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Thom's blog
Is This "American Exceptionalism"?
Just how exceptional is America really? Everyone loves to talk about American exceptionalism. We constantly hear our politicians say that “America is the greatest country in the world.” But just how great are we?
In reality, when it comes to things that could really make America great, we’re lagging behind much of the developed world.
Take healthcare for example. A study earlier this year by the Commonwealth Fund found that of the top 11 developed nations, the United States ranks dead last in health care and health outcomes like infant mortality and life expectancy. A similar report from the World Health Organization ranks our healthcare system 30th in the world - although we pay more per person for our health care than any other developed country in the world.
Meanwhile, while America is at the bottom of the healthcare barrel, we’re also far behind when it comes to education and educational outcomes. Last year, the Program for International Student Assessment looked at how 15-year-old students in 65 nations across the globe performed on a variety of tests. The group found that U.S. students ranked just 17th in reading comprehension and 21st in math. And similar studies have found that among developed nations, the U.S also comes in towards the bottom in educational attainment, or the highest degree of education an individual has completed.
But as America is lagging behind in education and healthcare, we are leading the world in one thing: violence. According to a study by two New York City doctors, the United States has a staggering 88 guns for every 100 people, and has 10 gun-violence related deaths per every 100,000 people. Both of those stats are higher than any of the other 27 developed countries that the doctors looked at.
So, what’s the common denominator here? What links poor educational outcomes, poor healthcare outcomes and high levels of violence all together?
-Thom
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Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10pm... Why Ebola is Hitting 10,000 Per Week (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)
 Be sure to check out our new videos: CARBON & LAST HOURS - both narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio
Need to Know: Why Ebola is Hitting 10,000 Per Week- David Quammen, Ebola: The Natural and Human History of a Deadly Virus / Spillover 
The Best of the Rest...
Police Now Getting "CIA Only" Spy Tools?- Ron Hampton, (ret'd) DC Police Officer / (formerly) National Black Police Association.
Daily Take: Is This "American Exceptionalism"?
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Tuesday's Daily Stack 
Quote: "The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms" attributed to Socrates or Plato.
Hour Two: Why are we number one in violence?
Hour Three: Thom rants on the news of the day
Quote: "If Your Only Tool Is a Hammer Then Every Problem Looks Like a Nail" - Abraham Maslow?. 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..."
Science and green news
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Wednesday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET
I'll be debating campaign finance with Gayle Trotter of the Independent Women's Forum.
Plus I'll be talking to comedian Dick Gregory about Ferguson, police abuse, racism, etc.
And, 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"
And don't forget...Democracy is NOT a spectator sport...it begins with you...
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 Would you like to help give a child with a very troubled background this feeling of peace? Thom and Louise Hartmann founded the New England Salem Children's Village (NESCV) in New Hampshire in 1979. With states delaying payment for the children they entrust to the village, they need help with cash flow. Can you help? Now on Facebook. |
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Thom's Poll
Are hospitals in the U.S. adequately prepared to stop Ebola?
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Watch & Listen to Thom
Christopher Columbus Was the Isis of Our Day
Why is Illinois Leading the Nation's Coal Rush?
Why Are We Terrorizing Black Children?
My Feminist Dilemma at the Peep Show
Is the GOP the Cause of the Ebola Outbreak?
Is Detroit the New 3rd World America?
Or watch the Full "Big Picture" Show...
Full Show 10/13/14: Activist Cornel West Arrested in Ferguson
Thom discusses the renewed protests in Ferguson, MO with Radio Talk Show Host and Activist Joe Madison, whether budget cuts at the NIH are hurting the U.S. response to Ebola with David Laska of the New York State Republican Party and how feminism and peep shows go together with Journalist Erica Garza. In tonight's “Daily Take” Thom discusses why we should stop celebrating Columbus Day.
Why are we Number one in Violence?
How Rupert Murdoch killed Ronan Farrow
Thom Hartmann on Science & Green News: October 14, 2014
How Video can Help Stop Racist Cops...
Columbus, Ebola and Racist Police Stops...
Caller: The Attack on Columbus is a Marxist Plot...
Caller: Columbus Wasn't Such a Horrible Guy...
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