Recent comments
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
By webmaster
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.
I have written and called all my elected representatives for weeks now. I have had no responses. I am upset, dismayed, and disappointed. Now my emails tell them that I will work very very hard to unseat any of my representatives that allows the public option to be dumped. And I mean it.
I haven't heard much about how fixing Healthcare will help the unemployment rate... As an Employer, if I had to lay people off because I couldn't afford them (not due to lack of work) and suddenly the government was able to save me money on my current employees Health care expenses, that leads to more money to hire those people back...
I'm sure most people have read the News feed about Boehner's "I Told You So" memo to PhRMA. It is nothing less than chilling as it delineates the long-running, entrenched collusion between government & the Drugmaker's monopoly.
Boehner and the GOP's callous root position on Healthcare for the public is demonstrated in their bare-knuckled battle credo..
"Appeasment rarely works in conflict resolution," Boehner said in the letter. "This is as true in the arena of policymaking as it is in schoolyards across America. When a bully asks for your lunch money, you may have no choice but to fork it over. But cutting a deal with the bully is a different story, particularly if the 'deal' means helping him steal others' money as the price of protecting your own."
So Progressives may equivocate details, the GOP clearly is not. This seems like the time to roll up the sleeves, let go of any illusions and get to work.
I've been supporting HR 676 http://www.hr676.org/ and now I'll be supporting your proposal as well. Some murky "public option" was never going to do it for us anyway, not by the time the private rip-off artists were done sticking conditions onto it. I do agree with the person who is calling for Medicare Part D to be fixed. Some of us are trapped onto it as we are not old enough (although I'm getting there) to qualify for Medigap policies. California used to pay my Part D premium and my Part D copays but my beloved Governor has let me know that it might just be my turn to die rather than roll back the states recent corporate tax giveaways. D is for Doughnut hole of Death. What happens when you let private corporations help write the plan. I know people don't trust the government. So, don't trust it; watch it like a hawk. But you can't watch private corps that way (well you can but it's illegal to bug their executive offices.) Enron should have told us not to trust them but if that wasn't enough how about last autumn's Wall Street collapse? I don't understand why this is such a partisan issue. We are already paying more than every other country does, per citizen, for good health care coverage...we just aren't getting what we pay for. Where is all that money going? Duplicative paperwork? To pay for people to keep denying the care you need and the drugs you need, harassing your doctor's office's to the edge of sanity (I was a medical insurance biller.) How about marketing? Lobbyists? Oh and let us not forget upper-level salaries and perks! Dividends? TV ads? A whole heck of a lot of things except health care? Medicare gets confined to the seniors and the disabled/chronically ill. This puts the most expensive users of care on the taxpayers' dime. While the private cos. get to cherry-pick who gets to give them premiums. Nice scam oops I mean system. If you are not the taxpayer, that is. I wish the radical right would sit down and shut up and let the rest of us have some health care. You know, that's not tea they're drinking.
Although it is not Friday, August 21, 2009, Mr. Obama wants bipartisanship in passing bills. What he fails to understand, the crazy right wingers want to destroy him. The crazy conservadems are also aiding in his destruction. Plus, a large number of people cannot accept a Black president. Well, they need to learn to live with the changing demographers in the United States because we will soon have a Hispanic for president. Toward the second half of the twenty-first century a large number of Muslims will hold many key government positions. Our so-called Christian nation by the beginning of the twenty-second century may see Islam as the majority religion in the United States.
Hey Rasta,
Why do you think Thom wants Palestinians exterminated? Did you hear him say something anti-Palestinian? Because if you did, you could argue your point in a rational way.
Right now you have lost credibility because of your false accusations. I feel you believe very very strongly in your cause, and it is such a very important cause that I would like to see you use credible arguments so that people will believe what you are saying. It isn't fair to Palestinians to give their argument a bad name by falsely accusing people when there are so very many people who have brought great harm to Palestine who do need to be criticized.
We need to focus our energies on the actual guilty parties in this terribly sad crisis. When you criticize Thom in what appears to be irrational outbursts, you have the opposite effect of what you are trying to achieve.
I love it when you argue rationally because you make many many good points.
So please help provide us with the real information we need to help fight for the rights of Palestinians in Gaza.
MEDICARE-FOR-ALL as Thom's editorial today suggested, is better than a private insurance dominated so-called public option.
(Isn't it weird that a private industry dominated plan should be called a "public" option???)
My friend who is an economist major dampened my enthusiasm for Thom's suggestion, however, by asking me questions I could not answer. So I share them here:
o Current Medicare recipients/participants paid into the system over years prior to participating in the program at retirement, so they may feel put upon to suddenly have to share the Medicare funds with a flood of millions who would opt in to "Medicare-for-All", no?
o How would it be funded? Would new taxes on the now tax exempt Richest (which is called that stupid term 'tax cuts') be used? Or would citizens choosing Medicare-for-All buy into the program ? -- and at what rate? Medicare for seniors results from years of paying in; how does a system like the one suggested immediately provide for a large universe of active members? (I believe, if we can give Halliburton and Blackwater Mercenary Supply billions in open-ended no-bid contract$ for an illegal war, and the Banksters a $700 billion Bail-Out (egad), we also can seed a Medicare-for-All program!)
So if I missed Thom's detailed proposal, can someone steer me to a place it is posted here?
Many thanks.
A popular notion by the right is that all boats can be lifted by some apparently imaginary force called “bootstraps.” Lift one’s bootstraps—what does that mean in literal sense, anyways? If life leaves you flat on the ground with a broken back, you should somehow reach for your bootstraps so you can pull yourself into a sitting-up position? Having gotten that far, you are in prime position to become either a corporate CEO, a Republican senator, or a right-wing talk radio personality? Everyone would be millionaires, right? What if we just printed quadrillions of dollars, passed them out to everyone, and people could buy everything they wanted? Of course, the federal government could be said to operating on the same principle now.
The problem is we’d soon run out of things, and someone has to make things. Since CEOs and senators don’t make a damn thing themselves, we’d have to import everything from China and elsewhere. Eventually the problem of supply and demand will set in, and inflation runs a million percent, and nobody wants our worthless money.
If this country operated on that principle from the beginning, we’d all be living in mud hovels without power, eating grass and twigs, sitting around talking about how shitty our lives are, and we’d all be as poor as dirt, because the only use all that paper is good for is as toilet paper and napkins. The principle intellectual discussion would be what came first: the chicken or the egg, or is it the egg or the chicken? Something has to come from something, or else it is nothing from nothing. Wealth can’t simply be produced by writing a number with a bunch of zeroes on a piece of paper. Someone has to produce, to make things. “Things” that you can hold or touch and can use for a purpose are what makes life “meaningful.”
There is that line “pursuit of happiness” in the Declaration of Independence, but some people prefer to keep all the happiness for themselves, purchased at the expense of the blood and toil of others. The plain fact is that with the proper balance of economic activity and compensation, we’d all be happy. Instead, the country is going in the opposite direction, with no apparent effort to reverse course.
I’ve heard it said that the difference between the right and the left is that right does bad things, and the left tries not to. Actually, I made that up, but given the spinelessness displayed by many Democratic politicians to do what they know is right, and the president’s recent cross-country tour which did more harm than good—more defense than offense—it would appear that their weakness only confirms what the right is saying in the minds of many. Democrats, including the president, do not seem to understand that the best defense is a good offense.
The president seems to have taken the Abraham Lincoln analogy too close to heart, surrounding himself with people who may be competent individuals, but presumably do not necessarily share his goals. Varied opinions are good—if their focus is on a narrowly defined goal. Fixing the economy is something everyone wants, but it won’t be achieved if everyone is pulling in different directions; only chaos will ensue.
The president must be aware that his presidency is on the line with the healthcare issue. The hell with Bill Clinton—he and Hillary failed to achieve healthcare reform, and if he had any credibility he would be stumping for a public option; I’ll give Clinton this much: I suspect he could get the public option message out a great deal more effectively than some other people, and given the fact he likes the spotlight, he could be more helpful than he is. But as I implied, he may have an “interest” in torpedoing healthcare reform, for purely personal reasons.
The president needs to regroup , get together with people like Senator Sanders who are serious about reform, and put out an agenda with clear, simple and precise goals, such as forbidding insurance companies from denying coverage for pre or post-conditions, limiting spiraling premiums, insurers cutting costs within their own bloated bureaucratic structure, forcing hospitals to pay for knowingly needless procedures that insurers refuse to cover and pass on to patients, abolishing Part D, force even “mini medical” plans to cover most of the cost of primary and preventative care. But above all, establish an affordable medical plan available for anyone who cannot afford paying $500 or more a month in premiums. If they don’t want to call it a public option, call it expanded Medicare.
It is time for the president and the Democrats to do what is right. Some day they will find themselves the subject of another “Profiles in Courage.”
Thank you, Thom, for pushing the Medicare for all proposal! Finally a voice of reason in the endless white noise of cable media. I am left to wonder, given the simple elegance of this solution, why it has not been proposed by anyone in the Congress. Has it?
I will agree with Phil on the point that so called bipartisanship hasn't gotten us anywhere and should have been abandoned as a strategy after the first failed attempt. When and if Obama realized that holding hands and singing Kumbaya with these people wasn't going to work he should have had a plan B. They have openly stated that they want this bill to be his Waterloo and that they want him to fail. Thom has offered him a way to save this initiative and for once I hope he pays attention to the people who actually support him.
I wanted to say one more thing about this. Nastier arguments with heated, intense debates offer a kind of laboratory where prejudices seem to surface and we seem to be more willing to allow to be part of the argument some prejudices more than others, or rather some prejudices seem to be more acceptable than other ones.
If we take the time to observe and reflect, passionate arguments give us an opportunity to talk about tacit assumptions and hidden prejudices we might not have known existed in ourselves and others until we started the street fighting. It brings them to the surface and I think they need to be talked about.
Mark.
I completely agree with you and I was afraid my comment would be misinterpreted. The point I am making is not that sexism should be used to defend Palin, but that sexist remarks shouldn't be used to criticize her. There are plenty of non-sexist reasons to dislike just about everything she says and when we on the left stoop to sexist humor or in the case of the crying talk show host, Glen Beck, when we stoop to humor that basically puts down everyone with bi-polar illness we aren't making good arguments.
Some of these comments are funny but even though I abhor the hate speech by the right-wing talk show hosts I felt offended by the way mental illness was characterized by Ring of Fire this weekend. They were backhandedly criticizing bi-polar disorder while they were satirizing Glen Beck.
There has to be a way to totally humiliate these mindless bozos without insulting innocent people that share characteristics with these fools. Women as a whole don't have to be insulted in order to prove Palin a fool and folks with bi-polar disorder also don't need to feel any more humiliation simply because an idiot talk-show host shares their condition.
Do you see what I mean now? It's a hard thing to make clear:-)
dianhow - yes republicans are bad people who do bad things, it would please me to see them disappear - and they probably would have if the democrats hadn't bungled the healthcare issue. When you have your opponent down, don't offer your hand, put your boot on their neck. Why is this simple lesson lost on the present day democratic party? Now isn't the time for bi-partisanship. Now isn'tt the time to unite the county or build a consensus. Do the republicans do this? No, they shove their repulsive laws down our throats and demand we thank them for it. Now is the time for us to do some shoving and to clean up after 33 years of corporate hegemony.
We have to ask ourselves what are the democrats doing with their veto-proof majority in the senate, the majority in the house and the White House? Are they bringing the change we believe in and demand? No. Should we be patient while the democrats work it out, after all it's only been 7 months? No, they only have 17 more until the republicans retake congress in Jan 2011.
So, if the president wants us to "make him do it " as Thom suggests, what better way that the treat of losing their majority? Believe me, none of the Blue Dogs fear pressure from the left. They know that if they were to shift left in their positions, they would lose the right leaning independents in their disticts and lose in the general election. If a progressive opponent were to beat the incumbent in the primary, the result in the general would be the same. That leaves only one option, support the republican in the race. Obviously this is not a good option because we all hate republicans, but it the message needs to be sent to the Blue Dogs. They must be punished for their disobedience and disloyalty. Maybe if they hear this message some will change their minds and decide that it is more important to have real health care reform than to keep their damn seats in congress.
So, to all of you Blue Dogs out there - you need to do the right thing, even if doing so gets you beat in the next election. Your country needs your sacrafice. If you join with your progressive brothers and sisters in the congress and pass a health care bill with a public option, we may support you in the next election. And even if you lose your seat, at least you will lose with dignity and leave a positive legacy for future generations.
Thanks Thom,
I wish we could make your letter into a petition.
Hi Thom,
Thank you! Thank you! I dropped my healthcare coverage a couple years ago because I could not afford it. I would love an option to buy into Medicare. Your letter is clear and simple and, I believe, represents the opinion of the majority of the American people. It is brilliant in that it leaves no room for conservatives to shoot it down. I plan to send it to all my friends, along with the number for the White House Customer Service line. We HAVE to get this done as a country, and I believe we are "so close", that I can taste it. Let's keep the pressure on the Democrats to do the job we elected them to do. Thanks for all you do!
I like my "Dear Obama" letter better - http://pms666.com/2009/08/18/dear-president-obama/
Call it "FamilyCare"
Or "VAM" - Voluntary Access to Medicare
Or Patients Able to Join America's Medicare Act : PAJAMA!
Thom listeners out there - yes- we are ALL pissed about this apparent cave in by Barack to big powerful insurance lobby etc. But still - I can never again vote GOP- not after what 30 yrs of GOP reign has brought us to- this world wide meltdown / disaster. Rragan - Bush deregulation- trillions in fat cat tax breaks- lying us into iraq- ignoring the needs of middle America. GOP gave up the finger long ago. Thats why I became a Dem in 2008. If we get another Repub Pres- they will just FINISH US OFF !
Just a little news on Rasta here. I researched his other blog posts and seems he is also charging Santa Claus with the starvation of the Ethiopians! That Rasta, he is some journalist.
Thom Thanks for your letter, it is wonderful! Below is what I wrote to President Obama today. I also called the White House and voiced my concerns, disappointments, and what I expect him to do for Americans.
Dear President Obama,
My name is Donald Arbuckle and I retired in 1999 after 20 years of service from the United States Air Force. I was a die hard Republican during my career; however, I became an Independent because I became very disillusioned with both the Democratic and Republican parties. Then you came along and gave me new hope for our country. However, I just heard something on the radio that is very disturbing to me. The commentator stated that you are thinking allowing the removal of the public option from your healthcare reform bill. I do not understand how you can cave in to the Republican Party and the special interests. We elected to make some hard choices and to make changes that America needs. It is the right of every American to have affordable health care. The more you give in to the Republicans, the more you let down those who fought hard to get you elected. It is time for you to stand strong for all of us. You have the responsibility to fight hard to get this health care reform passed without the Co-Op as part of the bill.
I have two suggestions for health care reform:
First, let me say that I have “public option” health care called TriCare. I am one of the fortunate citizens who have good medical coverage. My wife is also covered. My children were covered when they were younger. It only costs me $465.00 a year for TriCare Prime. Now that my children have graduated from college, they no longer have health insurance, and that concerns me as a parent.
I also have a sister who does not have health insurance. She has high enough income to be ineligible for state insurance but not enough income to buy her own. The discs in her back are deteriorating. She is only 50 years old and her quality of life is very poor due to extreme back pain that keeps her a prisoner in her home. She cannot afford to get the medical care she needs.
I think the majority of Americans not eligible for state insurance can afford $465.00 a year for health care ($38.75 per month). Why not allow all Americans buy in to the TriCare system?
or
Allow all Americans to buy in to Medicare.
Mr. President, please do not give in to the Republican Party or the lobbyists. If you cave in to pressure from these people to sign a bill that exchanges Co-Ops for a true Public Option, you will be responsible for the continued suffering and deaths of Americans who will not get heath care because of your failure to fight for what you know is best for our country. Please do not let America down!
Sincerely
Don Arbuckle
I agree with the Medicare option except for one thing - PART D!! I am on Medicare and have to pay over $5000 in medication cost between January and February because of the "donut hole." Like I said, I totally agree. We have to have some kind of option. It's just the Republicans "did use in" when Part D was created.
Great letter Thom ! Go for it. What else can We all do ?
Its no big surprise that Barack is caving to the powerful insurance lobby- fat cats who have screwed us for 30 yrs. Barack is under tremendous pressure- and he's had only 7 + months to do accomplish this huge feat.
. This meltdown took 30 long years to bring us to our knees. Many folks wonder- how we can afford public care now. So many are gullible and easily fooled by the same old right wing lies- smears- fear tactics being used from 1980- Reagan through Bush 2008.. Clinton did not help with NAFTA - Free - but NOT fair trade and signing the Glass Steagal bill.
Two very bad moves by Clinton. .Keep up the great work Thom !
You Maddow and big Ed Schultz keep us going . This is nerve wracking !!
.
Thom,
I believe your letter was brilliant too. I just wonder, since our President's W.H. said that a public option was not an "essential element", should we trust them? or should we hope that the W.H. is putting up a trial balloon? and in doing so basically holding a knife to their own best friend's throat and warning their opponent to "GET BACK!" or "I'll kill 'em!" "Em" being us who agree with you, Thom. Those who want to see him succeed. I hope the President takes your idea. I fear he may need to feel heat from his base before he stops only using them. He could use some help, not only from the people, but also from the middle. Senator Amy Klobuchar has had thousands of petitions concerning single payer health care delivered to her local office in MN. from us local Democrats here in Michelle Bachmann's Sixth MN. Congressional District without ever even acknowledging them. The SILENT middle in the Senate needs a swift kick in their collective arses. Whatever President Obama's true methods and motives really are, he needs all hands to pitch in. I have noticed that you've started using the metaphor of playing poker to describe the President's "game". I'm still waiting to hear whether the Prez is playing checkers or chess. Whichever works, we are the ones whose arses are on the line. Sorry about the rant. You try living in Bachmann Land! Hope you are liking the weather here Thom.
Thom,
I believe your letter was brilliant too. I just wonder, since our President's W.H. said that a public option was not an "essential element", should we trust them? or should we hope that the W.H. is putting up a trial balloon? and in doing so basically holding a knife to their own best friend's throat and warning their opponent to "GET BACK!" or "I'll kill 'em!" "Em" being us who agree with you, Thom. Those who want to see him succeed. I hope the President takes your idea. I fear he may need to feel heat from his base before he stops only using them. He could use some help, not only from the people, but also from the middle. Senator Amy Klobuchar has had thousands of petitions concerning single payer health care delivered to her local office in MN. from us local Democrats here in Michelle Bachmann's Sixth MN. Congressional District without ever even acknowledging them. The SILENT middle in the Senate needs a swift kick in their collective arses. Whatever President Obama's true methods and motives really are, he needs all handst to pitch in. I have noticed that you've started using the metaphor of playing poker to describe the President's "game". I'm still waiting to hear whether the Prez is playing checkers or chess. Whichever works, we are the ones whose arses are on the line. Sorry about the rant. You try living in Bachmann Land! Hope you are liking the weather here Thom.