In a crisis - we're seeing democracy die in Europe. Led by France and Germany - a new treaty was worked out between Eurozone nations in an effort to halt the growing financial crisis sweeping the continent. The treaty - written mostly by banksters - imposes strict new rules on individual European nations including: capping how high annual budget deficits can run - agreeing to "automatic consequences" if deficits get too high - changing national constitutions - and forcing contributions to a continental bailout slush fund. In other words - handing over national sovereignty to bankster rules.

The new treaty was too much for the U.K. - as Prime Minister David Cameron refused to sign on to it - meaning it will have to be a treaty among Euro nations individually - and not one binding the Eurozone as a whole. A year ago - if you would have asked the proud people in Italy - if their elected Prime Minister could be replaced by an unelected bankster to impose harsh austerity measures on them without a single vote - they would have called you crazy. Similarly - if you would have asked the Greeks - the cradle of democracy - if their elected Prime Minister could be run out of office for just asking for a national referendum on a bailout - and replaced by a bankster - they too would have called you crazy. Yet - that's exactly what's happened - and is continuing to happen in Europe.

Democracy is under attack around the world - including the United States - where Republican Governor Rick Snyder in Michigan has given himself the power to appoint unelected "financial managers" to take over cities struggling with budget deficits - fire elected city council officials - void union contracts - and sell off large chunks of cities to private corporations. Other Republican governors are thinking this is a good idea.

These are very dangerous times.

-Thom

(Will America follow suit? Tell us here.)

The Daily Stack

Hour One: If it's Friday, it's "Brunch With Bernie"... the honorable Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) joins Thom with all the news from our nation's capitol and as always he'll be spending the hour taking your calls and answering your questions too...
Follow Bernie: campaign site.

Book: "The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class" by Bernie Sanders.

Video: "Sanders Filibuster Begins... ".

Article: "The Walmart Heirs Have The Same Net Worth As The Bottom 30 Percent Of Americans" by Pat Garofalo.

Article: "The Top 0.1% Of The Nation Earn Half Of All Capital Gains" by Robert Lenzner.

Article: "Bernie Sanders Proposes A Constitutional Amendment To Overturn Citizens United" by Jason Easley.

Article: "Senator Sanders Files Deutch Amendment to Ban Corporate Spending in Elections in U.S. Senate" by Congressman Ted Deutch.

Article: "A Petition to Support the Saving American Democracy Amendment" by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Article: "Carbon Emissions Shoot Up in 2010" by David Dayen.

Article: "Warren Buffet purchases California solar farm" by David Sneed.

Law: "Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act" (2010).

Article: "The Richest 0.1 Percent Of Americans Make Half Of All Capital Gains" by Pat Garofalo.

Hour Two: What if Obama Taxed the Rich but Never Told Anyone?
- Paul Rogat Loeb, author of "Soul of a Citizen"

Book: "Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in Challenging Times" by Paul Rogat Loeb.

Article: "Burying Your Victories: What if Obama Taxed the Rich But Never Told Anyone?" by Paul Rogat Loeb.

Site: Hunter School.

Article: "Woman Who Attacked ObamaCare Apologizes After Breast Cancer Diagnosis" by DainBramaged.

Article: "Occupiers Crash Chamber Of Commerce Holiday Party With Human Red Carpet" by Alex Seitz-Wald.

Article: "Howard Dean Guest-hosts Topic [A] With Tina Brown", August 8, 2004 (Bev Harris shows him how to hack a voting machine).

Article: "Party That Won’t Tax Millionaires Proposes Slashing Unemployment Benefits In Deal For Middle Class Tax Cut" by Travis Waldron.

Article: "Record High Anti-Incumbent Sentiment Toward Congress" by Frank Newport.

Article: "Next Occupy LA Stops: The Ports of Los Angeles & Long Beach" by Chris_Lott.

Article: "Republicans tie Keystone pipeline to tax cut bill" by Reuters.

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Victoria Jones, White House Correspondent

Book: "Self Empowerment: Nine Things the 19th Century Can Teach us About Living in the 21st " by B. Anne Gehman and Ellen Ratner.

Article: "Labor board drops complaint over Boeing's nonunion S.C. plant" by Sam Hananel.

Article: "Obama on NLRB decision: ‘I’m glad people are gonna be working’" by C.J. Ciaramella.

Article: ""Christmas tree" bill".

Article: "House GOP bill extends payroll tax cut, includes oil pipeline language drew Obama veto threat" by AP.

Article: "All Eyes on Des Moines as GOP Candidates Head Into Crucial Debate" by Alex Altman.

Site: "Santa Fe County Clerk Valerie Espinoza".

Article: "Defense bill offers balance in dealing with detainees" by Sen. Carl Levin and Sen. John McCain.

Article: "Hillary Clinton and Internet Freedom" by Glenn Greenwald.

Documentary: "Renewal".

Book: "Prophetic Encounters: Religion and the American Radical Tradition" by Dan McKanan.

The good: "Protesters ‘Mockupy’ Law and Order’s Fake Occupy Wall Street Set" by Dan Glass.

The bad: "Video: Sean Hannity Credits President George W. Bush with Osama bin Laden's Death" by Michael Allen.

The very, very ugly: "Santorum: Undocumented Immigrant Families Should Be Broken Up" by Amanda Peterson Beadle.

Site: "theyrule.net".

Book: "Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country" by Thom Hartmann.

Site: "State of Michigan".

Article: "Euro crisis: Eurozone deal reached without UK" by BBC.

Article: "Senate Republicans filibuster Cordray’s nomination to head CFPB" by Stephen Ursery.

Article: "GOP Filibusters Middle Class Tax Cut — Again" by Alex Seitz-Wald.

Article: "Jack Kingston: Drug Test The Jobless" by Arthur Delaney.

Article: "Florida Welfare Applicants Less Likely to Use Illegal Drugs".

Article: "Children Dead After Mother Shoots Them" by Chelsea Hoffman.

Article: "U.S. Household Wealth Logs Biggest Quarterly Drop Since Lehman’s Collapse" by Emily Knapp.

Hour One: Occupy the Port day of action
- Joshua Holland, AlterNet

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!