This winter – the poor are screwed. According to forecasts by the U.S. Energy Information Administration – the price of heating the average home with oil this winter is expected to spike 10% to $2,500 for the whole season. That’s a 45% increase from just two years ago. There are more than 8 million homes in America that rely on oil for heating purposes – and roughly 1-in-4 in the Northeast. Unrest in the Middle East – and rampant speculation on Wall Street are to blame for the oil price spike.

At the same time – thanks to Republicans demanding spending cuts – the LiHEAP program – or the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program – saw it’s budget nearly cut in half this year – meaning more and more poor people won’t be able stay warm in America during the winter. Currently 1-in-5 Americans are economically insecure – meaning they can’t afford to pay for the essential to live.

So thanks to Republicans – this winter – 20% of the country will have to make a choice – stay warm at home – or put food on the table. A disgraceful reality for the richest nation on the planet.

-Thom

(How would you cope? Tell us here.)

The Daily Stack

Article: "Republicans agree: Herman Cain's affair is worse than sexual assault" by Kaili Joy Gray.

Article: "Limbaugh: Gloria Allred Clarified Pronunciation Of Cain Accuser's Name: It's "Buy-A-Lick, As In [Slurping Sound] Buy-A-Lick"" by Media Matters.

Article: "Coulter blames ‘liberals’ for allegations against Cain" by David Edwards.

Article: "Kirsten Powers: What Was Cain Accuser Sharon Bialek Doing Going Out For Drinks With A Married Man?" by Jon Bershad.

Article: "Ginger White on ‘Good Morning America’ on alleged affair with Herman Cain: He’s not fit to be President" by Aliyah Shahid.

Article: "Dick Morris Smears Cain Accuser: I Look Forward To Her Spread In Playboy" by Ellen.

Article: "Dick Morris: Latest Herman Cain Accuser Is A "Gold Digger"" by Media Matters.

Article: "Hannity On Latest Cain Accuser: "There's Nothing Here. The Lady Didn't Even Work For The Company"" by Media Matters.

Article: "The "Truth" according to Limbaugh: Feminism established "to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society"" by Media Matters, August 16, 2005.

Hour Two: Blackwater CEO Erik Prince tried to intimidate Rep. Schakowsky
- Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky

Bill: "H.R. 2665: Stop Outsourcing Security Act".

Article: "Rep. Schakowsky: Erik Prince Of Blackwater Tried To Intimidate Me" by Jillian Rayfield.

Article: "Secret Desert Force Set Up by Blackwater’s Founder" by Mark Mazzetti And Emily B. Hager.

Geeky Science alert: "Violent Video Games Alter Brain Function in Young Men" by ScienceDaily.

Cheesy news alert: "Gingrich: ‘I’ve Screwed All the Women I Want – All That’s Left is America’" by Andy Borowitz.

Article: "A costly winter ahead for home heating oil users" by Les Christie.

Article: "Study: Defense spending is ‘weak job engine’" by Philip Ewing.

Book: "The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image" by Leonard Shlain (Thom's review).

Article: Amendment 9. "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

Article: "The Federalist Papers".

Article: "Federalist No. 84" by Alexander Hamilton (Bill of Rights).

Article: "The Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787" by James Madison.

Letter: "The omission of a bill of rights" from Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, December 20, 1787.

Letter: "The Question of a Bill of Rights" from James Madison to Thomas Jefferson, October 17, 1788.

Letter: "Reply to October 17, 1788 letter" from Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, March 15, 1789.

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

Article: "Unions return to negotiations with Government after strike" by Andy Bloxham.

Article: "David Cameron describes pensions strike as 'futile'" by BBC.

Article: "Big Brother, Come Clean: The FBI is Misusing "Community Outreach" Programs for Intelligence Gathering" by ACLU.

Article: "FOIA Documents Show FBI Illegally Collecting Intelligence Under Guise of “Community Outreach”" by ACLU.

Article: "Hillary Clinton meets Aung San Suu Kyi, offers Myanmar first rewards for political reform".

Article: "Welcome to Naypyidaw, Madam Secretary".

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

Article: "Productivity and Compensation" by Matthew Yglesias.

Book: "Toward a Society of Leisure" by Joffre Dumazedier, 1967.

Article: "Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren" by John Maynard Keynes, 1930.

Article: "The Elusive Leisure Society" by A. J. Veal.

"I Think We’re All Bozos on This Bus"
- Phil Austin, Phil Proctor, Peter Bergman, David Ossman - Firesign Theatre

Book: "Anythynge You Want To" by Firesign Theatre.

Events: "I think we're all Bozos on this Bus" by Firesign Theatre.

Article: Amendment 10. "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

The good: "Harkin Threatens Holiday Plans Over Jobless Benefits" by Daniel Newhauser.

The bad: "Apple Says Siri’s Abortion Answers Are a Glitch" by Jenna Wortham.

The very, very ugly: Jeremy Clarkson: "BBC Host on Striking Workers: 'Execute Them in Front of Their Families'" by David.

Article: "Joshua 6:21".

Los Angeles poised to end corporate personhood... voting next Tuesday
- Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, Move to Amend

Site: "Move to Amend - Los Angeles".

Article: "LOS ANGELES, CA: City Council to Vote on Resolution to End Corporate Personhood" by Move to Amend.

Article: "Banks Act, Stocks Surge and Skeptics See a Pattern" by Christine Hauser.

Article: "National Defense Authorization Act: Senate Clears Way For Passage Of $662 Billion Bill" by Donna Cassata.

Article: "SEC's Schapiro asks for tougher penalty powers" by Sarah N. Lynch and Aruna Viswanatha.

Article: "Govs. Gregoire and Chafee ask DEA to reclassify marijuana" by Jordan Schrader.

Article: "Bret Baier: Mitt Romney called questions 'uncalled for'" by Maggie Haberman.

Hour One: If it's Friday, it's "Brunch With Bernie"... the honorable Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will be here 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...

Hour Two: Congress is looking at lawmakers insider trading...will banksters be next?
- Jack Abramoff, author, "Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America's Most Notorious Lobbyist"

And, it's Anything Goes on Townhall Friday with 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"...

TAG, YOU'RE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (OCCUPY SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!)

Read an excerpt here, and buy the book!