The Post Office is screwed! The Republican plan to bankrupt the Post Office and it’s half a million unionized employees is working. Facing a fiscal crisis created solely by poison-pill legislation passed 5 years ago by a Republican Congress and signed by President Bush that required the Post Office – unlike any other company or government agency – to prefund 75 years worth of employee health benefits in a 10 year period – the Post Office is now moving forward with massive cuts in service.

Next-day mail delivery is the first to get the axe – but even more drastic cuts are coming down the pike, including closing nearly 4,000 local mail facilities and laying off as many as 100,000 postal workers. Meanwhile – Congress is doing nothing to repeal the poison pill legislation that’s threatening to kill off an institution was founded by Ben Franklin.

Call your lawmakers and tell them to help the post office and resist Republican efforts to completely privatize mail delivery in America.

-Thom

(What do you think? Tell us here.)

The Daily Stack

Hour One: Pay to protest?! WI Governor Walker's latest dirty trick exposed!
- Graeme Zielinksi, Democratic Party of Wisconsin

Site: "recallwalkerhq.com".

Article: "Walker's New Plan: Charge Protesters Big Money" by Eric Kleefeld.

Article: "Hopes rest on Italy’s team of outsiders" by Guy Dinmore and Giulia Segreti.

Article: "Italy’s small businesses call out for help" by Giulia Segreti.

Article: "First Amendment to the United States Constitution". "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Article: "U.N. Envoy: U.S. Isn't Protecting Occupy Protesters' Rights" by Dan Froomkin.

Article: "End of next day delivery: U.S. Postal Service slows down first-class mail in bid to stave off bankruptcy amid $3billion budget cuts" by AP.

Article: "Austerity bites in Italy – and leaves minister in tears" by John Hooper.

Article: "Scott Walker Administration Unveils Policy To Have Protesters Pay Police, Cleanup Costs" by Luke Johnson.

Article: "Some Inconvenient Truths About the National Debt" by ThinkProgress War Room.

Article: "Newt Gingrich Accepts Newsmax ION Debate With Trump".

Article: "Gingrich kisses Donald Trump's ring" by Sarah Huisenga.

Article: "Ron Paul, Jon Huntsman to Boycott Trump Debate" by Melanie Jones.

Article: "GOP Presidential Candidate Roemer: Romney Represents The 1 Percent And Gingrich Is Their Lobbyist" by Zaid Jilani.

Book: "Threshold: The Progressive Plan to Pull America Back from the Brink" by Thom Hartmann.

Hour Two: War on Christmas...who's naughty, who's nice?
- Bryan Fischer, American Family Association

Article: "War On Christmas: Right-Wing Group Creates ‘Naughty Or Nice’ List Of Companies That Do Not Mention Christmas Enough" by Tanya Somanader.

"Matthew 6:24". "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

"Matthew 25:31-46".

"Matthew 25:14-30": The Parable of the Talents.

"Luke 19:12-28": The Parable of the Talents.

Fukushima China Syndrome and architect of Reactor 3 warns of massive hydrovolcanic explosion
- Kevin Kamps, Beyond Nuclear

Article: "Architect of Reactor 3 warns of massive hydrovolcanic explosion" by Mochizuki.

Article: "Despite Surge, Gingrich Faces Major Hurdles" by Trip Gabriel and Jeff Zeleny.

Article: "Gingrich Unveils New Child Labor Plan: Make Them Work As ‘Apprenti’ For Trump" by Alex Seitz-Wald.

Article: "Huntsman on Trump: 'I'm not going to kiss his ring' or anything else" by Daniel Strauss.

Article: "Gap Between Rich And Poor Widening Across The Developed World, As Bankers And Executives Reap More Income" by Pat Garofalo.

Site: "NINDS Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Information Page".

Hour Three: "Personal Prosperity Accounts?" GOP's' latest plan to get your Social Security
- Peter Ferrara, Heartland Institute

Book: "America's Ticking Bankruptcy Bomb: How the Looming Debt Crisis Threatens the American Dream-and How We Can Turn the Tide Before It's Too Late" by Peter Ferrara.

Article: "Entitlement Reform Revolution" by Peter Ferrara.

Article: "TRUMP: Jon Huntsman And Ron Paul Are A Joke" by Glynnis MacNicol.

Article: "About that Murdoch Primary" by Josh Marshall, August 15, 2011.

Article: "Rachel Maddow Asks Who is Winning the Murdoch Primary?" by Heather.

The good: "Huntsman on Trump: 'I'm not going to kiss his ring' or anything else" by Daniel Strauss.

The bad: Eric Cantor: "Smokey Bear up in smoke? House GOP takes aim" by Emily Heil.

The very, very ugly: "Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio Failed To Investigate Over 400 Sex Crimes, Including Molestations Of Undocumented Children" by Tanya Somanader.

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

Article: "Obama makes case for extending payroll tax cuts" by AP.

Article: "Obama Rolls Out a Countdown Clock for the Payroll Tax Cut" by Laura Meckler.

Article: "Reid Intros Softer Payroll Tax Bill To Entice GOP" by TRNS.

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

Article: "Occupy DC Clashes with Police Over Structure, 31 Arrested" by Emily Crockett.

Article: "Massachusetts Sues 5 Major Banks Over Foreclosure Practices" by Gretchen Morgenson.

Article: "Fukushima plant springs new water leak" by Minoru Matsutani.

Article: "Cain Suspends Campaign Shifting GOP Race" by Shannon McCaffrey.

Crazy alert: "$4M car crash in Japan takes out eight Ferraris, one Lamborghini… and a Toyota Prius" by AFP.

Hour Three: Will he be the running man? 2012, Occupy Wall Street and why sued the TSA
- Gov. Jesse Ventura

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!