Thom's Blog

The next mass extinction could be closer than we think...

Methane emissions in the South Central US are nearly five times higher than previously thought. According to a new study from Harvard University, there is way more methane being pumped into our atmosphere, and that means a much larger effect on climate change.

ALEC wants to kill Obamacare.

The American Legislative Exchange Council is pushing new legislation to prevent insurance companies from accepting subsidies under the healthcare law.

Bombs and drones aren't the only way to resolve a conflict.

On Sunday, major world powers reached an agreement to scale back the Iranian nuclear program. In exchange, our nation and others will slightly lift some of the sanctions against Iran, but embargoes against Iranian banks and oil will remain in place. The interim deal was reached in Geneva, where the US, UK, France, Germany, China, and Russia crafted the diplomatic agreement.

Harry Reid goes nuclear!

Yesterday, majority rule finally returned to the U.S. Senate. After five years of Republican obstruction, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid invoked the so-called “nuclear option,” with 52 Democrats voting to reform the filibuster. Since President Obama took office, Republicans have used the filibuster more than any other time in our history.

The JPMorgan settlement is a scam!

On Tuesday, the Justice Department announced that JPMorgan has agreed to a $13 billion dollar settlement over the fraudulent sale of mortgage backed securities. But, that settlement is a fraud in and of itself. Four billion dollars of that figure was actually part of a settlement announced a month earlier, and the rest can hardly be considered a penalty against the big bank.

We must take back our Justice System!

Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued their first ruling of the term, refusing to block a new abortion law in Texas. That law imposes strict building standards on abortion clinics, blocks abortions after 20 weeks, and requires doctors that perform the procedures to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their facilities.

Is coal gasification coming to the US?

Our nation has seen the dangers of coal mining and drilling for natural gas, but few of us have heard of coal gasification. That's because it's a highly dangerous process of creating synthetic natural gas, by setting coal on fire and injecting it with oxygen and water. And, if an Australian energy company has their way, Americans may become very familiar with this dangerous process.

Deadly weather is the new normal...

Over the weekend, a deadly string of nearly 80 tornadoes ripped through the Midwest. Meteorologists called the storms “a rare and very dangerous late-season weather outbreak” that came on quickly and gave people little time to find shelter. As of Monday morning, at least six deaths had been reported from the storms that spanned seven states, and the worst of the damage occurred in the town of Washington, Illinois.

A peak behind the TPP curtain.

This week, Americans got a peak behind the curtain of the Trans Pacific Partnership, and what we found is frightening. On Thursday, Wikileaks published a complete draft of the “intellectual property rights” chapter of the TPP, and it poses a serious risk to free speech and information access.

The IRS wants info on tax dodgers!

The Southern District Court of New York says the IRS can go after people who stash fortunes overseas. Last week, U.S. District Judge Kimba M. Wood authorized the agency to issue summonses that require Citibank and New York Mellon to hand over information about U.S. taxpayers who've been evading federal taxes.

Our economy should work for us.

You wouldn't know it by looking at your bank account, but our GDP growth rate was 2.8% in the third quarter of 2013. That's much higher than the long-term rate of 2%, but average Americans won't see any benefit from better growth.

The "Largest Corporate Power Grab You've Never Heard Of."

Many Americans oppose NAFTA and other trade deals, but they haven't even heard of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison describes the TPP as the “largest corporate power grab you've never heard of.” Despite 19 rounds of negotiations that started all the way back in 2005, many of the details of the TPP still remain secret, even to members of Congress.

Honor our veterans with peace.

Veterans Day is about honoring our service men and women, for the patriotic duty of putting their lives on the line to protect and serve our nation. But, one of the most important historical points about this day has been forgotten. Originally, Veterans Day was known as Armistice Day, and it commemorated the end of the First World War.

Lawsuit alleges insurance companies are at fault for cancellations.

Millions of insurance policies are being canceled across the nation, and while companies are blaming Obamacare – it appears that plain old greed is the real reason. Consumers in California say that their insurance company caused their cancellations, to jack up their premiums under the ACA.

Is the CIA bribing AT&T to spy on foreign citizens?

The Central Intelligence Agency has been bribing AT&T to help them spy on international communications. According to a new report in the New York Times, the CIA has been paying that company $10 million dollars a year for access to their overseas metadata. By accessing that data, the CIA is spying on private communications, including the date and length of calls, and the phone numbers involved, all without a warrant.

ADHD: Hunter in a Farmer's World

Thom Hartmann has written a dozen books covering ADD / ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.

Join Thom for his new twice-weekly email newsletters on ADHD, whether it affects you or a member of your family.

Thom's Blog Is On the Move

Hello All

Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.

Please follow us across to hartmannreport.com - this will be the only place going forward to read Thom's blog posts and articles.

Syndicate content