In the last decade - America has been involved in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - and the mainstream media has been all over both of them. But there's a war going on right here at home - all across the nation - and no one's saying a word. It's war. Rob, plunder, and pillageTurn the Makers into slaves, while the Takers get an Inheritance Tax cut so their great-grandchildren can live the lives of the landed gentry. When Ronald Reagan came into office, America was one of the most socially- and economically- mobile nations in the developed world. Today it is among the least. Democracy is being replaced by plutocracy. Modern oligarchs are richer than the kings of old.

F. Michael Maloof, former security policy analyst in the Office of the Secretary of Defense & author of EMP: The Escalating Threat of an American Catastrophe, joins Thom Hartmann. When it comes to national security - all the talk right now is about preventing nuclear war. But - what if I told you there is a threat far bigger - and potentially far deadlier - than a nuclear bomb?

Neil McCabe, Human Events Online, joins Thom Hartmann. Today - Republicans are acting like economic terrorists - and could do far more harm to our economy by defaulting on our debt, than al Qaeda could have dreamed of. So why should they ne negotiated with?

David Selig, Conservative Commentator & Pro-Business Advocate, joins Thom Hartmann. Thanks to relentless Republican austerity demands since President Obama took office four years ago, nearly 700000 public workers - like teachers, cops, and food inspectors - have lost their jobs. That's the largest four-year decline in public workers since 1944 to 1948, when World War 2 ended. Despite moderate job creation over the last three months, one government worker has been fired for every five new private sector hires. And this purge of government workers is dragging down our economy. As the Economic Policy Institute uncovered, every time a dollar is cut in the salary of public-sector workers, the economy loses 24-cents. Government spending and government jobs are desperately needed to fix the unemployment crisis in America. And every president in history who's faced similar economic challenges - from FDR to Reagan - has increased government employment to get us out of a recession. As the top of this chart shows - Reagan created tons of public sector jobs to life the nation of a recession in the early 1980's. But Republicans - who are still hell bent on crashing the economy and blaming Democrats for it - won't let President Obama do the same things to fix this current problem. So why is that?

President Obama officially nominated former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel to be our nation's next defense secretary. Hagel is a Republican - which has a lot of progressives confused as to why President Obama would nominate someone from across the aisle to head up the Pentagon. But - I believe there's some sort of strategy here behind the President's choice. Clearly - the Pentagon's budget needs to be cuts - it's bloated and wasteful. But Democrats - who historically have been scared to death of looking soft on defense - don't have the courage to do it. Which might be why the President has picked a Republican to oversee the Defese Budget - and hopefully - down the road - make some much needed a cuts. The President is making the calculation that only a Republican can get away with cutting defense - hence the Hagel choice. It's the "Nixon to China" effect. Only Republican Richard Nixon could have gotten away with vitising Communist China. A Democrat would have been roasted by Republicans for doing the same things. So that's what I think is happening here. Sure - there are a lot of reason to be uneasy about Republican Chuck Hagel heading up the Defense Department. But it might be the only way we can get those much-needed defense cuts down the road. Stay tuned.

The Good! *Alabama State Rep. Patricia Todd (D)* Todd - a Democrat and Alabama's first openly gay legislator - has introduced a bill that would repeal the state's existing sex education law - which requires teachers to teach that homosexuality is illegal and that "abstinence from sexual intercourse outside of lawful marriage is the expected social standard." The bill would strike requirements that teachers emphasize "homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual conduct is a criminal offense." It's time for the LGBT community to be embraced by society - not vilified by it. Let's hope Ms. Todd's bill gets passed in Alabama - and that it's just the beginning of a larger movement. ----------------- The Bad! *Michael Savage* On Sunday - the conservative radio host told fellow radio show host Aaron Kleine that, quote, "We need a nationalist party in the United States of America" Savage went on to argue that the Tea Party isn't strong enough, and that, quote, "They need to restructure their party. They need a charismatic leader, which they don't have." In the interview - Savage also attacked the Republican Party - calling it quote "an appendage of the Democrat machine." Sorry Michael - but I don't think that "an appendage of the Democrat machine" would hold critical legislation hostage - time after time - hurting the livelihoods of millions of Americans in process. -------------------- and the Very Very Ugly! *Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX ...

Thom talks with Conservatives Neil McCabe and David Selig on raising the debt ceiling and the large decrease in government workers during Obama's presidency. Also discussed: why having Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary makes sense, how the media is ignoring America's war at home and in tonight's "Daily Take" Thom explains why Fox News' is horrified by our "No Billionaires Campaign."

Kurt Walters, Public Campaign Action Fund & Bob Edgar, Common Cause & Shane Larson, Communication Workers of America (CWA) all join Thom Hartmann. Imagine how productive Congress would be if the filibuster were a thing of the past. Things would actually get done on Capitol Hill for the benefit of ALL Americans. But is saying goodbye to the filibuster even realistic? For tonight's Bigger Picture discussion we're going to tackle the issue of the filibuster: what it is, it's history, how it's been used, and what are the current political dynamics shaping filibuster reform.

Kurt Walters, Public Campaign Action Fund & Bob Edgar, Common Cause & Shane Larson, Communication Workers of America (CWA) all join Thom Hartmann. Imagine how productive Congress would be if the filibuster were a thing of the past. Things would actually get done on Capitol Hill for the benefit of ALL Americans. But is saying goodbye to the filibuster even realistic? For tonight's Bigger Picture discussion we're going to tackle the issue of the filibuster: what it is, it's history, how it's been used, and what are the current political dynamics shaping filibuster reform.

Stewart Acuff, Utility Workers Union of America & Marc Harrold, Libertarian Commentator & Vince Coglianese, Daily Caller all join Thom Hartmann.

Stewart Acuff, Utility Workers Union of America & Marc Harrold, Libertarian Commentator & Vince Coglianese, Daily Caller all join Thom Hartmann.

Let's say you're in your twenties, and just starting out in life. And one day an insurance salesman walks up to your doorstep, toting his briefcase and wearing a cheap suit and a tie. He rings the door bell, smiles like a televangelist, and says, "Have I got a deal for you!" He's pushing a brand new insurance plan. He calls it "Lifetime Disaster Insurance." And he says..."For the rest of your life, you'll be covered whether you're a teenager, in your twenties, thirties, whatever age." He goes on to say...."This insurance protects you against anything. If you're disabled in a car accident, a mugging, or any other sort of horror, this insurance policy will kick in and cover all of your medical expenses, your rent, food, and pretty much everything else from the time you're injured until the day you die, even if you live to 100!" You look at him skeptically, but, unfazed, he continues. "Not only will this insurance plan cover you, but it also covers your spouse and kids, if something terrible happens to you, then your spouse and your children will be covered and cared for as a part of this insurance plan. And if something happens to any of them, their medical bills and the cost of feeding, clothing, and housing them will be covered, too. Forever! "Not only that," he continues, "If you have a child with a birth-defect that requires lifelong care, this insurance plan will cover all the medical expenses - and all the cost of living expenses - for your child from birth to death ...

In tonight's "Bigger Picture" discussion Thom talks with a panel about finally ending the destructive filibuster in the US Senate. Tonight's "Big Picture Rumble" panel discusses filibuster reform, what the 113th Congress will take up and Bill O'Reilly's comments calling liberals crazy. In tonight's "Daily Take" Thom tells the story of an insurance salesman who's trying to scam you out of your social security.

It's time to start funneling the riches produced by the American economy to the real job creators: working class people who are spending money. And the best way to do that is to outlaw billionaires with a 100% wealth tax on all assets over one billion dollars. We can call it the "No Billionaires Campaign," and it just might be our best hope to save the American middle class.