As usual, Republicans are doing everything in their power to help the 1% get even richer. Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee, led by Paul Ryan, have voted to eliminate the estate tax entirely.

The federal estate tax is a tax on property and assets that are passed down from a deceased individual to their heirs (like how Paris Hilton gets most of her money). The estate tax has brought in crucial revenue for our government for nearly 100 years, and Republicans have been opposed to it for nearly that long too.

They like to argue that the tax is too large, and that it’s too burdensome for small businesses and family-owned farms. But, the facts say otherwise.

According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, only 2 out of every 1,000 estates will owe federal estate tax in 2015. Only two. In other words, 99.8% of estates in America owe no estate tax at all.

Similarly, as the CBPP points out, “taxable estates generally pay less than one-sixth of their value in tax.” So far, this tax doesn’t seem too “burdensome” at all. And then there’s the argument Republicans make about the estate tax hurting small businesses and family-owned farms. Well, that argument is pretty bogus too.

As the CBPP notes, “Only roughly 20 small business and small farm estates nationwide owed any estate tax in 2013, according to the Tax Policy Center.” You heard that right. Only 20 out of hundreds of thousands of small businesses and family farms nationwide owed estate taxes in 2013.

Clearly the facts don’t support any argument Republicans make about the estate tax. So, that begs the question, why are Republicans doing everything in their power to eliminate it?

Well, the answer to that is pretty simple: to put more money in the pockets of the wealthy elite who own and fund the Republicans. After all, the wealthy elite HATE the estate tax.

Read more here.

-Thom

Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10pm... How Climate Change Has Impacted the West Coast Drought (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 & GREEN WORLD RISING - narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio

Need to Know: The 2016 Casino Election
- America's Lawyer Mike Papantonio, Ring of Fire Radio

Screwed: A Superhero To Fight Dark Money?
- Craig Holman Ph.D, Public Citizen's Congress Watch

PLUS, Iran-a good deal...so why do conservatives hate it?
- Paul Kawika Martin, Peace Action

Green report: How Climate Change Has Impacted the West Coast Drought
- Alexandra Nagy, Food and Water Watch
- Dr. Michael Mann, Penn State University / The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars

Why the Detroit Council Should Reject Raises
- Pastor D. Alexander Bullock, Change Agent Consortium (ActionCAC)

Thursday's Daily Stack

Hour One: Thom talks issues of the day with America's Lawyer
- Mike Papantonio, Ring Of Fire Radio

Article: "Who Wins the Money Primary?" by Robert Borosage.

Article: "SEC Still Allowing Corporations To Hide Campaign Funding" by Dave Johnson.

Article: "Ted Cruz raises $4 million in first 8 days" by Alex Isenstadt.

Site: Where is Mary Jo White?

Article: "Lawsuit after wines found to contain 'very high levels of arsenic' in California" by Ben Tufft.

Article: "Sen. Tom Cotton says cheer up, at least we're not executing gay people" by Laura Clawson.

Article: "Hillary Clinton Was the 11th Most Liberal Member of the Senate" by phenry.

Article: "Hillary Clinton's Voting Records" by Vote Smart.

Article: "Sen. Bob Menendez indicted on 14 counts of corruption" by David McCabe and Ben Kamisar.

Article: "SEC Still Allowing Corporations To Hide Campaign Funding" by Dave Johnson.

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

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

Article: "America on a War Footing: Three Members of Congress Just Reignited the Cold War While No One Was Looking" by Dennis Kucinich.

Article: "American police killed more people in March (111) than the entire UK police have killed since 1900" by Shaun King.

Article: "Former Blackwater Gets Rich as Afghan Drug Production Hits Record High" by Spencer Ackerman.

Article: "Bangers v bullets: A gun is now more likely to kill you than a car is".

Article: "47% of American households save nothing" by Shane Ferro.

Article: "Nicaragua Canal" by Wikipedia.

Article: "For John Bolton, war is the answer" by Dana Milbank.

Article: "‘Argo’ helps Iran’s dictatorship, harms democracy " by Abolhassan Bani-Sadr.

Hour Two: How close are we to war with Russia?
- Professor Stephen Cohen, The Nation

Book: Soviet Fates and Lost Alternatives by Stephen Cohen.

Article: "Cuban missile crisis" by Wikipedia.

Article: "This land is our land? Not if Republicans have their way" by Joan McCarter.

Article: "John McCain and Congress helping mining company steal ancestral, ceremonial Apache land" by Carissa Lovelace.

Article: "Corporation Literally Served Inmates Trash" by Carimah Townes.

Article: "Indiana’s ‘No Gay Wedding’ Pizzeria Has Closed" by Kevin McSpadden.

Article: "Republicans have a new plan to cut taxes for the top 0.2 percent" by Matt O'Brien.

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Bob Ney

Article: "Iran Nuclear Framework Deal Met" by TRNS.

Article: "Obama: Iran Nuclear Deal Is ‘Best Option By Far’" by Nicholas Salazar.

Article: "Arkansas Gov. Won’t Sign Religious Freedom Bill Without Changes" by Nicholas Salazar.

Article: "RFRA fix heads to Pence, who has yet to state position" by Tony Cook, Tom LoBianco and Brian Eason.

Article: "NASCAR Condemns Indiana's 'Religious Freedom' Law" by Lucy McCalmont.

Article: "DOJ: No contempt charges for former IRS official Lois Lerner" by John Bresnahan and Rachael Bade.

Article: "Atlanta schools cheating scandal: 11 of 12 defendants convicted" by Steve Almasy.

Site: "Goats for the old Goat".

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 4/2" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 4/1" by Victoria Jones.

Hour Three: Drugs in Cases of Violence, Suicide
- Dr. Peter Breggin, Practicing Psychiatrist

Book: Medication Madness: The Role of Psychiatric Drugs in Cases of Violence, Suicide, and Crime by Peter R. Breggin.

Book: Guilt, Shame, and Anxiety: Understanding and Overcoming Negative Emotions by Peter R. Breggin.

Article: "Germanwings Alps disaster: Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz trawled suicide and gay websites before crash" by Fiona Keating.

Article: "What was mental state of Germanwings co-pilot?" by Ben Tinker.

Article: "Prescription Drugs Associated with Reports of Violence Towards Others" by Thomas J. Moore, Joseph Glenmullen, Curt D. Furberg.

Video: Obama On Iran Nuclear Deal - Full Speech, Apr 2, 2015.

Movie: "Capitalism: A Love Story".

Article: "Buffalo area plane crash claims 50 lives" by Elizabeth Carey, Feb 13, 2009.

Article: "Zimmermann Telegram" by Wikipedia.

Friday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET

It's Anything Goes Friday! Let's talk about your choice of topics.

Plus, we'll have the latest news and information...everything you need to know to win the water cooler wars... right here on...

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Should Obama issue an executive order requiring gov’t contractors to disclose political spending?

Vote here!

Rumble - Americans Want TPP Transparency

Jamie Diamond Basically Just Gave Elizabeth Warren the Bird

Rumble - We Need More Drug Reform

If A Business is Discriminating - Pull Their License!

Garbage...it's what's for dinner at a prison near you

The Good - the Bad - and the Very Very Cheimaphillicly Ugly

Full Show 4/1/15: Prison Caught Serving Inmates Garbage

Thom debates Indiana’s religious freedom law with RedState’s Bryan Pruitt and discusses a Michigan prison’s decision to serve their inmates garbage with Michigan Progress’ Hugh Madden. Tonight’s “Rumble” talks Obama’s attempts to end the war on drugs, how Republican governors considering a presidential run have taken Obamacare money despite slamming the law, and how a group of college students have refused to pay back their college loans. In tonight's “Daily Take” Thom discusses the true history of the Boston Tea Party and what it can tell us about the fight to take money out of politics.

Pharmaceuticals Implicated in Germanwings Tragedy? (w/ Dr. Peter Breggin)

War with Russia? More Possible than Ever... (w/ Prof. Stephen Cohen)

Dark Money & Cheap Wine... with a Hint of Arsenic (w/ Mike Papantonio)

Thom Hartmann on the Science & Green News - March 30, 2015