not end there for science – it is always open-ended. The Theory can always get refined with new data. Science always builds on itself. It is not an authoritative pursuit, for if anyone can conclusively challenge a theory with concrete facts that can be tested and verified, then the theory can be modified.Anyone who says different simply do not know what they are saying. Newton and Einstein both have a thoery about Gravity, and both are correct in their respective areas. They are not 2 different thories, just modifications when you are on Earth (Newton), or in the middle of a Black Hole (Einstein). Anyone can put forward a new theory - all they have to do is present new facts. But I will not hold my breath on this happening any time soon as Newton and Einsteins theories are pretty sound ones. BUT, you can challenge them, if you want to.
Not so with SC! It starts with Authority! All knowledge comes from the Bible and the Bible cannot be challenged. All facts have to reflect what is in the Bible. All theory, all research, all findings, MUST fit what is in the Bible. SC is NOT a science. SC only defends what is in the Bible. To believe that SC is a science is to believe that our planet is only 6000 years old, that there was a flood that killed off all of life on this planet, and that god himself planted the Dinosaur bones to fool or impress mankind! There is NO Challenging the Bible nor GOD! This is not science - this is FAITH!
SC is just a ruse to get Religion into our schools! It is an agenda to eventually eliminate the Separation of State And Church in our Constitution. Our forefathers were right - we, the American People, must ALWAYS be vigilent against those who would want to destroy our Democracy. There is a difference - Demoracy embraces everyone, no matter what creed, belief or race. A Reigiuos State is Exclusive to everyone who does not adhere to its faith - it is intolerant. Just read history - EVERY religious state has ended badly, and you can include Communism to this list (A secular Religion really); when a government becomes opressive and authoritarian, it is not long for the dust-bin of history!
Cornell West from Princeton? - A man with an agenda! He wasn't invited to the white house so he's pissed! Not much of a FACT if you ask me! Only the ranting’s of an Afro-American who feels Jilted by his own President!
"that Obama has either been a complete dupe, or an opportunist, or for whatever else reason.." Factually what does this mean. if anything!
"I wouldn't care if our next President was another black, or a brown, or a yellow, or even a Muslim. I'd prefer it if he were an atheist because atheists don't have their heads up their butts believing in stupid make-believe myths." I STILL SEE NO FACTS! This is all PERSONAL nonsense! How would you know that Atheists don't have their heads up their butts anyway? Like everyone else, they are only human, with human faults. Just by logic alone, I can bet there are a few Atheists with their heads up their butts!
"And again, as I have said before (and I know you still don't believe me) I am progressive...a liberal....and abhor the criminal Republican right-wingers." You could have fooled me! In the vernacular - it ain't no white supremecist good ole boy repug that happens to be Prisident of the United States right now!
And after all the Rhetoric I still see NO FACTS! Your statements are just right-wing ranting when it comes to Obama.
Thom, I do not watch TV and have luddite tendencies on the computer, however I am good at turning on the car radio during my lunch break. The dude trying to convince you that creationism should be taught as part of science in public schools had me choking on my ham and cheese today. Has this man not read one single page of world history regarding the violent outcome that almost always takes place when religious beliefs are forced on a population, let alone mixed with Govt. and public policy?
Banksters will go to jail when the misery index of ordinary people reaches the "Paris of 1789" point. I truly believe we are very close to this time. The right wing extremist party ,also known as the republicans, have us on the fast track leading to total societal collapse. When this happens - "minus the Jacobins", a political rebirth with a TRUE REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY will take hold, one in which bank fraud is a crime.
Banksters make the laws; have become the law! Unless 'the people' use their constitutional right to govern----the ideal of 'justice for all' will fade,---because these synthetic people have obviously not been endowed by nature with an understanding of this need.
Susan Lindauer was arrested under the Patriot Act, she tried to stop 9/11 before it happened......................please get her on the show................OpEdNews.....A Time for Truth: Bin Laden's Death Won't End War on Terror Until Americans Understand the Threat was Always Us by Susan Lindauer........she is now telling the story.
It may be that the Bin Laben controversy is shielding another recent event from public view, that " the 9/11 Commission was given a stunning document from Pakistan, claiming that Pakistani intelligence officers knew in advance of the 9/11 attacks”. The report also alleged that the Pakistani ISI provided direct financial support to the 9/11 hijackers and was thus fully involved in the plot. Worryingly, the final report of the 9/11 Commission failed to mention this allegation, and barely refers to the ISI agency at all.".....................Also " The Pakistani authorities have hit back, claiming that they warned the US about the Bin Laden compound two years ago."............... http://911truthnews.com/death-of-bin-laden-may-distract-from-a-more-disturbing-story/
You are right PC...misery needs company and we have not had enough home foreclosures to make a difference to the still existing middle class. How many homes have to be for sale or forclosed on in any one block before people realize that the odds are they may be next.
Creationism? I don't think so. I don't believe the Bible supports it. Hmm. No, I theorize that the Bible does not support it especially as some currently define it and teach it. There are adequate scriptural proofs available to discount Creationism as a Bible teaching.
Good on you Thom for indicating that belief in the Bible is not based purely on superstition. Bad on you for letting two callers apply 1 Kings 7:23 as defining pi at 3.0. At the least, this application is disengenous, at the most, dishonest. A cubit (is) was not an exact measurement like pi. The measurements given in the Bible verse would be correct, with the circumference of the referenced container falling within, or very close to, the 30th cubit. The verse cannot honestly be used to teach that pi is 3.0.
The Bible contains some theory, some belief, and a great deal of fact. Many accept the theories as fact. Confidence in the Bible leads many to accept its prophecies (hope), without fully understanding how they will be fulfilled.
What the Bible actually teaches is rarely taught today. Creationism is a teaching of people, not the Bible.
Evolution contains some theory, some belief, and a good deal of fact as well. Many accept the theories as fact. I may be wrong here, but I don't believe Evolution contains prophecies (hope), although it does help us understand some things.
Accepting theory as fact in Evolution or the Bible requires a belief system. Currently, we simply do not apply the word "theory" to Bible proofs or tests, thinking that the Bible contains no accurate references to science. True, it's not a science book or a mathematical textbook, but when it touches on both subjects, it is accurate.
Many times I've heard Thom make statements that basically are that there is no religion that really addresses how science and religion can get along. Just thought I'd inform you of one that does. This authoritative statement from the Baha'i Faith (www.bahai.us or www.bahai.org ) is very clear --
"Religion and science are the two wings upon which man's intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can progress. It is not possible to fly with one wing alone! Should a man try to fly with the wing of religion alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of superstition, whilst on the other hand, with the wing of science alone he would also make no progress, but fall into the despairing slough of materialism."
By the way, the Bible states we wouldn't know the "day" or the "hour" of the return of the Christ, but it very explicitly tells the Year. The Bible prophesies the years of both the First and the Second Advents of the Christ Spirit. There's a video on YouTube that explains. Its title is "Christ Has Returned Part 1" - then there are 6 more videos for a total of about 70 minutes. FYI: Shortly these 7 short videos will be replaced with one (1) long video.
This should not surprise anyone. Once it is realized that funds can be gotten from the public treasury everything goes. The system is totally corupted with fraud and at every level of government from self serving lobbyists. If the politicians we elect had the government do what it was designed to do, fraudsters would be held accountable.
Fraud and unchecked criminal greed is the cancer that could bring us down if we don't get the government out of it's politcally driven services and have them police the market place, holding those who commit fraud or force liable.
YES Palen.drom...... Calling- writing- to WH & your reps OFTEN does help ! Lots more of us must do it to get best results . Folks like to gripe but get lazy or just busy . Calling- writing Once two -three times and give up is not near enough WE must be involved- volunteer, on a regular basis. This crisis took 30 yrs or more to develop . It will take work & lots of time to help us heal. Gov't will never be just right but can be lots lots better. if we pull together . People Power works Ryan's sledge hammer budget bill is doomed mostly due to peoples out cry - outrage to our reps. Corps - GOP- billionaires get away with being crooked & greedy because few pay any attention and corp media is lax in their job of keeping us well informed .Corps TOP Priority is profits. Shows like Thom's- Big Ed - PBS help to inform as does C- SPan . WE must do our part Obama has said He needs us to push- to work to help get things done. to inspire him to keep up the good fight . Folks tend to gripe too much Act too little .
Why is the Main Street Media largely failing to report the terrifying events occurring in Japan? In the overall scheme of things, the death of Osama bin Laden may be like the explosion of a firecracker compared to a megaton explosion of dynamite occurring in Japan. This is just one more glaring example of the pathetic and irresponsible pathway the purportedly "free" press is following in the United States. I hope people of goodwill, on all sides of the political spectrum, will think long and hard before allowing any further regulatory intrusion by the American government into the content and presentation of news and information. Thom Hartmann deserves tremendous credit for keeping the important situation in Japan upfront in the news, where it belongs.
If what it takes is big donations (from corporate masters) to get someone elected to President then it does not matter who is President....he/she will be working for the corporations and not for the people who voted for him/her. It is partly the fault of the people who vote...if they can reject all of the glitz and glamor and propaganda that corporate money can buy...and be willing to break the stranglehold of the two-party system and vote independent for a change....which would show the corporations, and better, the politicians that think they "have it in the bag" or "we have no other choice", then we can change our corrupt system. But if we keep in the same rut "we have no other choice" then we will be forever enslaved to a corrupt system. I am not saying to vote for anyone other than a Democrat...(I definitely say that about Republican)..there are some fairly good Democrat politicians that deserve our vote. Obama is obviously not one of them. If Obama rejected all corporate and bankster and Wall Street money then I might take a chance and vote for him again. But there is still the probability that he would be looking forward to all the riches that the "revolving door" to those corporations would bestow upon him later. And, of course, there is no guarantee that any third party slick tongue devil who said all the right things wouldn't also be tempted to the newly found power and wealth and renege on his campaign rhetoric...as did Obama. But, it would tend to shake up those who are in power because of their money influence. They just might see the resurgence of the power of the people....a real democracy....for a change.
MONSIEUR ABBOT, your essay is absolutely brilliant. Thank you for a little levity and a much-needed guffaw. If I wasn't laughing so hard at the IMF's pervert-in-chief, I'd probably be crying. Although Dom Strauss-Kahn wants to be France's next el presidente', he seems to possess all the necessary qualities to become the next Dear Leader of the United States, as well. Assuming, of course, he can produce a birth certificate establishing him as a natural born citizen.
. The Holy Rosary is used as a guide for the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJBlQKOnlLA&feature=related
@Palindromedary, thank you for the information from Michael Hudson!
Michael Hudson, economist- wrote this in Nov 2010:
"What is needed to put Mr. Obama’s sell-out in perspective is the pro-Wall Street advisors he has chosen – not only Larry Summers, Tim Geithner and Ben Bernanke (who last week reaffirmed his loyalty to Milton Friedman’s Chicago School monetarism), but by stacking his Deficit Reduction Commission with outspoken advocates of cutting back Social Security, Medicare and other social spending. Their ploy is to frighten the public with a nightmare $1 trillion deficit to pay retirement income over the next half century – as if the Treasury and Fed have not just given Wall Street $13 trillion in bailouts without blinking an eye. President Obama’s $750 billion tax giveaway to the wealthiest 2% is mere icing on the cake that the rich will be eating when the bread lines get too long."
"The Obama 'Regressive Tax' commission spills the beans with its proposal to remove the tax subsidy for high housing prices financed by mortgage debt. The proposal moves only against homeowners – 'the middle class' – not absentee owners, commercial real estate investors, corporate raiders or other prime bank customers."
"Wealth and income inequality destroy job creation. This is because beyond the wealthy soon reach a limit on how much they can consume. They spend their money buying financial securities – mainly bonds, which end up indebting the economy. And the debt overhead is what is pushing today’s economy into deepening depression."
"Alas, the Obama administration has backed the Geithner-Bernanke policy that “the economy” cannot recover without saving the debt overhead. The reality is that it is the debt overhead that is destroying the economy. So we are dealing with the irreconcilable fact that the Obama position threatens to lower living standards from 10% to 20% over the coming few years – making the United States look more like Greece, Ireland and Latvia than what was promised in the last presidential election."
"If the present direction of tax “reform” is not reversed, Mr. Obama will shed crocodile tears for the middle class as he sponsors the Deficit Reduction Commission’s program of cutting back Social Security and revenue sharing to save states and cities from defaulting on their pensions. One third of U.S. real estate already is reported to have sunk into negative equity, squeezing state and local tax collection, forcing a choice to be made between bankruptcy, debt default, or shifting the losses onto the shoulders of labor, off those of the wealthy creditor layer of the economy responsible for loading it down with debt."
"Mr. Obama’s appointees are turning the U.S. economy into a Permanent Emergency, a Perpetual Ponzi Scheme requiring injections of more and more Quantitative Easing to rescue “the economy” (Mr. Obama’s euphemism for creditors at the top of the economic pyramid) from being pushed into insolvency."
http://michael-hudson.com/2010/11/mr-obama%E2%80%99s-most-recent-%E2%80%...
But how many Democratic voters just stayed home because they saw how the Democrat politicians had screwed them over? One way of saying to those Democrats who believed that "the people have no other choice" to go to hell. How many have just given up because they realize that it really no longer matters because the system is so crooked that voting is a waste of time. They realized that once they voted the turn-coat Democrats would just pull a fast one and act in the best interest of the corporations anyway. It is a lost cause.
No one pulled on Obama's legs to force him to appoint the people he appointed. They should have been put in shackles for what they did to our economy yet Obama appointed them...Geithner and Summers and others. Nope, Obama blew it! We now know his true colors and they are mostly red for all of the blood that he is now responsible for when he did not push hard enough for bringing our troops home...and green for all of the money he has bestowed on the already wealthy which takes away from not only future tax payers but from the value of any money people have saved up to buy necessities.
He did not even push at all on the subject of pursuing the last administration for war crimes and, in fact, continued on with Bush's war crimes.
That's right...Obama does not yet have the powers of a full blown dictator (although he can have Amercans abducted out of their homes and tortured and murdered without due process) and has to make deals and persuade others in congress to get things done. But all he did was start off the bargaining process by giving away any position that he said he stood for...right off the bat.
As often as Obama sold us out...one has to wonder...or highly suspect..that he is certainly not going to do us any good....ever. Obama is just as much owned by corporate greed as any of the Republicans. Obama is not the only Democrat that is owned by corporate money. Like I have said before...there really is no difference between the Democrats and the Republicans except the Republicans try to stir up their brainless twit multitudes, mostly thumpers, and get them to vote against their best economic interests; and, the Democrats play the other role in pretending to be the great protector of the working class in order to get their useful-idiots to vote for them. In both cases, the ruling elite come out ahead. So unless Obama does something really spectacular to counter all of the damage he has done it is very dumb to vote for him again. Killing OBL was not the rabbit in the hat Obama had hoped for...people will get over that and still be saddled with a really terrible economy. Obama thinks that if he can just pull out another bubble out of that hat then people will think that the economy has turned around but it isn't going to happen. The government just prints more money to throw into Wall Street which is what keeps the numbers up artificially. It is a giant Ponzi scheme and the rest of the world sees this.
It would be very difficult for politicians, or even school book publishers, to preach that America is the exemplar of democracy when it has such a corrupt democratic system as proven by the lack of voter enthusiasm created by constantly being lied to and screwed over.
Of course, the counter propaganda would be that Americans are just too darn lazy to vote anymore. But that would be hard to weigh against desperate people starving in the streets and dying of treatable diseases and freezing to death without decent shelters....it's coming and already happening in some places.
Gotta love the way those French settled matters with their corrupt ruling elite...the guillotines were pretty scary. But even the French politicians seem to have forgotten their history and lost the fear of what raging mobs can do. I think the Muslim countries are putting Americans to shame....but maybe it won't take much more before we are emulating them...as has been seen recently in some US cities. When we realize that voting with our ballots have no effect then we will have to vote with something else. Voting won't do any good...it will take actively demonstrating in the streets before things change.
Projection and Other Thoughts
I am not a clinical psychologist but I do recall a clinical psychologist’s talk on one issue. He said that Republicans (my word) say that Democrats hate America, the Republicans are actually projecting onto persons their true emotions about America. For Republicans to admit their hatred of America would be too damaging to their persona and psyche. There are Republicans who are living in a fog or twilight zone. Projection of true emotions by Republicans to someone else helps them to survive in their narrow world. The Anti-Christ is projecting their true emotions on human rights, torture, and the killing of God’s children that is present in our country and in other countries. Satan’s disciples, such as members of the Anti-Life Party and their faithful and loyal followers have lust in their hearts for taking away human rights, increasing the practice of torture, and the killing of human beings in our country and in other countries.
Law &order,Crime & Punishment!!
Well, my friends, IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN !!
And this is why! They held a VOTE in the Senate tonight to stop the Big Oil Subsidies! Outcome - NOT!
The Republicans and 3 Democratic Senators voted against it! We have a Majority of Democrats in the Senate and yet we cannot even get this passed!
Folks, you ALL need to learn how your OWN GOVERNMENT works!!! It is NOT all Obama - it's how our government is structured.
WE the People vote in our Representatives - it is the PEOPLE who place these representatives into our Congress and our Senate, both State and Washington. And guess who voted in all those REPUBLICANS into office last tear? THE AMERICAN PEOPLE! So whatever happens, it not OBAMA, but the American People who are at fault here! Obama is NOT a dictator - he does not wave a magic wand - he is not Harry Potter!!!
He has to work with what the AMERICAN PEOPLE gave him! When will all you Obama Bashers realize this and understand that it is the AMERICAN PEOPLE who are technically running this country, and last fall the American People voted in a bunch of people who are now busy trying to destroy their Medicare and Social Security! This is NOT Obama's Fault!
If you want to rage against someone, rage against the 150M Americans who vote in these Repugs every year! The Democratic Party and Liberals are Not the Enemy here – it is the Republican Party and the neo-conservative right with their religious agendas! And the Big Banks and the Fascist Corporations who are funding them!!!
"Has this man not read one single page of world history regarding the violent outcome that almost always takes place when religious beliefs are forced on a population, let alone mixed with Govt. and public policy?"
No and it is NOT only this man - It's the whole Republican Party and the Right! And The Catholics! And The Baptists! And The Fundamentalists! Need I go on?
80-90% Americans is of some religious persuasion or other. A good portion of these people would be hard pressed to explain Evolution, let alone who Darwin was! Most of them know very little science or how it works.
And of course they do NOT know the part of their own Constitution where it states something about the separation of State and Church! In fact, those who do know want to change it to reflect the RELIGION part only!
Scientific Creationism is an Oxymoron. Science always starts out from not-knowing, stating a theory, gathering facts, and then testing the Theory. But it does not end there for science – it is always open-ended. The Theory can always get refined with new data. Science always builds on itself. It is not an authoritative pursuit, for if anyone can conclusively challenge a theory with concrete facts that can be tested and verified, then the theory can be modified.Anyone who says different simply do not know what they are saying. Newton and Einstein both have a thoery about Gravity, and both are correct in their respective areas. They are not 2 different thories, just modifications when you are on Earth (Newton), or in the middle of a Black Hole (Einstein). Anyone can put forward a new theory - all they have to do is present new facts. But I will not hold my breath on this happening any time soon as Newton and Einsteins theories are pretty sound ones. BUT, you can challenge them, if you want to.
Not so with SC! It starts with Authority! All knowledge comes from the Bible and the Bible cannot be challenged. All facts have to reflect what is in the Bible. All theory, all research, all findings, MUST fit what is in the Bible. SC is NOT a science. SC only defends what is in the Bible. To believe that SC is a science is to believe that our planet is only 6000 years old, that there was a flood that killed off all of life on this planet, and that god himself planted the Dinosaur bones to fool or impress mankind! There is NO Challenging the Bible nor GOD! This is not science - this is FAITH!
SC is just a ruse to get Religion into our schools! It is an agenda to eventually eliminate the Separation of State And Church in our Constitution. Our forefathers were right - we, the American People, must ALWAYS be vigilent against those who would want to destroy our Democracy. There is a difference - Demoracy embraces everyone, no matter what creed, belief or race. A Reigiuos State is Exclusive to everyone who does not adhere to its faith - it is intolerant. Just read history - EVERY religious state has ended badly, and you can include Communism to this list (A secular Religion really); when a government becomes opressive and authoritarian, it is not long for the dust-bin of history!
Na zdravie to you Tom Hartmann.
Oh, i loved it when you pound those few shuts!
Thank you so much for all the Great work you do !
You are one of the very Few Voices left of True Democrasy &Free Speach!!
Sten Egea sou Thom =To your Good Health.
The Banksters rule this country of ours & they will continue .
Who is going to stop there them??
Our president call them fat Cats,pointet the finger at them,&i thought ,Finaly, there is going to be ;
Law &order,Crime & Punishment!!
Well, my friends, IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN !!
"nothing has been done to hold the banksters responsible"
to say it more precisely, atty. gen. holder, who answers to obama, will do nothing. obama will do nothing.
this corrupt president must be primaried..........
Cornell West from Princeton? - A man with an agenda! He wasn't invited to the white house so he's pissed! Not much of a FACT if you ask me! Only the ranting’s of an Afro-American who feels Jilted by his own President!
"that Obama has either been a complete dupe, or an opportunist, or for whatever else reason.." Factually what does this mean. if anything!
"I wouldn't care if our next President was another black, or a brown, or a yellow, or even a Muslim. I'd prefer it if he were an atheist because atheists don't have their heads up their butts believing in stupid make-believe myths." I STILL SEE NO FACTS! This is all PERSONAL nonsense! How would you know that Atheists don't have their heads up their butts anyway? Like everyone else, they are only human, with human faults. Just by logic alone, I can bet there are a few Atheists with their heads up their butts!
"And again, as I have said before (and I know you still don't believe me) I am progressive...a liberal....and abhor the criminal Republican right-wingers." You could have fooled me! In the vernacular - it ain't no white supremecist good ole boy repug that happens to be Prisident of the United States right now!
And after all the Rhetoric I still see NO FACTS! Your statements are just right-wing ranting when it comes to Obama.
Thom, I do not watch TV and have luddite tendencies on the computer, however I am good at turning on the car radio during my lunch break. The dude trying to convince you that creationism should be taught as part of science in public schools had me choking on my ham and cheese today. Has this man not read one single page of world history regarding the violent outcome that almost always takes place when religious beliefs are forced on a population, let alone mixed with Govt. and public policy?
Banksters will go to jail when the misery index of ordinary people reaches the "Paris of 1789" point. I truly believe we are very close to this time. The right wing extremist party ,also known as the republicans, have us on the fast track leading to total societal collapse. When this happens - "minus the Jacobins", a political rebirth with a TRUE REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY will take hold, one in which bank fraud is a crime.
Thom, there are probably hundreds of thousands of young leftist "anarchists" in America. Their main website is http://indymedia.us/en/index.shtml and
Banksters make the laws; have become the law! Unless 'the people' use their constitutional right to govern----the ideal of 'justice for all' will fade,---because these synthetic people have obviously not been endowed by nature with an understanding of this need.
Susan Lindauer was arrested under the Patriot Act, she tried to stop 9/11 before it happened......................please get her on the show................OpEdNews.....A Time for Truth:
Bin Laden's Death Won't End War on Terror
Until Americans Understand the Threat was Always Us by Susan Lindauer........she is now telling the story.
Thank you Thom for all you do.
It may be that the Bin Laben controversy is shielding another recent event from public view, that " the 9/11 Commission was given a stunning document from Pakistan, claiming that Pakistani intelligence officers knew in advance of the 9/11 attacks”. The report also alleged that the Pakistani ISI provided direct financial support to the 9/11 hijackers and was thus fully involved in the plot. Worryingly, the final report of the 9/11 Commission failed to mention this allegation, and barely refers to the ISI agency at all.".....................Also " The Pakistani authorities have hit back, claiming that they warned the US about the Bin Laden compound two years ago."............... http://911truthnews.com/death-of-bin-laden-may-distract-from-a-more-disturbing-story/
I have the greatest respect for Thom Hartmann, (go ahead and smile Thom, here it comes)..but, I do wonder why he runs from the 9/11 controversy??, mess?? conspiracy??. I wish he would have Susan Lindauer on as a guest...........http://www.opednews.com/articles/Time-for-Truth-Osama-s-De-by-Susan-Lindauer-110510-65.html#startcomments.....
Keep agoin Thom, you and Rachel are the best.
You are right PC...misery needs company and we have not had enough home foreclosures to make a difference to the still existing middle class. How many homes have to be for sale or forclosed on in any one block before people realize that the odds are they may be next.
Creationism? I don't think so. I don't believe the Bible supports it. Hmm. No, I theorize that the Bible does not support it especially as some currently define it and teach it. There are adequate scriptural proofs available to discount Creationism as a Bible teaching.
Good on you Thom for indicating that belief in the Bible is not based purely on superstition. Bad on you for letting two callers apply 1 Kings 7:23 as defining pi at 3.0. At the least, this application is disengenous, at the most, dishonest. A cubit (is) was not an exact measurement like pi. The measurements given in the Bible verse would be correct, with the circumference of the referenced container falling within, or very close to, the 30th cubit. The verse cannot honestly be used to teach that pi is 3.0.
The Bible contains some theory, some belief, and a great deal of fact. Many accept the theories as fact. Confidence in the Bible leads many to accept its prophecies (hope), without fully understanding how they will be fulfilled.
What the Bible actually teaches is rarely taught today. Creationism is a teaching of people, not the Bible.
Evolution contains some theory, some belief, and a good deal of fact as well. Many accept the theories as fact. I may be wrong here, but I don't believe Evolution contains prophecies (hope), although it does help us understand some things.
Accepting theory as fact in Evolution or the Bible requires a belief system. Currently, we simply do not apply the word "theory" to Bible proofs or tests, thinking that the Bible contains no accurate references to science. True, it's not a science book or a mathematical textbook, but when it touches on both subjects, it is accurate.
Unity of science and religion
Many times I've heard Thom make statements that basically are that there is no religion that really addresses how science and religion can get along. Just thought I'd inform you of one that does. This authoritative statement from the Baha'i Faith (www.bahai.us or www.bahai.org ) is very clear --
"Religion and science are the two wings upon which man's intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can progress. It is not possible to fly with one wing alone! Should a man try to fly with the wing of religion alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of superstition, whilst on the other hand, with the wing of science alone he would also make no progress, but fall into the despairing slough of materialism."
By the way, the Bible states we wouldn't know the "day" or the "hour" of the return of the Christ, but it very explicitly tells the Year. The Bible prophesies the years of both the First and the Second Advents of the Christ Spirit. There's a video on YouTube that explains. Its title is "Christ Has Returned Part 1" - then there are 6 more videos for a total of about 70 minutes. FYI: Shortly these 7 short videos will be replaced with one (1) long video.
For your consideration...
This should not surprise anyone. Once it is realized that funds can be gotten from the public treasury everything goes. The system is totally corupted with fraud and at every level of government from self serving lobbyists. If the politicians we elect had the government do what it was designed to do, fraudsters would be held accountable.
Fraud and unchecked criminal greed is the cancer that could bring us down if we don't get the government out of it's politcally driven services and have them police the market place, holding those who commit fraud or force liable.
YES Palen.drom...... Calling- writing- to WH & your reps OFTEN does help ! Lots more of us must do it to get best results . Folks like to gripe but get lazy or just busy . Calling- writing Once two -three times and give up is not near enough WE must be involved- volunteer, on a regular basis. This crisis took 30 yrs or more to develop . It will take work & lots of time to help us heal. Gov't will never be just right but can be lots lots better. if we pull together . People Power works Ryan's sledge hammer budget bill is doomed mostly due to peoples out cry - outrage to our reps. Corps - GOP- billionaires get away with being crooked & greedy because few pay any attention and corp media is lax in their job of keeping us well informed .Corps TOP Priority is profits. Shows like Thom's- Big Ed - PBS help to inform as does C- SPan . WE must do our part Obama has said He needs us to push- to work to help get things done. to inspire him to keep up the good fight . Folks tend to gripe too much Act too little .
Why is the Main Street Media largely failing to report the terrifying events occurring in Japan? In the overall scheme of things, the death of Osama bin Laden may be like the explosion of a firecracker compared to a megaton explosion of dynamite occurring in Japan. This is just one more glaring example of the pathetic and irresponsible pathway the purportedly "free" press is following in the United States. I hope people of goodwill, on all sides of the political spectrum, will think long and hard before allowing any further regulatory intrusion by the American government into the content and presentation of news and information. Thom Hartmann deserves tremendous credit for keeping the important situation in Japan upfront in the news, where it belongs.
If what it takes is big donations (from corporate masters) to get someone elected to President then it does not matter who is President....he/she will be working for the corporations and not for the people who voted for him/her. It is partly the fault of the people who vote...if they can reject all of the glitz and glamor and propaganda that corporate money can buy...and be willing to break the stranglehold of the two-party system and vote independent for a change....which would show the corporations, and better, the politicians that think they "have it in the bag" or "we have no other choice", then we can change our corrupt system. But if we keep in the same rut "we have no other choice" then we will be forever enslaved to a corrupt system. I am not saying to vote for anyone other than a Democrat...(I definitely say that about Republican)..there are some fairly good Democrat politicians that deserve our vote. Obama is obviously not one of them. If Obama rejected all corporate and bankster and Wall Street money then I might take a chance and vote for him again. But there is still the probability that he would be looking forward to all the riches that the "revolving door" to those corporations would bestow upon him later. And, of course, there is no guarantee that any third party slick tongue devil who said all the right things wouldn't also be tempted to the newly found power and wealth and renege on his campaign rhetoric...as did Obama. But, it would tend to shake up those who are in power because of their money influence. They just might see the resurgence of the power of the people....a real democracy....for a change.
MONSIEUR ABBOT, your essay is absolutely brilliant. Thank you for a little levity and a much-needed guffaw. If I wasn't laughing so hard at the IMF's pervert-in-chief, I'd probably be crying. Although Dom Strauss-Kahn wants to be France's next el presidente', he seems to possess all the necessary qualities to become the next Dear Leader of the United States, as well. Assuming, of course, he can produce a birth certificate establishing him as a natural born citizen.