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Hello All
Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.
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@scottgee1, if Carrie Lukas can be a regular, guests like R.D. Wolff should have a place as a regular.
I feel validated that you had Richard Wolff on your show, for not one but two segments. It was awesome! Below is my post from April when I first requested that you have him on the THP. So, Thank You. BTW Does anyone read day old live blog posts, such as this one?
http://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2010/04/daily-topics-thursday-april-22-2010
"Both Keynesian economists and Free Marketeers may have made a terrible mistake, by not asking about the underlying structure of our economy that renders both of them inadequate to dealing with what actually happens in a capitalism that runs the way ours does, and brings us to this position of a bankrupt business community on the other side of the barricades from an exhausted and anxiety-ridden working class, which is a recipe for social disaster. And if we don’t deal it in a serious way, we’re going to have to live through some of the hardest times that this nation has ever had to go through. And at a time when the rest of the world will need to deal with its own versions of this problem, that we can expect very little help, very little help from anyone else. So, it depends on us, whether we will have the strength – and the daring – to look at these problems in new ways and face the possibility of making radical changes." - Richard Wolff
Get drunk and save children!!
Thom made a good point that for the price of a beer and a pizza, you could donate $25 to The Salem Children's Trust.
Lately I have been enjoying about a case a week of the new Sierra Nevada Torpedo Ale, and spending about $36 a week to do so. Normally I do not drink that often but this beer has been creeping up on me from 1 to 2 to 4 because it is simply sublime. (note; I have no affiliation with the above said brewery but for being a fan of their Pale Ale for 30 years)
I just donated $60 to the The Salem Children's Trust and spent the rest on a large (cheap) $10 bottle of vodka to make home made Kahlua and enjoy (Big Lebowski style) white Russians for the next two weeks instead of indulging in this Ale.
Please consider a small drinking change in your life to uplift the lives of so many others who without your help may well may become alcoholics just as ...well, I won't say or admit myself but then I am sure you can put 2 & 3 together and come up with six just like I do regardless of whether I consume it all or extend help others.
Recipe:
Please google options, I use something like the following:
2-3 cups of water to brew some very strong coffee or about 3/4 of a cup of instant in the same amount of water. Note: instant is used as the most common source of coffee and seems to add an edge that brewed coffee misses in this recipe.
Add a cup of sugar. -I use Organic sugar from Wall Mart mixed 50% with brown, and then add about a tablespoon or two of vanilla...or you can use the fake stuff. (some people feel just as married with diamonelles)
Literally, shake it and it is ready to pour over ice and add a splash of 1/2 &1/2 to make a great White Russian. Many friends have commented on how great these WR's taste and can not believe I made the Kahlua, many needed a ride home.
We enjoy so much and so often and yet leave out brothers and sisters walking streets alone rejected by family or friends.
Enjoy! ..and give; my heart felt so full making the donation, my blood alcohol seems to know no difference!
Webmaster: Question and Request
Why even have a bold headline format if it is just a repeat of a few words of the first paragraph? Very time wasting to the reader and irritating when blogging. If it is too problematic to allow for a real headline, just drop the bold header altogether, puh-lease! Save us the time trying to figure out what the heck the first words are supposed to represent....
Thanks for your attention to my testy moody request. : )
The Superclass Is Motivated!
The economy question is actually playing out as planned by the predators.
Of course, as the Professor said just now, Our Government should have created jobs programs by now!
However, the Corporatists have not permitted the sensible, proven solution of arresting the jobs hemorrhage -- either by ending outsourcing/WTO or by the creation of a jobs program for lower class and blue collar workers to rebuild our infrastructure and to reforest our nation (that's carbon sequestration by the way!).
But thanks to the Corporatists (of both Dem and Rep extraction) now in charge, what we get is that the unemployment/underemployment has been allowed to continue because the plan is to 1/ allow the lower classes and blue collar working classes and the office support class to collapse and keep it collapsed so that these working classes have NO money to support the Small Business Class in order to 2/ make the Small Business Class collapse. Once that happens, the heart of the entire middle class collapses, which makes it possible to 3/ kill the tax bases of the cities and states and thereby create a desperation that allows the PRIVATIZATION of public properties and services and utilities. And once the Small Businesses collapse it is also possible for Giant Corporations (like WALMART) to step in to 4/ take over all power over manufacturing and retail of the daily needs and supplies for The People -- A Walmart Economy.
Thom and guest talked around the edges of this. The only way we can motivate the people is to educate the people thoroughly. And that includes letting the people know the profiteering chauvinistic MOTIVATION behind what those in power are doing.
As an aside, I want to point out that the Ruling Elite SEES themselves as the SUPERCLASS, and by plan they intend to attain complete control and want to make The People weak and beholding to them via influence over every venue from our government to our tap water. And the intent is to create a global reach. The Ruling Elite's intent is Global Government but they name it a more sneaky term -- "Global Governance" (meaning so much INFLUENCE is exerted, there is no need for them to hold government positions).
Thom, please start talking about the Ruling Elite's MOTIVATION and this long term goal behind their motivation.
To get more information on this, check out the book "SUPERCLASS: The Global Power Elite and The World They Are Making" by David Rothkopf. (Note that this book is not an expose, but rather a soft sell/cheerleading tome by someone with access to the actual Elite. It is MOST revealing. To give the author credit for trying, he does show some curiosity about what it is that ultimately drives/motivates the Power Elite, and he does include a section on psychopathology that includes this observation: "One psychiatrist with whom I spoke identified another potential psychopathology of the supersuccessful. They literally become addicted to the endorphins their brains produce as a consequence of their high stress, high return jobs. Running a country, a company, an army, or a church is a kind of extreme sport, and when you face high-stakes situations daily, you produce endorphins daily--and you grow dependent on them. Thus, the psychiatrist noted, when politicians leave office they often go into periods of depression that she asserted not only look like withdrawal but actually are withdrawal.")
Dr. Wolf is right. Our President must consider an emergency jobs and housing program. Winter is coming. Benefits are ending. A new wave of lay-offs is looming – and more houses are being emptied by the banks. The following from KCCI news, July 13th:
“A new study released by The Iowa Institute for Community Alliances shows the number of homeless in Iowa climbed 38.7 percent in just one year. The statistics mean that more than 23,000 Iowans have no place to call home. The study shows 14,000 of the homeless are families. Researchers said even they were shocked by the new numbers.”
The forces of darkness ("We must work in the shadows"/Shadow Government) want this collapse. They want it badly. Will we let them have it? Or will we all take immediate and creative and innovative action to head it off? Thousands of families on the street in the snow? Do we really want to go there? Sickeningly -- there is a force that wants that for us. What do we want?
You're welcome, Lore.
@ Jeanie -- Thank you for sharing that info!
Right again Gene -- and their favorite one: Whatever you are doing -- accuse your opponent of doing it very loudly and aggressively. (That is how we can know what they are really thinking in advance.) They will accuse us of doing it first, thereby enfeebling any response. Way past time to stop letting them get away with such a juvenile tactic.
@Maxrot: Since Pilate was so much superior to Jesus, he could see Russia and Putin raising his head.
Wow! R. D. Wolff!!
Very impressive! He's the ideal 'guest expert' for all media. Solid credentials (Harvard, Stanford, Yale, oh my!) and able to provide clear, concise answers to complex questions -- without jargon.
Shawn, can you make him a regular guest?
CETA...the Comprehensive Employment Training Act was an amazing program that needs to be revived! Please bring someone onto your program that is familiar with this act. I would suggest Andy Sum from either BU or Northeastern Center for Labor Market Studies....
Thank you for your radio program.
Also, I was recently fired for union organizing and had my case dismissed by the NLRB in LA
This is going to be a defining moment for President Obama - is he going to let one of the most progressive members of the Administration gain any traction at all?
Elizabeth Warren could easily be Obama's Frances Perkins - a powerful and commanding voice for progressive reform.
Instead, she seems poised to be his Brooksley Born, a Clinton-era Cassandra who sounded the alarm about financial abuse and was marginalized and made a pariah for her efforts. (Ironically, Born was marginalized by, among other people, Larry Summers, who is also in this administration).
@Gene, do you think Pontius Pilate could see Greece from his Palace?
N
#16 @Maxrot: Pontias Pilate was a governor; Jesus was a community organizer.
Hello All, I would like to see a stipulation for all members of Congress to have their pay frozen, if unemployment in this country hits double digits. That would hit them in an area where they might actually feel something. That would be Economic Reform. If Americans are out of work, then those charged with representing the American People should suffer the fate of the people to remember who they work for and why they are in the positions that they are in. No unemployment for the American People, no paychecks for Congress, Repugnicans & Demorats alike.
If all else fails, we should not march in the streets and give them an excuse for Marshal Law, we should use the banks to cash our checks, leave just enough in there keep it open, take our cash out of the banks, and put it in a safe at home, and then, refuse to pay income taxes. No income, no unemployment benefits, no income tax. If 70% of America sat on it, and did not pay the income taxes, or penalties assessed, they cannot put everyone in jail. Send in a letter instead of how Congress has failed to look out for the American People and if we can't get our basics taken care of, then they can look to thier Corporate Masters and Bankers for a paycheck because we refuse to pay for poor performance. When jobs come back to America from overseas, when we narrow that unfair trade gap that allows China to get rich at the expense of the People of the US, when the Corporations pay their fair share of taxes, when the 1% pay their fair share of taxes, then the American People will pay income taxes to a government for the people of the people and by the people...not for the banksters, by the corporations, for the elite.
Let them suck on that!
During the Viet Nam war, a spokesman for the US Army defended secrecy regarding bombing missions because the "enemy" would use that information against us.
Winston Hamilton, Director of Omega House at the time, remarked, "the Vietnamese already know where the bombs fell!"
It was that the US citizens were being kept in the dark that the secrecy could not be abridged.
Most secrecy is about preventing the public from gaining information that would help them participate in democracy and make informed decisions.
Also of note was that the press published Hamilton's remarks.
re: Who killed Jesus?
Answer: Conservatives (obviously)
N
Good day, Thom, & everyone else in the Chat Room.
Just to keep everyone up to speed, Limbaugh (who I like to call "Limbot," as he is a well-programmed machine of the GOP) is now referring to Obama & the Democrats as the "ruling class." It's sad & infuriating how their side is far more responsible for the rampant economic devestation going on, but then they try to cash in on the "class envy" values by calling out the Democratic Party as the "ruling class." It was bad enough when he called the duly elected President of the USA the "Regime," now he is trying to paint them as elitist & aloof, when we all know it is, in fact, the GOP that is the Party of the Wealthy & the Well-Born.
.
Steve King said Obama calls his health care reform "Obamacare" and so implied that it was not disrespectful at all to call it that. I went to www.whitehouse.gov and searched for "Obamacare" and "Obama care". Here is what I found:
"I’ve heard a lot of Republicans say they want to "kill Obamacare.", Pres. Obama, 9/17/09 at a health care rally
"if you get an e-mail from somebody that says, for example, "Obamacare is creating a death panel," forward us the e-mail and we will answer the question that's raised in the e-mail. Suddenly, on some of these news outlets, this is being portrayed as "Obama collecting an enemies list." (Laughter.)", Pres. Obama, 8/11/09
A few other instances of the word "Obamacare" used in sentences by reporters asking Gibbs questions.
I did not see any indication in any speech that President Obama made of him dubbing his healthcare reform legislation "Obamacare." The guest was either wrong or lying to you. I went to his website and sent him a message letting him know of his error, which I am sure he will appreciate.
The Republicans are wrong about selling health insurance across state lines. Of course insurance is cheaper in Kentucky than New Jersey. The healthcare costs are much lower. If the Kentucky Insurance company wanted to sell in New Jersey, they would raise their rates to compensate for the increased costs. Healthcare costs vary tremendously across the country. Also the Kentucky insurance company would not have a managed care network in New Jersey. This is a difficult and time consuming process of negotiating with every provider in the state. This is not a solution, it is just another smoke screen. We need single payor.
TomR
Curmudgeon sez:"The more things change, the more they remain insane."
GRATEFULLY EVERYTHING CHANGES!
OPTIMISTS on the FRONT LINES --
from PUBLIC CITIZEN --
"The passing of financial reform showed us we CAN overcome corporate power.
Keep fighting at citizen.org."
thank-you for your consideration --
GRATEFULLY EVERYTHING CHANGES --
with so many options -- MM