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Thom's blog
Republican Chairman of the Budget Committee Paul Ryan will have “stunning and unprecedented” powers....
In 2 days – Congress will reconvene for it’s 112th session – with Republicans firmly in control of the House of Representatives. On that day – a series of votes will be taken to approve new rules for the House – set by the Republican majority. Among these new rules: each new piece of legislation will now be required to include a statement regarding its constitutionality – also the Democrats’ previous rule known as PAYGO – which required all new spending legislation to be paid for by cuts to other programs – will be dismantled to exclude tax cuts for rich people from having to be paid for. Say hello to even higher deficits thanks to tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. But perhaps the most audacious new rule created by the Republican majority is one that gives the new Republicans Chairman of the Budget Committee Paul Ryan “stunning and unprecedented” powers, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Under this new rule – if there is disagreement between the House and Senate Budget Resolutions – which is likely this year in a divided Congress – then Chairman Ryan will have the power to set spending levels completely on his own - without debate. Ryan has already made his intentions clear – he published a memo entitled “Roadmap for America’s Future” in which he calls for the privatization of Medicare and Social Security, handing both of those programs over to the traders and hustlers on Wall Street who helped fund his campaign for election. And now – if these new House rules pass – Ryan will become one of the most powerful men in Congress – able to carry out his radical agenda with a single stroke of the pen – and no debate.
-Thom
(Do you think these rules will pass? Tell us here.) |
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The Big Picture resumes tomorrow.
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Now you can read all of Thom Hartmann's " Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country" for free online. Truthout is publishing weekly installments over 12 weeks. Read Chapter Eight: They Will Steal It! today. |
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The Daily Stack 
Quote: "Behind the deceptive words designed to entice people into supporting violence -- words like democracy, freedom, self-defense, national security -- there is the reality of enormous wealth in the hands of a few, while billions of people in the world are hungry, sick, homeless." -- Howard Zinn.
Hour One: 61% of Americans want tax hikes on the wealthy...time for change?
Article: " The February 2011 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll:" Americans are numerically at a loss after a trillion. To balance the budget, most of them would choose to tax the rich. And as far as memories go, they’d prefer to keep them. (All of them.).
Hour Two: Are we headed for a major battle with the Tea Party over the Constitution? Thom challenges Rebecca Wales, Spokesperson and Vice President for Smart Girl Politics.
Hope for reviving single payer health care? With Congressman Dennis Kucinich.
Hour Three: What's ahead for the new Congress with the GOP in charge? With Congressman Peter DeFazio
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Coming up Tuesday on The Thom Hartmann Program
What do Hayley Barbour, the White Citizen's Council and the murder of Martin Luther King Jr have in common? JFK Historian Lamar Waldron joins Thom with some stunning new information...
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