Recent comments
Popular blog posts
No blog posts. You can add one!
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.
Do we need to argue the US Postal Service/ FED Ex defense or is it another tactic to steer us off-course?
Here's my argument for why The Fed Ex does not justify avoiding a public option in our health care reform bill:
Part of the reason Fed Ex is efficient is that they must compete with the Post Office. If Fed Ex could charge whatever they want to for delivering packages, because the post office didn't exist, they would more than likely do it.
Can you imagine what our postal service would be like without The US Postal Service?Well. . . more than likely it would be just like our health insurance industry. If Fed Ex could refuse to mail packages that are unusual sizes, or refuse to deliver to rural areas far away, or to back countries where mail carriers must deliver mail through twelve feet of snow or 104 degree weather, they would more than likely avoid difficult areas, or charge unbelievably high prices for traveling there.
The fact that The US Postal Service exists assures us that we will have an efficient, cost effective, fair. delivery service.
Re: Comparing the United States Postal Service vs FedEx
I am an authorized FedEx Ship Center. Cost to mail a letter to my home 7 miles away. United States Postal Service 42 cents. Cost to FedEx the same Six dollars and 40 cents.
Now you know why these folks want to privatize everything.
Hi, Thom...just listening to you online to catch your "Rest Of The News" segment, and you had an item in which you utilized the word "corporatist". Obviously, that's not the first or last time that you or others have used the word. But it occurred to me that because wingnuts (and GOP lawmakers) have been freely misusing the words "fascist", "socialist", "communist", and "nazi", it would be a VERY good thing for us to use the word "corporatist" as often and as exclusively as possible, primarily because it's absolutely accurate. Glenn Beck? Corporatist. Rush Limbaugh? Corporatist. Rupert Murdoch? Corporatist. Dick Cheney? Corporatist. Unfortunately many of "our" own Democrats? Corporatists. And the 9/12 idiots who buy all of their nonsense? CORPORATIST DUPES.
We need to call these people, at long last, what they really are. And it rolls off the tongue, too. Just try it..."Corporatist Glenn Beck today lied about the number of protesters that turned out at the Corporatist-backed 9/12 rally in DC." See? Feels good! :)
hudson.org When they say they believe in the free market, what they really mean is hands off my stash- don't change a thing.
I'll gladly take what he considers the less efficient public option - this guy doesn't have to take it, what...all of the sudden he cares about the quality of my health care? Inconsistent!
A crime to provide health insurance on a profit making basis- where there is an incentive to keep me sick.
This guy is a total jerk, I have to save for a million dollars to pay to the fat pigs who lie around smoking their fat cigars?
Are we taking over 16% of the economy or are we saving taxpayers lives (and income you fat pigs)
As much as I often feel a synchronicity with Thom I am just as often aware of what sets him apart from me and most others. Thom told a caller the other day that he wasn't that insecure when he was encouraged to fight back after his encounter with David Horowitz. I realized that Thom's weekend with the Dahli Lama probably explains his Zen like demeanor. What a gift. I'd bet he has the blood pressure of a juvenile female. About the only time he gets a little snarky is when he gets a racist or anti-semitic fool on the line. Rightfully so. I of course would want to throttle them. I may be a tiger but I would rather be a cool cat like Thom. I'll have to work on it.
From Jerome Corsi BORN IN THE USA?
Shocker! Judge orders trial on eligibility issue
Arguments planned Jan. 11 for major Obama challenge
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=109242
President Obama made no promises regarding healthcare.
The answer to the 'Birther' nonsense is pure and simple due process and privacy. The wingers got no farging right to ask for non-pertinent information. President Obama showed that he was birthed on American dirt and everything else is “take a hike – happy horse hockey”. President Obama has rights; the very same rights to the wingers claim for their personal/private information.
Yeah- get him Thom- who is funding this current birther witch hunt?
There was a time that fire departments were privitized and the same arguments against health care being used now were used then.
Hey, btw see the clip for Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films!
Trailer new movie. Fight back vs #healthreform care insurance lies: http://sickforprofit.com please Retweet!
Corner this guy on the socialism - our government gave loans, right?
DRichards,
I love your trigger piece.
P.s. Dusty Trice will be there as will Patty Wetterling and other special guests. A real chance to hob-knob with movers and shakers from the left.
On Monday night I attended our regular monthly meeting of Minnesota's 6th Congressional District Democratic Leaders. Our new representative from Organizing for America, (OFA), was introduced. O.F.A. is Obama's continuing campaign operation. This young man gave an enthusiastic review of the President's weekend visit here and of his health care "plan". He handed out petitions for everyone to sign extolling the virtues of the "plan". I refused to sign it. Some questioned why. I then was recognized by the Chair and told the young O.F.A. that much of what he said about the "plan", particularly the public option was not as advertised. I pointed out that 5% or less of people would be eligible etc. I explained that there were many good Dems on the left who wanted single payer and might have settled for a strong public option, who now felt disenchanted and betrayed by the results thus far. After sitting down, I was greeted by much glowering and frowns. The Chair seemed angry with me as did most others. They expect us to fall in line and hear no evil, speak no evil etc. Be a good "Stepford Wife". There is a lot to do before the Democratic Party becomes a real voice of the people and brooks any dissent.
I was spitting nails all the way home from that meeting. It would be so easy to quit. The way they tried to marginalize me for speaking out was disheartening. But since I have little heart, I'll soldier on.
I would like to offer two shameless plugs. One is for everyone interested in Michele Bachmann. There is a relatively new website that is gaining national attention for its great material, especially on Bachmann. It is run by a friend who tracks her everywhere. Check out www.dustytrice.com. Additionally he has some great material about the local Senator here running for Governor whom I've mentioned in a recent post. He is a climate change denier, has blamed cow farts for tornadoes, and recently had a run in with bats. Good stuff
My other shameless plug is for any readers in the Minneapolis area. Saturday there is a fund-raiser for local Democrats called the Beast Feast. An authentic whole hog BBQ dinner. Fantastic food and an interesting program. All but a few of the candidates for Governor and all who are running against Michele Bachmann will be there to talk to. No speeches by candidates!, only from our very qualified quest speakers who will speak about how to win in a lousy district. Come out Quark and any others nearby. It's from 4pm to 7pm at the Bunker Hills Activity Center in Andover Minnesota. If you come you will be able give me crap, I'll be there. You will be able to identify me without any help if desired...or not. Fantastic Food.... All you can eat .....for a great cause.
OMG- the Republicans want to 'deal' with us by having us give them what they want for immigration - ugly bastards. Bill Press has it right, this is the Ugly Party.
Thom, I just heard Tancredo mention the ancient Lou Dobb's lie about "Leprosy".
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/30/dobbs-leprosy/
Thom, ask the guy what he wants us to do with the illegals when they show up for healthcare after cleaning up and feeding us and picking our food for us - shoot them?
Roy Rogers' Horse Saves Health Care
Dear Friends,
The Senate cannot pass a health care bill with a public option. The House cannot pass a bill without one. The public wants a public option. The insurance industry wants a private mandate. The White House is in trouble on this and is calling upon the Senate to find a way out of this dark passage.
So, Boys and Girls, return with us now as the Senators will take a page from out of the old West. They are going to do what cowboy hero Roy Rogers did when he got in a jam: Call for Trigger, the Golden Palomino. Trigger, the trusty steed who road to glory against those phantom cattle rustlers who sold insurance against physical harm, provided however that the small town marks bought the stolen beef.
In this scene Trigger will come off his mount of glory at the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Missouri and gallop to the mount of glory on Capitol Hill, rear up a dazzling 24ft, and by his sheer electrifying presence rescue the US Senate and the Administration from today's rustlers.
It is Washington, DC, so they promptly slap on a confused Trigger a corporate blanket with corporate logos from insurance companies: Pre-Existing Trigger. Lower Cost Trigger. Patient Access Trigger. The Senators will jump on this horse and ride straight for the sunset. Giddy-up Trigger, past that broken down Public Option dray horse. Gallop into the conference committee with full force. Charge!
I am carried away by prospect of rescue by the one horse I can believe in. Sadly, Trigger will never save us from the rustlers. He'll just stand there, mounted, in all of his spectacular equine power ever poised to spring into action, ever ready to hustle out the rustlers, or something like that.
Thank you,
Dennis Kucinich
While the political process in Washington suffers through its grotesque pantomime on health care, let us prepare our neighborhoods, our communities, our states for the eventual triumph of single payer health care.
Sign Petition
ttp://healthcare.kucinich.us/petition
http://democratichealthcareturncoats.webs.com/
As we closely study American behavior in our lack of health care for all our citizens, our lust for wars and torture, our expansion of empire to control the human population, and in our distain for the environment, we ARE lost as a social species.
Dave Belden's last two paragraphs of Chris Hedges' article, "Dark Vision!"
My own view, for what it’s worth, is that Hedges is a man to listen to very seriously, for circumstances could conspire to bring the darkest realities he fears to life. But I also think, on the basis of the seminar with him at Starr King Seminary in May, that he fails to understand how and why good has often prevailed enough to avert the worst. He approvingly quoted Paul Tillich to the effect that all institutions are demonic and Phil Berrigan’s “If voting was that effective it would be illegal.” I responded:
This was too much for me. Hedges had already spoken approvingly of habeas corpus, slavery abolition and something he called “functioning democracy.” But history teaches us that those were achieved by the exercise of power, by people who thought it worth acquiring power in order to hold the mediocrities in power to account. To say that institutions, which are ubiquitous in human society, are demonic, is too close to saying human beings are demonic, for me. There is a power dimension to everything we do, every penny we spend, every speech we give to students, every relationship in our lives: if we can’t have a theology or psychology of the good use of power, then we are lost as a social species.