Catch The Thom Hartmann Program LIVE 3-6pm ET M-F!

Hour One: Do you really want "Dirty Harry" standing outside your school with a gun? Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County, AZ / Plus, should names of legal gun owners be published in the newspaper? Noel Flasterstein, Attorney/Host-The Gun Show

The days of guaranteed retirement benefit in the form of a pension are long gone. As numbers out of the Bureau of Labor Statistics show – defined benefit retirement pension are on a drastic decline since 1981. That was the year when over 80% of full-time workers in the private sector participated in a pension plan. By 1997, that number had plummeted to just over 50%.

Catch The Thom Hartmann Program LIVE 3-6pm ET M-F!

Hour One: Ma Biz / Baby Biz...? / Plus, Should Senator Feinstein be tried for treason? Alex Jones, Host-The Alex Jones Show

Hour Two: Should plastic water bottles be banned nationwide? Brian Dunning, Host-Skeptoid

Florida Governor Rick Scott is using poor people in his state as pawns in his political game. Scott is one of a number of Republican Governors, who are using their grudge against President Obama to deny millions of low-income Americans health insurance coverage. As part of Obamacare – states are expected to expand their Medicaid coverage to cover more low-income Americans.

Catch The Thom Hartmann Program LIVE 3-6pm ET M-F!

Hour One: Guns don't make a revolution, people do... / Plus, corporate personhood in the carpool lane? Jonathan Frieman, JD

Hour Two: Mandatory prayer...coming back to a public school near you? - Dan Gainor, Media Reserch Center

Of what might happen if Republicans refuse to raise the debt limit, is beginning to emerge. According to analysis by the Bipartisan Policy Center – if the debt limit isn’t raised by the end of February – then a chain reaction of events will happen that will ruin both the United States’ and global economy.

Catch The Thom Hartmann Program LIVE 3-6pm ET M-F!

Hour One: Talking back to Fox News on billionaires...

Hour Two: Platinum coin to fix the debt ceiling? Jamie Weinstein, The Daily Caller

Hour Three: Did Canada's austerity experiment work? Dr. Jim Stanford, Economist-Canadian Auto Workers & Author "Economics for Everyone"

Are Republicans really going to blow up the economy in the debt-limit fight? All signs point to yes. On Sunday, Republican Congressman Matt Salmon called on his colleagues to shut down the government unless President Obama agrees to significant spending cuts to Social Security and Medicare Insurance.

In the House, John Boehner was narrowly elected to his second term as Speaker – surviving a revolt by a handful of Tea Party Republicans. But the action is in the Senate, where the battle for filibuster reform is heating up.

Catch The Thom Hartmann Program LIVE 3-6pm ET M-F!

Hour One: The case against billionaires... Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Manhattan Institute

Hour Two: Do we need to arm teachers? Noel Flasterstein, Attorney & Host-The Gun Show / Plus, Geeky Science - Hitting streaks in baseball may be contagious

Hour Three: 2013...extreme austerity here we come

The United States is set to jump into an austerity economic death spiral this year. Already – thanks to Republican hostage scenarios forcing deep spending cuts, the United States is set to swallow $348 billion in austerity measures in 2013. That includes $200 billion in spending cuts and an additional $125 billion from the expiration of the payroll tax cut.

Catch the Thom Hartmann Program LIVE 3-6pm ET M-F!

Hour One: Django - Tarantino tells the South to screw itself

Hour Two: Is Frankenfish far less scary than fast food? Dr. Arthur Caplan / Plus, Thom talks filibuster reform with Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

Hour Three: Will filibuster reform cause the Democrats to lose the House in 2014?

The House of Representatives needed overtime – but late Tuesday night, they agreed with the Senate and passed legislation to avert half of the so-called “fiscal cliff.” And despite President Obama and some Democrats declaring victory after Republicans were forced to sign on to a small tax increase for the wealthiest Americans, this fiscal cliff deal is actually a dream come true for billionaires and banksters.

The first casualties of going over the so-called “fiscal cliff” will be more than two million unemployed Americans who depend on extended emergency unemployment benefits.