By SueN
- The debate goes on, Republican Lindsey Graham over the weekend managed to get in virtually all Frank Luntz' talking points about health care, praised Democrat Kent Conrad. Call Conrad. Social Security, the WPA, the New Deal, Obama's stimulus package, all went through without Republican votes.
- Article: Earth to Bush: The Middle Class is Shrinking, Bernie Sanders, 08/08/2007.
- Would you give up a piece of your pay check to keep your job?
- Article: Altruism is the missed trick in the new pay reality.
- Article: Europeans Rely on a Mix of Concessions to Save Jobs, Matthew Saltmarsh.
- Game theory. Only psychopaths and economists behave in the way predicted. "The Trap", by Sir James Goldsmith. "The Ownership Solution: Toward A Shared Capitalism For The 21st Century", by Jeff Gates. If a lot of companies failed and became worker-owned co-ops, it could be a good thing. France's a publicly financed partial unemployment plan. German Kurtzarbeit. 17 states in the US have similar programs - they pay you partial unemployment if your work days are reduced.
- Bumper Music: 9 to 5, Dolly Parton (video).
- Upcoming Event: June 28 11:00AM - 1:00PM, Reno, NV – Washoe County Democratic Party Brunch – Reno Ballroom, 50 East 4th St., Reno, NV 89501. "The Washoe County Democratic Party are featuring a lively forum including presumptive gubernatorial candidates Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid and Nevada State Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley as well as Thom Hartmann, "the nation's number one progressive talk show host." Emcee: Reno City Councilwoman Jessica Sferrazza." Tickets are $50, Table for Ten $500, Tickets are available online at washoedems.org, or call 775-323-8683.
- Upcoming Events: Thom's book tour for "Threshold":
July 27th - Portland, OR - Baghdad Theater & Powell's Books 7p
July 30th - Seattle, WA - Town Hall. Details TBA
Aug 4th - San Francisco, CA - World Affairs Council. Details TBA
Aug 5th - Santa Monica, CA - Santa Monica Library. Details TBA
Aug 17th - Minneapolis, MN - details TBA
Aug 19th - Chicago, IL - details TBA
Aug 21st - Madison, WI - details TBA
- Article: Work-Sharing May Help Companies Avoid Layoffs, Steven Greenhouse.
- Why not do it at a federal level? Obama could step in and become a hero tomorrow.
- Article: Top NY Execs Made $1.2B, Kaja Whitehouse.
- The effect of partial working on benefits, seniority.
- Conservative Alert: Under Misspelled Banner, Buchanan And White Nationalist Brimelow Argue For English-Only Initiatives, Lee Fang.
- Iran violence continuing. More votes counted than live there, in some districts. Half the council are appointed by Ayatollah Khomeini or loyal to him, the other half is nominated by parliament and approved by Khomeini.
- Article: Beijing orders stock transfer of 10%, Kathrin Hille.
"Every state-owned company that has listed in China since 2005 must transfer stock equal to 10 per cent of the shares offered to the National Social Security Fund, according to a weekend government edict." - A few weeks ago China yelled about the "buy America" clause and got it taken out. Their $800b stimulus package last week , all spending and no tax cuts, mandated all spending 100% buy China. Now they are looking at social security and national health care. They had it in '80s.
- Offer stock option instead of just pay cut?
- The importance of libraries, which date back to Ben Franklin. Not just pay cuts, they are cutting back programs, closing libraries. The library is the main day shelter for the homeless - not that it should be, they should build one. Mayor Daley privatizing parking meters.
- Bumper Music: Take This Job and Shove It, Johnny Paycheck.
- Bumper Music: Ghost Chickens in the Sky, Sean Morey.
- Article: Fall River breeder wants fair shake for pigeon film stars, By Laurel J. Sweet
- Prop 13.
- Progressive Democrats of America. Getting people out to DC. It may work better to stand outside you representative's or senator's office, Thom's sign would read, "please convince Baucus, Landrieu, Conrad to give us single payer or good public option".
- Article: Health Care Showdown.
- If China taxes stockholders, why can't we tax profiteers who take our jobs to China? Bought and paid for Republicans.
- Article: Skirting the boards, Richard Milne.
- So how do we reform the corporate ethic in America? Is it something we do by legislation? Is it something we do by culture? Is it something we do possibly by gender?
- Guest: Carrie Lukas, Vice President for Policy and Economics, Independent Women's Forum. Author, "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex, and Feminism". “Skirting the board…how does the ‘old girls club’ stack up against the ‘old boys club?’” She says it is not fair for government to mandate. It may well have a better outcome, although there are a lot of reasons to be concerned that it won't. Thom asked is it the proper role of government to create corporations, give them tax breaks? Incentivising behavior. We bring them into being, give them benefits such as limited liability. There are lots of different kinds of businesses, apart from for-profit corporations. Are we creating them to make a few very rich and powerful, or for the public good? And if the public good, we should define behavior, some parameters. Mandating helps an elite upper crust of women. What about other groups? Ethnic or religious? Her experience in Harvard. There is no racial gene, religion is a choice, women and men do react differently. She said there are more women now. Hillary, Condi succeeded because of affirmative action? She said not.
- Bumper Music: Shake It Up, The Cars.
- Charles Schumer saying Democrats may have to go it alone on healthcare. How long did it take him to figure this out? Republicans have shot previous ones down. So reconciliation. Get Al Franken in.
- Article: Coleman Staffers Getting New Jobs, Eric Kleefeld.
- Article: Tens of thousands of Chinese fight the police in Shishou, Malcolm Moore.
- Iran compared to China, and why it matters to you and me. China started a decade or more ago with Murdoch, insisted on censorship. Yahoo and Google censoring too. American companies are making switching equipment and software that lets the state lock down the Internet. Iran is censoring the Internet, telephony, but is not as far advanced, give them 6 months. China is the world's beta test. England is the most watched country. We have the tools, and Bush kicked holes in the constitution, and Obama has not closed them. We are inches away from a police state. Are we next?
- Bumper Music: Let's Work Together, Canned Heat.
- Article: Comcast Cameras to Start Watching You? Chris Albrecht.
- If our taxes pay for Congress, and if they have taken insurance company money, isn't that a conflict of interest, and they do not deserve health insurance paid by us?
- Universal health care would cut premiums to workers. theyrule.net.
- As long as people invest in health companies on the stock market, it will prevail. Massive divestment by government, unions, universities.
- Iran, we should have done the same when the Supreme Court elected our president. In a Michael Moore movie, people were booing and egging Bush on his way to his inauguration, it was blacked out by media. Corporate media is invested in the status quo, best represented by Republicans and some Democrats. We need to break corporatocracy. Campaign finance, corporate personhood.
- The transnational elite depend on America less and less, so American reform is not enough? Free trade is code for 'I am in the pockets of the corporations".
- Wyden gets funds from pharma. Ads are being run in Oregon. Wyden was ahead of the curve, though not far enough, and got no attention. He's just beginning to change. He is hearing from us. Call him. Thom is impressed by Merkely.
- What would the Iranians do if Diebiold flipped another election?
- Bumper Music: Six Of One, Half A Dozen (Of The Other), Joe Nichols.
- Go to thomhartmann.com for free live stream with Thom's newscast, Jim Hightower, WINS news, environmental news.
- Bumper Music: Crazy, Gnarls Barkley.
- Article: Binge suspect caught napping in restaurant.
- Corporations should have a lifespan, say 40 years, equivalent to humans working from 20 to 60? Every state used to have a 40 year limit, some lower. Santa Clara County vs. Southern Pacific Railroad, 1886. Thom's "Unequal Protection". The Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Ohio went after Rockefeller, he started the charter mongering era. The rules for corporations. Delaware won, lowered their rules most.
- Corporations are just a convenient poster child for what is wrong with big business? Blaming it on all on them is commercially approved. Commercial thinking. Before Reagan, if business supported the public good it was a good thing, else they were get rid of. Reagan ridiculed public good.
- "I've always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help'." Ronald W. Reagan.
- Guest: Actor/Activist/Author Mike Farrell, best known for his role as BJ Hunnycutt in the hit TV series MASH. He was in the Portland, OR studio as he was doing a reading at 7pm at Powell's Books at Cedar Hill Crossing in Beaverton, OR. His new book, "Of Mule and Man". He's doing a tour including Seattle June 21; Palo Alto, CA June 24; Fresno, CA June 26; Bakersfield, CA June 27; Santa Barbara, CA June 28; La Mesa, CA July 1.
"Not since Steinbeck's Travels with Charley in Search of America has there been a more beautifully written and compelling journey into the heartland of America. Mike Farrell celebrates his beloved country with great honesty and sincerity, with humility and grace. A beautiful and courageous book, an American classic."
--Ron Kovic, author of Born on the Fourth of JulyThey rented a Prius for him for the 9,000 mile tour, which is very different to what he normally drives, and he called it "the mule" because it was a hybrid and cranky. What he learned about America during the 5 weeks? There is no such thing as red states and blue states. It is beautiful. There are fundamental similarities between people. The stops were cosponsored by one of the social justice organizations, so people from them turned up and others because of M*A*S*H.
He chairs Death Penalty Focus. Public support for the death penalty is dropping, New Mexico and New Jersey have repealed it. He got Sean Hannity on air to change his mind. Human rights. Torture, Guantanamo. More than Obama wants. Prosecute the people who drafted the legal excuse. How do we convince the Obama administration? Truth and reconciliation. Domestic statute of limitations. Michael Rattner. The people he met as he travelled around. Obama's spirit is moving us in the right direction even if Obama is not. Nation of movements, not leaders. People working locally.
- Bumper Music: Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane.
- Leave a comment on the daily blog, you may win.
- Labor Segment: Guest: JoAnn Volk, legislative representative for the AFL-CIO. Pushing for health care reform (public option). She acts as lobbyist. What is the experience like? A lot of fun. Not just rich lobbyists. What could listeners learn? Share the personal stories behind the statistics. Don't get distracted by the messaging opposing it. They knew what they wanted to say to kill health care even before the bill. HR676 Conyers, Bernie's in the Senate. They pushed single payer in 1947. This year the president's plan includes public. What about Democrats like Wyden or Conrad or Baucus or Landrieu? We need reconciliation. Use it as a threat because it complicates things, anything without a price tag gets dropped, it is better with tax cuts. They just did a survey with stories, chime in, get involved.
- Bumper Music: Working On A Dream, Bruce Springsteen (video).
- Berlusconi alert: Showgirl Patrizia D’Addario says she shot secret video in Berlusconi bedroom.
- One caller with a high deduct able needed two surgeries, the insurance company caused delay so that the second was carried out in the next billing cycle, so he had to pay a second deduct able. Add stories to Bernie's site.
- Prop 13 was passed to help residential home owners, but they found a loophole for commercial property. Thom would be astounded if they did not know it in advanced, but voters did not. Thom thinks strip it out and have real tax reform to fix the problem. Oregon kicker.
- Vietnam memorial day. Moratorium. About 10 million in the streets, pushed Republicans so hard. Decent Republicans, show up and take back your party.
- Bumper Music: Democracy is coming to the USA, Leonard Cohen.
- Member of the day is Bill Evans who wins a DVD of the movie Crude Impact that Thom is in for...
Fixing health care is probably the most important issue at the moment. With this in mind I recommend others to do what I have done. I have written to all my legislators, (house and senate), and stressed to them the importance of passing a GOOD health care bill that at MINIMUM must include a public option. I included that not only do they have to support a public option included bill, they have to fight for one. I have told them all that this is so important, that if a good health care bill is not passed, with a public option, they will not get my vote in the next election. EVEN if they voted yes on a bill that did not include a public option.
- Article: Barack Hoover Obama: The best and the brightest blow it again, Kevin Baker.
- Victoria Jones of Talk Radio News. In the Rose Garden, Obama signed the tobacco control bill with 10 pens. He started smoking at school like one fifth of kids. he World Bank has increased its estimate of economy shrinkage. Nothing structural has changed. Harpers "Barack Hoover Obama". The Observer has seen a memo about a Bush / Blair meeting about their intention to go to war without a second UN authorization. False flag. Will it make the corporate media in the US? Why the Bush administration wanted to go to war. But why did Blair? Nobody has a handle on it, he is not a neocon, but a left winger, peacenik. Did he fall under Bush's sway? Cheri was very opposed.
