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What MADE me happy - is the correction with the word "made!"
Thom, Thom, you made my day!!! I do not mind that you let people who disagree with you to the front of the line on telephone calls. What me happy was to hear that at 1:40 PM a caller was placed in the front of the line but you showed guts by disagreeing with him vociferously. Vociferous may not be the correct word but you had the information and you let the caller know where you disagreed with him. Thank you!
Here- sometimes people won't take the time to click and your list is so clear and should not be missed!
I am asking for your signatures on this common sense plan to turn this economy around for the benefit of all americans.
#1 Reinstate & expand the Glass-Stiegal act.
#2 Enact a .025% tax on all stock trades.
#3 Raise the top tax rate to 65% over 3.2 million dollars.
#4 Repeal nafta,w.t.o. and cafta.
#5 Aggressively go after off shore tax havens.
#6 Nationalize the Federal reserve.
#7 Break up banks and corporations deemed "too big to fail".
#8 Make all college education free or very low cost.
#9 Elimimate the minimum wage-create a living wage.
#10 Reinstate tariffs.
#11 Institute medicare for everyone.
#12 Penalize companies who play cities against each other for tax breaks. If they leave one city for another and get a tax break, they pay the difference to the original city.
#13 Reinstate and enforce The Sherman Anti trust act.
@oldcodger thx! I was #12. Here was my comment: "We know what is happening."
I will share this - great idea!
Wars are fought over natural resources."Agriculture consumes about 60% of the industrial output of America. When the transnational corporations were deciding how to take over America, they reasoned that if they could collapse agriculture to the point of needing government subsidies to survive, labor would be left to be picked apart.....piece by piece." -Eddie Albert. America Unintended DVD (2008).
Read more at Suite101: Polyculture: Food Activists Poised for Fight: Socioeconomic Liberty, Wellness, Justice and Prosperity http://environmental-activism.suite101.com/article.cfm/polyculture-food-...
With the supreme court having finished the corporatism of the government it is now the time to stand up and finally make our voices heard. Thom often suggests reaching out to tea partiers which i am trying to do..I have a petition online i want to send to Sen. debbie stabenow when i get enough signatures, to try and repair some of the damage done to this country by the banks and corporations. I urge all to click the link and read this petition, and if you agree with the steps i am suggesting, then please sign it.Most of the ideas i have gotten from listening to thom. here is the link : http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/a-plan-to-repair-the-economy.html
@Making Progress - Thanks for the link to the poll. It is 12 quick questions.
BTW, got 12 right. In a group of 2% that got them all right. Quite sad.
As Doug just demonstrated Americans are Ignorant! Furthermore, what little information they do have is Wrong because of all the lies and false paradigms that are expoused by the MSM etc... It's too late because of revisionist history and the fact that this current generation is less educated that the previous one.
@Mark K - I would *love* to see posters based on that Forbes advice, on how not to let your gigantic bonusses from upsetting the peasantry. Maybe Billionaires for Wealthcare would be a good place to start: http://www.billionairesforwealthcare.com/signs/
@Thom - I just loved the anti-democratic caller. Good job letting him make a fool of himself! Now if you can only re-frame his arguments in terms that will peel off some of the Teapartiers - if we make the equation between voting and democracy, I'll bet that a lot of TP's and independents would be just a little bit ticked off to here that voting is socialistic!
Doug's not a listener. Is there a web site out there that these folks go to get their marching orders?
The American muslim cleric that is the subject of the assasination debate is in Yemen and not living in a cave.
Sorry, he's an F'n Retard
Doug is an idiot... anyone disagree?
It is not bad enough. Not Enough People Are Suffering! We need a few more natural disasters and a higher unemployment rate or nothing will change. The question you have to ask yourself is "What's it going to take?" Ravi Batra says there is going to be a "New Golden Age.” However, I see no indication of an uprising/movement/revolution from the masses in order for us to see Real Change. If anything, it is only going to get worse. Then we will finally slip into complete feudalism and everyone will just accept that this is the way it's going to be. Thus, the zeitgeist ends up becoming: The only hope that one can have is to one day save enough money to move to Europe. Much like what people used to dream of America. The bottom line is the Americans are Largely Ignorant and have no clue as to what is really going on. They won't know what happened until it is too late, because their world view doesn’t extent beyond making ends meet and watching Reality Television. If they watch any news at all it’s only the corporate nightly news. As we all know: The revolution will not be televised. Check out this disheartening poll. http://pewresearch.org/politicalquiz/quiz/index.php
Sometimes when I listen to Thom, I'm glad I'm a pretty emotionally balanced person, otherwise things seem so out of whack and downright hopeless.
@ harry
Reading your post reminded me of an old movie that I remember with delight and memories of uproarious laughter. (Who knows if it would seem as hilarious to me today?) Did you ever see "Where's PaPa?" It was with Ruth Gordon and George Segal who played her son.
re: Banksters
Why is it that the RICO Laws don't apply to them?
Aren't they really GANGSTERS?
And aren't they involved in money laundering (at the very least) with international drug cartels?
WHY are they not able to be labeled INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL GANGSTERS and have them busted?
Tell me why not? I just don't understand.
re: movies: I've often chuckled over the fact that one movie that seems to have been shelved is "What's So Bad About Feeling Good?" with George Peppard and Mary Tyler Moore. The plot involved a tropical bird that transmitted a virus to everyone that made them relaxed and happy; and the subsequent moral struggle over a constant daze versus reality.
2 other flix that seem to have been shelved are "The Magic Christian" and "Hurry Sundown". That one included my favorite George Kennedy line, referring to his African-American love interest,
'You know what they say...the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice!"
Mark K,
As Repug. Party leader Michael Steele recently said, "'Trust Me, After Taxes, A Million Dollars Is Not A Lot Of Money."
Yeah, and let them eat cake!
@Mark K, for some Catholic groups Bush is a god.
Redefining the term 'pro-life'
Feb. 05, 2010
By John Gehring
Politics
Former President George W. Bush will receive a pro-life award this weekend (Feb. 4-6) from Legatus, an organization of Catholic business professionals. The group cites his administration's opposition to embryonic stem cell research; an executive order that barred federal funds from international family planning groups that offer abortions; and the appointment of "pro-life" Supreme Court justices.
The honor raises an essential question that should challenge both political parties. It also underscores the limits of labels: What does it mean to be pro-life?
For some, that question can be answered simply by evoking opposition to Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion. That ruling sparked a generation of political polarization and fueled bitter culture wars that reward the shrillest voices. The singular focus on abortion as the arbiter of what it means to be "pro-life" has also severely narrowed our national discourse about moral values in the public square.
While Bush spoke eloquently about the sacred dignity of human life, as governor of Texas he led the nation in state-sponsored executions. His presidency is remembered for a legacy that often undermined lofty rhetorical appeals to human dignity: preemptive war, torture, a reckless disregard for the environment and economic policies that left the poor poorer and the rich richer. It is not a proud record in defense of life.
The constant emphasis on abortion also fails to honor the broad spectrum of Catholic social teaching, which stresses a consistent ethic of life that's often referred to as a "seamless garment" where one life issue can't be easily separated from another.
Catholic teaching contains a rich and expansive vision that recognizes peace-making and caring for the poor, the unborn, the immigrant and our environment -- "promoting the common good in all its forms," as Pope Benedict XVI put it -- as all integral.
Catholicism, in other words, is not a single-issue faith, and no political party has a monopoly on moral values.
The labels "pro-life" and "pro-choice" often obscure more than enlighten. And neither political party can truly claim the "pro-life" mantle.
Democrats, in general, perform better on anti-poverty initiatives and protecting vital social safety nets, but often don't grapple seriously enough with the reality of more than 1 million annual abortions. Republicans, meanwhile, trumpet their pro-life bona fides yet fail to back up their rhetoric by fighting for robust social policies that help pregnant women and vulnerable families.
The current debate over health care reform demonstrates the false choice between "pro-life" or "social justice" advocacy. Ensuring that women and families have access to quality health care can help make abortions less likely and save thousands of lives.
The abortion rate for women living in poverty is more than four times higher than for those earning 300 percent above the poverty line. At a time of economic crisis, any serious effort to prevent abortions must find comprehensive solutions to broader socioeconomic challenges.
A new generation must decide. We can stay mired in stale battles of the past and cling to easy labels, or chart a course that honors human life at every stage. I would be the first to applaud an award given to anyone who helps us achieve that elusive victory.
[John Gehring is director of communications for the Washington-based Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. This commentary was written for Religion News Service.]
@Nels, I voted for Obama and I am deeply disappointed in him.
@Mark K, I cannot say that the Catholic hierarchy is a fan of Obama. As a voter I am to vote my conscience.
Hi Everybody. I am a regular listener of Thom's show and he has inspired me to create a video calling for a protest movement. Please check it out here and make sure to read the video description on the right of the screen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uSoVz5irsI
I posted the video yesterday to one of the blog posts on this site, but I don't think anyone saw it.
True Safety and Security
I have shared with you Father John Dear’s recent article. Obama is expanding our nuclear plants to build more weapons of mass destruction. These weapons will not keep us safe and secure. Nuclear weapons are a false claim for safety and security for you and me.
I will share with you some words from Mattie Stepanek. Mattie has written some books whose central theme is “Heartsongs.” Mattie was called home to his Creator one month shy of his thirteenth birthday. He left us on June 22, 2004.
Here are Mattie’s greatest words that I have read. This is the only true safety and security experience that will make you and me truly safe and secure.
Dear God,
For a long time,
I have wondered about
How will You meet me
When I die and come to
Live with You in Heaven.
I know You reach out
Your hand to welcome
Your people into Your home,
But I never knew if You
Reached out Your right hand,
Or if You
Reached out Your left hand.
But now I don’t have to
Wonder about that anymore.
I asked my mommy and
She told me that You
Reach out both of Your hands,
And welcome us with
A great big giant hug.
Wow!
I can’t wait for my hug, God.
Thank You,
And Amen.
A Laissez Faire approach for the banks is a wonderful idea, it would undoubtedly be the best thing ever....
for the Banksters!
Has anyone ever wondered why some people dump their old magazines at the local Laundromat—like National Geographic, Smithsonian, Money, Business Week, Chief Executive, Barron’s, Home and Garden, Architectural Digest, Victorian Homes, Jacksonville Luxury Living, National Driller, Construction & Demolition Recycling, Opera News and National Jewish Post & Opinion to go along with the omnipresent Jehovah Witness pamphlets like Watchtower and Awake? Do they actually think that the type of people who patronize Laundromats have the least bit interest in this stuff, let alone benefit from it? Or do they get some malicious pleasure from rubbing their good fortune in the faces of the economically depressed?
Not that it’s not possible to learn something from perusing through some of these magazines. Take Forbes, for instance. One particular issue happened to contain an article that offered advice on how to survive the “populist revolt against affluence” through “wealth care.” Advice includes:
Don’t flaunt your wealth. Put less “impressive” food on the table at your high society blow-out parties—try carrots instead of caviar.
Disguise your shopping. Buy designer clothes at charity events—and save money, too.
Since the idea of being rich to be rich, there are many ways of protecting your wealth—and they don’t necessarily have to be entirely illegal, especially if you have a good lawyer. Trust funds for 40-year-old “children” is one idea; another method is to ship all your money overseas. If the IRS discovers this and decides that you really are trying to hide your money to evade taxes, then it might be a good idea to move to another country to avoid prosecution; however, it is not a good idea to renounce U.S. citizenship, because the IRS will charge a 40 percent “exit tax” on anything over $2 million taken out of the country. A better plan might be to convert paper into diamonds and gold, and put them in a Swiss bank. But just don’t report it to the IRS; it amazes how Forbes “suggests” the many ways that the rich can break at the very least the spirit of the law.
Forbes, however, does advise that it is not Obama and congressional Democrats who the rich should worry about in regard to raising their taxes. They should be more concerned with cash-starved state governments looking for ways to cover mandated balanced budget requirements. The idea then is to have an alternate domicile in a state that doesn’t have an income tax. Elaborate and antiquated strategies to avoid taxes should be taken out of mothballs, since the rich don’t have “friends” in high enough places to conduct their extra-legal activities in the open, for the time being anyways. Or invest in “charitable remainder trusts” which I don’t what are, but if Forbes suggests it, then they must be shady.
Adam Smith is quoted saying that being rich is never so complete as being seen as being rich; that is with “opulence which nobody can possess but themselves.” So how to keep ahead of the joneses? Just because the economy’s bad doesn’t mean you have to take out your garbage like the other “riff-raff” only worth $100 million. Yachts and Lear Jets can be had at bargain basement prices; get them while their hot. If you don’t want the neighbors to know that you are not doing as badly as they are (because you are a borderline crook), you can always order your diamonds and crocodile handbags shipped in paper bags.
Life is tough for the ultra rich, “And yet beyond the gaze of tax collectors and congressional aides, life as few of us will ever know it goes on.” “If the revolution is coming, all the more reason to seize the day.” That is, get the getting while the getting is good.