There used to be a time in this country when our elected representatives believed in America and its government.

From Lincoln creating the land-grant universities to FDR creating the Tennessee Valley Authority and Eisenhower building the Interstate Highway System, our leaders shared a common vision of America that saw government and public works as a positive force in our society. But then Reagan came along and the message was no longer “believe in America and its government,” it was “government is the problem, not the solution.”

This is basically the same idea that drives societies like Somalia, where the local warlords call the shots, and it’s led directly to the decline of our once world-class railroads.

While countries like China, Japan, and Germany are surging ahead with high-speed trains that are shattering records left and right, we’re stuck here in America with outdated technology and crumbling tracks.

The Acela train, which was supposed to be America’s answer to high-speed rail, travels at an average speed of just 79 miles per hour between Boston and Washington.

In comparison, high-speed trains travelling between Madrid and Barcelona travel at an average of around 150 miles per hour.

The Japanese, meanwhile, have just developed a passenger train that can travel at a whopping 374 miles per hour.

The Acela, of course, can travel as fast as 150, but it’s severely limited by the poor track quality along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, which according some estimates will need something to the tune of $4.3 billion in repairs by 2019.

Our railroads used to be the envy of the world, but now they’re a joke, a joke that in some cases, leads to tragedy.

Read more here.

-Thom

Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10pm... Why Are Taxpayers Funding 'Big Coal' (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 newest video: RESTORATION - narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio & Thom Hartmann, directed by Leila Conners / Visit GreenWorldRising.org to check out all the videos: CARBON, LAST HOURS & GREEN WORLD RISING - narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio & Thom Hartmann, directed by Leila Conners

Big Picture Rumble Panel:
- Sean Noble, American Encore
- Neil Sroka, Democracy for America
- Charles Sauer, The Market Institute

Best of the Rest: Who Protects Us From Police Gone Bad?
- Sheriff Richard Mack, The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association/Oath Keepers

Green report: Why Are Taxpayers Funding 'Big Coal'
- Tyson Slocum, Public Citizen's Energy Program

Community Square

"Christian Game Developer Launches Game to 'Shoot' LGBT People"

Wednesday's Daily Stack

Article: "Senate Votes Against Opening Debate On TPP Fast Track Authority" by TRNS.

Article: ""Black Box" Found as Investigation Begins Into Deadly Train Derailment in Philadelphia" by David Chang and Sara Smith.

Speech: "President John Kennedy's Rice Stadium Moon Speech", September 12, 1962.

Speech: "Address at a New York Rally in Support of the President's Program of Medical Care for the Aged." by John F. Kennedy, May 20, 1962.

Article: "Declaration of Independence".

Video: "Reagan: Government is not the solution to our problem government IS the problem".

Article: "Maglev Train Record in Japan: Reaches 374 MPH for 11 Seconds" by Nick Sanchez.

Article: "Shanghai Maglev Train" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Strategic Defense Initiative" (Star Wars) by Wikipedia.

Article: "'Opportunistic' Donald Trump claims Amtrak passenger train derailment is sign of 'horrible infrastructure problems' only he can fix" by Heather Saul.

Article: "F.E.C. Can’t Curb 2016 Election Abuse, Commission Chief Says" by Eric Lichtblau.

Article: "Hillary’s Lawyer Sues Ohio To Thwart Voter Suppression Tactics That Helped GOP Steal Ohio In 2004" by Steven Rosenfeld.

Quote: "This bill is not perfect; Amtrak is not perfect. But I truly believe this bill sets Amtrak on the course to reform itself and to improve itself so in the future they can move towards going away from the subsidy by the Federal Government. That is my goal: to get an Amtrak that doesn't have any Federal subsidies." - Bill Shuster.

Article: "Starve the beast" by Wikipedia.

Article: "2010 Tennessee floods" by Wikipedia.

The good: "Starbucks Is Moving Its Bottled Water Business Out Of Drought-Stricken California" by Emily Atkin.

The bad: Andrea Tantaros: "Fox Host: ‘Last Acceptable Form Of Discrimination’ Is Of White Men" by Ahiza Garcia.

The very, very ugly: "Ann Coulter Rips Michelle Obama on Race: Haven’t We Done ‘Enough’ to Make Up for Slavery?" by Matt Wilstein.

Quote: "There is no such thing as society" Margaret Thatcher.

Article: "Constitution of the United States".

Case: "Buckley v. Valeo", 1976.

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

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

Article: "Hormones in Animal Agriculture May Persist in the Environment Far Longer Than Expected" by Catherine Griffin.

Hour Two: What Makes You Conservative vs. Liberal
- Sheriff Richard Mack, The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association

Article: "First Amendment to the United States Constitution".

Article: "4th Amendment". "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.".

Movie: "Selma".

Article: "2nd Amendment". A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Speech: "A Rendezvous With Destiny", 27 June 1936 acceptance speech by Franklin D. Roosevelt. "An old English judge once said: "Necessitous men are not free men.""

Article: "Sheriff’s Life on the Line" (gofundme).

Article: "Good Cop Files Lawsuit Against Corrupt Department That Told Him ‘If you snitch, your career is done’" by Reagan Ali and Jackson Marciana.

Quote: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." - attributed to Edmund Burke.

Article: "ATF gunwalking scandal" (Project Gunrunner, Operation Fast and Furious).

Article: "Constitution of the United States" Article 1 section 10 Clause 1. "No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility."

Article: "Texas Passes Ban on Fracking Bans (Yes, You Read that Right)" by Cole Mellino.

Case: "Helvering v. Davis", 1937. "The proceeds of both the employee and employer taxes are to be paid into the Treasury like any other internal revenue generally, and are not earmarked in any way."

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

Quote: "I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations" "Speech at the Virginia Convention to ratify the Federal Constitution", June 6, 1788 by James Madison.

Quote: "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." - attributed to Abraham Lincoln".

Article: "North American Free Trade Agreement" (NAFTA) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Enumerated powers" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Philly mom faces jailtime due to New Jersey's strict gun laws" by Bruce Shipkowski.

Article: "Chris Christie Pardons Concealed Carry Owner Shaneen Allen" by Charlie Spiering.

Article: "United States Capitol shooting incident (2013)" by Wikipedia.

Movie: "Noble".

Article: "Erin Brockovich" by Wikipedia.

Hour Three: Arctic exposed to 75% chance of a LARGE spill
- Mary Nicol, Greenpeace USA

Article: "U.S. Will Allow Drilling for Oil in Arctic Ocean" by Coral Devenport.

Article: "How the Port of Seattle Dodged Public Input in Order to Host Shell's Arctic Drilling Rigs" by Sydney Brownstone.

Article: "Seattle mayor snubs Shell’s Arctic oil-drilling fleet" by RT.

Article: "Seattle port commissioners vote to ‘delay’ Shell: Ships still inbound" by Joel Connelly.

Article: "'The World is Watching' Seattle as Arctic Drilling Fight Heats Up" by Lauren McCauley.

Article: "14th Amendment, July 9, 1868 (citizenship, representatives, public debt)

Book: The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-vegetarian Critical Theory by Carol J. Adams.

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Victoria Jones

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 5/13" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 5/12" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "Report: Derailed Amtrak Train Was Traveling At 100 MPH" by TRNS.

Article: "House Committee Votes To Slash Amtrak Funding" by William McDonald.

Article: "House GOP approves cuts to Amtrak budget despite crash" by Andrew Taylor.

Article: "The White House’s abnormal talking point of the day: ‘Procedural snafu’" by David Nakamura.

Article: "Sen. Bob Corker Is 'Shocked' by How Little Data the NSA Is Collecting" by Lauren Fox.

Article: "What the USA Freedom Act giveth, and taketh away" by H.L. Pohlman.

Article: "Vatican Officially Recognizes Palestine As A State" by TRNS.

Article: "Constitution of the United States" Article 1, section 8: ...To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;...

Article: "Why this U.S. doctor is moving to Canada" by Emily S. Queenan.

Article: "The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection (Continued)" (Federalist 10) by James Madison.

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

We'll have the latest news and information...everything you need to know to win the water cooler wars...

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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Will the Amtrak train derailment force Congress to invest in infrastructure?

Vote here!

Proof - Rats Have More Empathy Then the GOP

Look Out - 75% Chance of a LARGE Spill in Arctic Waters

Librarians Throw The Book at the NSA

GOP's Food Stamp Hypocrisy

Crazy Alert - Rand Paul Staffer Gets Randy w/a Camera!?

The Good - the Bad and the Very Very Patripotestally Ugly

Full Show 5/12/15: NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio’s ambitious plan to combat national poverty

Tonight’s Big Picture Rumble discusses NYC Mayor De Blasio’s plan to fight national poverty, Senate Democrats rallying to stop the fast-track of the TPP, Wisconsin State Republicans demonizing the poor & working class, and Bernie Sanders’ litmus test for the Supreme Court if elected President. Also tonight, Thom discusses why fossil fuel giant Shell is being allowed to drill in the Arctic. And what’s the connection between librarians and the NSA? Thom reveals the interesting reason why many librarians are now becoming activists against government spying.

Amtrak 188 Derailment Should be a Wakeup Call!

Reaganism Caused the Amtrak Crash!

Why are Republicans Sticking it to our Troops?

Allen West: I was Sharia Law'd at Walmart!

Who's Writing the TPP?

The Mistreatment of Women in America

U.S. Tax Payers Subsidizing Fossil Fuel Companies!

When did Rats Become Better than Us?

Conservative Caller Weighs in on Frozen Embryos...