In the case of Senator Ensign - we learned how far a man of power is willing to go to make sure he gets the woman he wants. Using his power - and lots of money - he issued ultimatums to his mistress to keep her quiet - saying that her job hangs in the balance if she doesn't see him. And once the affair was found out - he again used his money and power to keep it from going public - before eventually firing both his mistress and her husband when she was no longer sleeping with him. Similarly - there are more allegations coming out against IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Khan. While women in America often face an uphill battle and feminists are under attack from right-wing groups like the Independent Women's Forum, funded by male oil oligarchs, other countries are taking the lead in making the world less hostile for women. Joining Thom Hartmann is Jeff Sharlet, The Family and Adele Stan, Washington Bureau Chief for Alternet.

Last week - a slew of big oil executives were paraded in front of the Senate Finance Committee to defend why they need tens of billions of dollars in oil subsidies courtesy of you and me the taxpayer. And let's just say the Senators had a hard time understanding why this money is well spent. Based on that - you'd think that our lawmakers would get to work cutting off those subsidies immediately - wouldn't you? But the truth is...you're just watching a show.

For tonight's Conversations with Great Minds Thom Hartmann is joined by an economist Richard Wolff whose many books and more than four decades of teaching have focused on Marxian economics, economic methodology and class analysis. He is professor of Economics Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst and is currently a visiting professor in the Graduate Program of International Affairs at the New School University in New York City. His latest book is Capitalism Hits the Fan: The Global Economic Meltdown and What to Do About It.

Thom Hartmann's daily take.