Today – America has wealth inequality levels higher than at any other time since right before the Great Depression. In other words – the rich have a lot more money than everyone else. The problem is – most Americans have no idea just how unequal this nation is. Looking at a new study out of Duke and Harvard Universities – the vast majority of Americans incorrectly guessed that the top 20% of richest Americans own roughly 60% of the wealth – the real figure is that they own more like 84% of the wealth.

And when respondents were asked how much wealth the top 20% SHOULD own – 92% of respondents turned out to be complete SOCIALISTS – preferring a wealth distribution like Sweden where the top 20% only own 36% of the wealth. Again, that’s 92% of respondents preferring a Swedish economic model to the American model. So why is it that Republicans refuse to budge on raising taxes for millionaires and billionaires just a few points to 38% - whereas in Sweden – the top income tax rate is 56%?

Americans have been duped for too long by the Republican Party – and today – the truth about wealth inequality in America is becoming so glaringly painful that it can’t be ignored any longer.

-Thom

(How do you think inequality can be reduced? Tell us here.)

The Daily Stack

Quote: "What I am going to write is the last of what I have to say. I will say that literature is the only consciousness we possess and that its role as consciousness must inform us of our ability to comprehend the hideous danger of nuclear power." -- John Cheever.

Article: "The Powell Memo or Manifesto".

Speech: "1888 Grover Cleveland State Of The Union Address" (iron heel).

Article: "Allen West: Liberal Women Are ‘Neutering American Men’ " by Tanya Somanader.

"Matthew 5 (the Beatitudes) (New International Version)".

"Matthew 25:31-46 (New International Version)".

Article: "Ford drives home biggest first-quarter profit in 13 years" by Dominic Rushe.

Movie: "Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer".

Crazy alert: "Who is Eric Cantor? Jeopardy contestants stumped" by Stephanie Condon.

Article: "Netherlands sees bank bonus backlash" by Matt Steinglass.

Book: "American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century" by Kevin Phillips.

Book: "The Late Great Planet Earth" by Hal Lindsey.

Hour Two: Chernobyl 25 years later, Fukushima's future...America's future? Cindy Folkers with Beyond Nuclear with the latest...

Article: "Russian, Ukrainian Leaders Remember Chernobyl Accident" by VOA News.

Article: "Levels of radioactive water rise at Japan's damaged nuclear plant" by DPA.

Article: "‘Say-on-pay’ rules hit US executives" by Dan McCrum.

Video: "Thom Hartmann: The Holes in the Economic Dam can't be plugged anymore".

Talk Radio News Segment: Jay Goodman Tamboli, Legal Affairs Correspondent and IT Director.

Article: "Supreme Court Takes On Information Privacy, Data Mining" by Jay Goodman Tamboli.

Article: "Supreme Court says Indian nation can’t sue the United States in different courts" by AP.

Article: "Wiretapping leak probe dropped" by Josh Gerstein.

Talk Radio News Segment: Ellen Ratner, Bureau Chief.

Article: "Obama calls on Boehner to follow through on cutting oil subsidies" by Stephanie Condon.

Article: "White House defends push for eliminating oil-and-gas subsidies" by Athena Jones.

Article: "US mulling sanctions on Syrian officials".

Hour Three: Should States have the right to go bankrupt? With Stephen Moore, Wall Street Journal.

Book: "The End of Prosperity: How Higher Taxes Will Doom the Economy--If We Let It Happen" by Arthur B. Laffer, Stephen Moore, Peter Tanous.

Book: "Return to Prosperity: How America Can Regain Its Economic Superpower Status" by Arthur B. Laffer, Stephen Moore.

Article: "We've Become a Nation of Takers, Not Makers" by Stephen Moore.

Article: "Should States Be Allowed to Declare Bankruptcy?" by The Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois.

Article: "House Panels to Weigh Fiscal Fixes for States" by Lynn Hume.

Twilight Zone alert: Thom's video "Thom Hartmann: The Holes in the Economic Dam can't be plugged anymore" is his 666th posting on Democratic Underground.

The good: "SHEP SMITH: "Fox News Can Confirm That The President Of The United States Is A Citizen Of the United States. Period"" by Glynnis MacNicol.

The bad: "Trump Claims Obama Was A “Terrible Student,” Asks For College Transcripts" by TRNS.

The very, very ugly: "Allen West: Liberal Women Are ‘Neutering American Men’" by Tanya Somanader.

Article: "China Just Armed Its Sovereign Wealth Fund With $200 Billion In Fresh Cash" by Gregory White.

Because I got high alert: "Robert Watson, Rhode Island lawmaker who ripped pot smokers, busted for marijuana possession" by Aliyah Shahid.

Article: "Ukraine Needs More Funds for New Chernobyl Protection Shield" by Andrey Volkov.

Article: "The Right-Wing Network Behind the War on Unions" by Andy Kroll.

Article: "Study: Most Americans Want Wealth Distribution Similar to Sweden" by Daniel Tencer.

Article: "Poll: Russ Feingold Ties Gov. Scott Walker In Hypothetical Wisconsin Recall" by Jon Terbush.

Article: "State Department wants passport applicants to reveal lifetime employment history" by David Edwards.

Article: "Hedge Fund Honchos Are Abandoning Obama And Throwing Their Full Support (And Coin) Behind The GOP" by Katya Wachtel.

Coming up Wednesday on The Thom Hartmann Program

Hour Three: Now what will they pick on Obama for? With Myron Ebell, Director, Energy & Global Warming Policy-Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI).

And, the best of the rest of the news and your calls right here on...

The Thom Hartmann Program... your media support group for we the people.

Read an excerpt here, and buy the book!