Libertarians have been saying for a long, long time that if we just get rid of government, everything will run a whole lot better. But if you get rid of government, corporations step in to fill the gap left by government. And the truth is, corporate bureaucracy, the kind of bureaucracy people have to deal with every day when they try to do something as simple as pay their credit card bill is just as bad - or even worse - than any government bureaucracy.

If you don’t believe me, do yourself a favor and listen to Ryan Block’s now-viral experience with Comcast customer service. All Block wanted to do was cancel his cable account and get on with his life, but the Comcast retention agent he was speaking to just wouldn’t take “no” for answer.” The conversation kept going on just like that for another eight minutes!

The amazing thing about this is that it’s not amazing at all. I’m guessing pretty much everybody in America has had an experience like this with their cable company, bank, phone company, or some other giant, monopolistic entity. I know I have.

Read more here.

-Thom

Free excerpt, read book for free at Truthout, buy the book!

Community Square

"Again.....no water......no life......and yet we continue to frack it up!"
Posted by MrsBJLee.

"Israel chaos"
Posted by stone owl.

"Do citizens control government or does government control citizens?"
Posted by pkrause12249.

Wednesday's Daily Stack

Article: "Recording of Man’s Attempt to Cancel Comcast Will Drive You Insane" by Laura Stampler.

Video: One RingyDingy.

Site: Progressive Democrats of America.

Book: "Unequal Protection: The Battle to Save Democracy" by Thom Hartmann

Book: "Unequal Protection: How Corporations Became "People" - And How You Can Fight Back" by Thom Hartmann - new updated version out now!

Article: "Constitution of the United States", article 3 section 2. "... the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make..."

Site: Move to Amend

Case: "Santa Clara County vs. Southern Pacific Railroad", 1886.

Law: "McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission", 2014.

Case: "Burwell v. Hobby Lobby", 2014.

Hour Two: GOP Mayor walks 350 miles for Medicaid Expansion
- Mayor Adam O'Neal (R-Bellhaven, NC), Save Our Hospital

Video: In Memory of Portia Gibbs: No more deaths for lack of a hospital.

Video: GOP mayor’s plea for Medicaid expansion.

Video: The Man with the Plan to Save Belhaven's Hospital .

Article: "Bob Zellner" by J Kile.

Site: "Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund".

Case: "Buckley v. Valeo", 1976.

Case: "First National Bank Of Boston V. Bellotti", 1978.

Case: "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" (2010).

Law: "McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission", 2014.

Article: "How the For-Profit Corporate Prison Lobby Killed Immigration Reform" by Peter Cervantes-Gautschi.

Law: "Tillman Act of 1907".

Law: "Federal Election Campaign Act" (1971, amended 1974, 1976.

Law: "Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002" (McCain-Feingold).

Site: Move to Amend

Article: "The tea party radio network" by Kenneth P. Vogel and Mackenzie Weinger.

Quote: "Follow the money".

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Ellen Ratner, Bureau Chief

Site: "Goats for the old Goat".

Site: Governor Free Don Siegelman.

Article: "White House defies House Oversight Committee subpoena on the grounds that presidential advisers are 'absolutely immune' from testifying before Congress". At a briefing with reporters this afternoon White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest piled on, assailing Issa for 'throwing out subpoenas like candy on Halloween.'

Article: "White House blows off Issa subpoena to testify on possible political violations" by Pete Kasperowicz. “There must be a valid reason,” Cummings said. “There must be a predicate, there must be a justification, some evidence that this official engaged in some type of inappropriate activity. That foundation simply does not exist.”

Article: "Term Limits on Chairmen Shake Up House" by Guy Gugliotta, March 22, 1999.

Article: "White House Cannot Confirm Iran Nuclear Talks Extension" by VOA News.

Article: "Kerry to brief Obama as Iran deadline nears" by Justin Sink.

Article: "Report: Iran Sanctions Cost US Economy up to $175 Billion" by NIAC.

Book: Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare by Gareth Porter.

Article: "Treasury Secretary Jack Lew Calls for ‘Economic Patriotism’" by Robert Wenzel.

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 7/15" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 7/16" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "Why The Fight Between Rick Perry And Rand Paul Actually Matters" by Ed Kilgore.

Book: "The Illustrious Dunderheads" by Rex Stout.

Clip: "The Man from Abilene" - Eisenhower (you need to select it).

Article: "Explain to Me Again Why Thurgood Marshall Jr Is on the CCA Board?" by Jane Hamsher.

Article: "Third Way: ‘Majority of Our Financial Support’ From Wall Street, Business Executives" by Lee Fang. Third Way trustee Thurgood Marshall Jr. (Bingham McCutchen)

Law: "McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission", 2014.

Article: "Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom" by WikiSpooks.

Site: theyrule.net/.

Site: Thieves of Eden.

Book: "The Crash of 2016: The Plot to Destroy America--and What We Can Do to Stop It" by Thom Hartmann.

Video: Lincoln Didn't Fight The Civil War to Free The Corporations: Thom Hartmann at TEDxConcordiaUPortland.

Site: FORETHOUGHT.net.

Site: Money Out Voters In.

Article: "SB-1272 Campaign finance: advisory election" (Overturn Citizens United Act - California).

Article: "Governor Brown Issues Legislative Update" by Governor Brown. The following bill will become law without the Governor’s signature. SB 1272

Article: "House Democrats to unveil campaign finance amendment" by Lauren French.

Thursday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 3-6pm ET

We'll have the best of the rest of the news...all the latest news & information you won't be hearing from the corporate owned news media...

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