In negotiations over the so-called “fiscal cliff.” In a plan presented to Republicans by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, the President is asking for $1.6 trillion in new revenue by letting the Bush tax cuts expire on the richest 2% of Americans, and by increasing capital gains and estate taxes, which are mostly paid by very wealthy Americans like Mitt Romney. The President’s plan also calls for more stimulus spending on infrastructure and investments to help struggling homeowners refinance their homes. It also completely does away with the pesky debt-ceiling that Republicans have shown a willingness to exploit to force big spending cuts against the working class.

Under the President’s plan, the automatic spending cuts against social programs and the military will be stopped, but the President is putting up $400 billion in cuts to entitlement programs to be negotiated in 2013. Republicans responded to the proposal with outrage. Conservative Fox News talking head Charles Krauthammer called the deal worse than what General Robert E. Lee received at Appomattox after the Civil War.

At its core – this deal makes sure the wealthy pay their fair share again, it helps struggling homeowners, it puts Americans back to work rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, and it doesn’t throw grandma under the bus by destroying Social Security and Medicare…no wonder why Republicans hate it! It looks like the President has finally figured out how to negotiate and he should be willing to stick to his principles and take the nation over the made-up “fiscal cliff” if Republicans don’t want to do what’s best for the American middle class.

-Thom

(What do you think? Tell us here.)

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Thursday's Daily Stack

Quote: "If I hadn't been really rich, I might have been a great man." -- Citizen Kane.

Article: "Erick Erickson Contemplates Primary Challenge to Saxby Chambliss" by karoli.

The Big Picture
- Sam Sacks, The Big Picture producer, progressive commentator

Article: "Police Remove Congressman-Elect Grayson From Local Walmart For Union Agitating" by Tom Tillison.

Article: "CBO: Extending unemployment benefits could save 300,000 jobs next year" by Brad Plumer.

Article: "CBO: No tax cuts for the rich, no problem" by Jon Perr.

Article: "Global Sea Level Rising 60 Percent Faster Than Predicted, Study Finds" by Carl Franzen.

Article: "Lamar Smith, global warming denier, to be chairman of House Science Committee" by Amanda Terkel.

Article: "EPA bans BP from receiving any new federal contracts" by Project On Government Oversight.

Article: "McJobs Should Pay, Too: It's Time for Fast-Food Workers To Get Living Wages" by Sarah Jaffe.

Article: "Five Things You Should Know About the FCC’s Big Media Giveaway" by Josh Stearns.

Article: "Obama Is Flexible on Highest Tax Rates" by Damian Paletta and Carol E. Lee.

Article: "A quick primer on soaking the rich" by Joe Scarborough.

Article: "Romney meets with Obama at White House lunch" by Tom Curry.

Article: "Geithner, Obama’s unlikely ‘fiscal cliff’ negotiator" by Zachary A. Goldfarb.

Article: "How Wall Street Can Bail Itself Out Without Destroying The Dollar" by Thom Hartmann.

Article: "Brazil's Ridiculous $80,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee" by Kenneth Rapoza.

Article: "Value added tax" by Wikipedia.

Article: "About the Media Ownership Rules" by Common Cause.

Article: "FCC Proposes Loosening TV/Newspaper Cross-Ownership Ban...Again" by John Eggerton.

Article: "F.C.C. Takes On Cross-Ownership" by Edward Wyatt.

Book: "The New Media Monopoly: A Completely Revised and Updated Edition With Seven New Chapters" by Ben H. Bagdikian.

Site: "Ben Bagdikian".

Article: "Censorship in Italy" by Wikipedia.

Article: "AP: Fox's employee-politicians put network in "a unique position of influence"" by Media Matters.

Article: "No More Media for Murdoch" by Free Press.

Article: "Two Santa Clauses or How The Republican Party Has Conned America for Thirty Years" by Thom Hartmann.

Geeky Science Rocks - Are robots planning the demise of the human race?

Article: "Risk of robot uprising wiping out human race to be studied" by BBC.

Article: "Rand Paul's victory over the NDAA Indefinite Detention clause" by Bryana Johnson.

Article: "Constitution of the United States" Article 1, section 8". "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States;"

Article: "Constitution of the United States" Article 1, section 8. "... To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years; ..."

Article: "BP Oil Spill Settlement: Fine For Deepwater Horizon Disaster May Be Largest Criminal Penalty In U.S. History" by Chris Baltimore and David Ingram.

Article: "EPA Sends a Message With BP Suspension" by Project On Government Oversight.

Book: "The Shareholder Value Myth: How Putting Shareholders First Harms Investors, Corporations, and the Public" by Lynn Stout.

Site: Move to Amend

Article: "GAO report says moving Guantánamo detainees to U.S. prisons is feasible" by Carol Rosenberg.

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Ellen Ratner, Bureau Chief

Site: Governor Free Don Siegelman.

Article: "Bradley Manning Likely to Testify Today or Tomorrow: Quantico psychiatrist: Bradley Manning's pretrial conditions worse than death row" by ENEWSPF.

Article: "Hearing Gives Burton a Last Shot at Autism Issue" by Melissa Attias.

Article: "Senate Votes To Prohibit Indefinite Detention For U.S. Citizens" by Justin Duckham.

Article: "Boehner: Dems Distracted By Victory Lap" by Zach Schwartz.

Article: "FTC urges hotels to disclose resort fees up front" by Barbara Delollis.

Article: "After Offering ‘Church Bulletin’ Discount, Pennsylvania Restaurant Will Have To Extend Offer to Everyone" by Hemant Mehta.

Hour Three: Throw Grover over the fiscal cliff?
- Ana Marie Cox, Author and blogger / Wonkette / GQ

Article: "Fiscal cliff hype and the future of Grover Norquist's taxpayer pledge" by Ana Marie Cox.

Article: "Social Security benefits to rise 1.7% in 2013" by AP.

The good: "Sen. Dianne Feinstein: GAO report shows Gitmo can be closed without jeopardizing national security" by Caroline May.

The bad: Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT): "GOP Senator’s Crazy Reasoning: Raising Taxes On The Rich Would Hit The Poor ‘The Hardest’" by Scott Keyes.

The very, very ugly: "Hannity Goes after Thom & Laughs off American's Struggling to Survive" by Thom Hartmann.

Book: "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations", Adam Smith, 1776.

Article: "Report On Manufactures" by Alexander Hamilton.

Book: "Don Quixote" by Miguel De Cervantes.

Article: "The Autism Advantage" by Gareth Cook.

Article: "White House: President Obama supports filibuster reform" by Joan McCarter.

Hour One: API...EXPOSED
- Lee Fang, The Nation Magazine

Hour Three: If it's Friday, it's "Brunch With Bernie"...
- Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Plus, it's "Anything Goes on Townhall Friday"...you choose the topics and we'll talk...

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

We'll have the latest news and information from the weekend to get you ready for the watercooler wars...

Plus, we don't REALLY need government workers & regulations to ensure that our food is safe do we?! Oh my, yes we DO!! I'll challenge Julie Gunlock, Independent Women's Forum...

And, we'll have the best of the rest of the news along with your calls right here on...

The Thom Hartmann Program, Occupying The Media 3 hours a day 5 days a week" for "we the people"...Democracy is NOT a spectator sport...it begins with you...