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.
deepspace: Do you ever wonder why mulit millions of us let that tiny class of predators get away with their madness???? I do.
The Crooked Donny show will go on until the reality part ends as one of the most destructive moments in global history. I honestly feel like this country is a snowball rolling to hell right now.
All true. IOW, he's too stupid to be president! Life immitating art --how in hell did America devolve into "Idiocracy" so fast?
All on their own, five individuals with godlike powers decided for 350 million of us that, rather than the people's government we were promised by our Founders, we should become an oligarchy, controlled by a tiny class of staggeringly rich, power-hungry predators.
It will take a concerted effort to wrestle the legislative branch from the deadly clutches of big donors, and then pass laws -- which black-robed, corporate stooges on the Supreme Court can't overrule -- to get dirty money out of politics, publicly finance campaigns, and make bribery of public servants and vote-stealing felonies punishable by long, mandatory prison sentences.
The United States is a failed democracy that has proven once again, like so many collapsed empires before it, the timeless truth of 1 Timothy 6:10, "For the love of money is the root of all evil..."
It works fine for those people who want the experience of living in an endless soap opera. For grownups who want to get things done in the real world, not so much.
Trump seems to have two issues. First, he cannot understand that being the chief executive does not mean he is the sole boss. Second, as a commentator on CNN said, he appears incapable of accepting that not everyone is motivated like him. Some people cannot be bought by money, power, attention, or sex. Not knowing how to deal with people he cannot control I think he is a fool if not a coward. But then the man is both pathetic and untrustworthy. In that sense he probably loves being in a fantasy world. Whether or not it works is irrelevant; he thinks it does and to him nothing else matters.
The Republican Party (traditional, not the Trump wing) serve their masters, the corporate leaders. The Trump Wing and the Tea Party Wing have no purpose except to weaken the federal government so the States can do anything they want without federal interference. If it were up to the Republican Party they would welcome the return of slave
The Twitter Twit is just the front man for the reality show. The REAL action is what the rest of the Republicans are doing to our country while we are paying attention to the onslaught of redirection. Dirty water, drilling in our national lands, closing schools, etc., seems to be their phony expression of their phony love of OUR country ... or more likely their love of corporate money.
crabby
The Republican party is no longer a credible political party. It is a collection of sociopaths who have found common cause in a strategy to realize their ultimate agenda - a plutocracy in which government exists only to serve and protect the very wealthy. The Republican party knows that there is a large segment of the population that can be manipulated by the perpetration of myths, such as 'government is evil,' 'moochers and takers,' 'Horation Alger', in which everyone is a millionaire in waiting, 'job creators,' 'trickle-down economics,' and many other myths that are used to exploit the gullible and resentful. These people have no clue that the ultimate realization of the Republican agenda will leave them impoverished and powerless. The Republican strategy is to implement their agenda slowly, with a gradual detoriation of government functions for the mass of people, then find a way to blame the dysfunction on government itself. This is not a political party, it's a bunch of self-obsessed liars hijacking the democratic process. Trump found a way to hijack the hijackers for his own ends.
The Republicans may be in no shape to run this country, but I can't see where the Democrats are any better off. The Democrats refuse to see the error of their ways, trying to retain their relationship with corporate donors and their allegiance to the Deep State.
I hope this means we are getting positioned for a whole new something to follow where none of the groups involved in all of the current mess will have any power, and individuals who have been shakers and movers will find themselves on the bottom of the pile with absolutley no political clout; your basic persona non grata.
We, the People, are due for a break and if this world is to continue on, it's time to bring down the curtain on the insanity that has been passing for civilized society. We need to get rid of Citizens United and Amendment #16. We need to re-establish the Constitution as a valid operating manuel with a few tweaks to update it, and we need to identify and remove the evil-doers. I hope people will be interested and concerned beyond just their own personal situations, otherwise we are in for a protracted and very rough ride.
Changes
That's too stupid to even respond too.
At some point in time the Government will realize that you have a choice. Let millions receive no healthcare and die. Or eliminate healthcare for profit and create a healthcare plan for all.
I agree whole heartily but it's next to impossible to create a new party and to participate in an elections without the money to buy the press and with the nedia undermining any efforts. The US is going trough what Puerto Rico went trough. I would say that my people were used like lab rats to develop the social mechanisms that are being applied in the US today. People are so confused on the island that they don't know what to do to defend themselves from corruption and they are being milked for every penny they got. The same is being done to us. After the coming world war, there's not going to be a US. The nation will go the way of the USSR.
To all you leftie/socialist zombies who blindly follow the democrat party, you got a great example as to how "caring and considerate" they operate their dirty machine during the third quarter of 2016. The talking bobble head radio and television buffoons immediately shifted their full support to the Clinton crime family and not one of them had the balls to even help pull the knife out of Sanders back.
Poor Bernie was left to cash in on his book deals and shop for his third home, proving capitalism works even for socialists.
My own politics are far to the left of mainstream Dems (not to mention Dems like the odious Ben Nelson). The distinction I'm making is only relative. At the moment, like it or not (and I don't), we have to choose between Republicans who would deprive 20 million people of healthcare and Democrats who... Lemme put it this way. With both parties, it's throw your poor doggie a bone. Although well-gnawed, the Democratic bone has a bit of meat and gristle still attached. The Republican bone has been picked clean, with even the marrow sucked out. Maybe down the line, buoyed by the success of Bernie Sanders, a truly progressive alternative will emerge, but for right now, the Democrats are all the people have.
"Repeal and Replace Obama Care" Has actually been a Hate Crime propaganda message. Starting with Chuck Grassley during passage it was poisened - tactic of GOP Put a pig in a dirty pen so they can call it a filthy anmial. They also lied that it was colapsing. Main Villians: Koch bros, Dick Army and 100s more - belong in prison for de frauding the people And Hate Speech and maybe Treason.
You mentioned Part D is what happens under monopolistic health care and I responded with one of the improvements the PPACA made to Medicare (2020 end of donut hole), and more improvements can be implemented and we definitely could use your help seeing that you mention that you are one of We the People and that you want your voice heard.
Earlier you seemed to be praising Medicare now you seem to be praising Workers Unions Benefits. I knew that finally you would come to your senses. The info above is an exciting reminder where you can tell all your friends who rely on Medicare and are not fortunate enough as you to have been offered a Union negotiated plan. Which by the way i think you mentioned earlier that it was a Federalized Union which makes me wonder how you don't find this as a benefit of a Socialized system. I am left to wonder what happened to all of your freedom of choice and competition demands dooming socialized plans. Either way most likely your plan is still in some way subsidized by Medicare.
You said in #15 Medicare recipients have no choice but too accept part D...there is no where else to go. Ask yourself. What For Profit Corporation would sell affordable health insurance plans to folks in the 60 years and above age bracket? The reason why they have no where else to go, just like prior to Medicare was in place if you could not pay cash you ended up with the if you get sick die quickly plan. Back then, We the People got tired of seeing people getting sick and dying unnecessarily from lack of health care and eventually Medicare was implemented.
2950: By what logic do you conclude that? First off, a Fascist third party mentality already permeates both of the two main parties. Constant war. Glorification of the USA as the "essential nation". A trillion dollar "defense" budget. Lip service to the needs of the great unwashed, but no real action that would cut into the corporate bottom line. What on earth makes you think "we" can "infiltrate" the Democratic Party? You might as well try to reason with a couple of piranha fighting over the corpse of some unfortunate cow that stumbled into their feeding ground. Neither of these parties gives a shit. And furthermore, they are really in "cahoots". It's a Kabuki dance, and it ain't being staged for our entertainment.
Washington is imposing sanctions on Venezuela for a "sham election", which it was. But nobody imposes sanctions on us for our sham elections....huh, I'll be damn.
In my opinion, the Teapublican Party has evolved from a right-wing conservative origin, which represented at best the top one percent, to an extreme alt-right Fascist Party representing two hundred individuals tops.
So I fully concur, they are incapable of governing a country.
In response to a couple of the above posts: I'm on board with a progressive third party if and when the Kochs and their Teabaggers form a Fascist third party. Otherwise the only alternative is to infiltrate the Democratic Party.
I have 2 comments...
The first regarding the ACA/Obamacare...being old enough to qualify for Medicare...and required to accept it over any private plan (I believe), I was unaware and surprised how many people I've talked to that are 'required' to have Obamacare and still can't afford Health Care. One is a single parent who gets tears in their eyes at every paycheck...seeing the 'required' payment being deducted...when they can't use the program because the Copays and Deductables make it impossible to access.
My second comment deals with the two major parties...and that's pretty much it...2 parties...Democrat and Republican. Unless the 'pubs' get another Eisenhower, I don't see being able to turn it into a party of the people.
The Democratic party is a different beast. It has an infrastructure for the taking...aka...Bernie style. In other words, it's the many people in the upper echelon that have to go...thus the 'bottom up' concept, until a point is reached that candidates by the people and for the people take up enough power positions to change it's direction. I believe this will happen with Charismatic leaders, such as Sanders, Warren, Merkley developing a following that care less for what the party currently stands for, and more what the right people in place can do for positive change.
Yes, stephensolomita, but relative to what? Could have been Medicare for all, with Obama's majority in both houses in his first two years. The mood in the country would have certainly supported it. Instead, he chose to keep feeding the beast. This is what I'm talking about, this "incrementalism" that the D party has devolved to.
I can't dispute the claim that Dems are also beholden to the hands that feed them. But I also can't ignore the fact that the ACA had provided 13 million formerly-uninsured people with health care. For those suffering with illnesses ranging from diabetes to pancreatic cancer, the ACA has made a measurable diffference. The percentage of uninsured Americans had dropped from 18.2% to 10.5%. That has to count for something.
@changex
I pay $10.00 for a 90 day supply generic prescription, $15.00 for a brand name with my union negotiated health insurance. No deductible, no spending limit. Why would I want a program that cost me more and has a deductible?
I think this was the Republicans plan all along. Obamacare is going to fail. The middle class can not afford to subsidize the less fortunate. They are barely getting by as it is. The cost to middle class is simply unsustainable so it will soon come crashing down. It will all fall on the Democrats and the Republicans will look like heros when they bring in something less taxing on the middle class which is the biggest voting block.