|
Thom's blog
American Democracy No Longer Works
Washington politicians don't give a damn about you or me. They only answer to billionaires and giant corporations. Thanks to forty years of Supreme Court decisions, American politics is no longer about the "will of We The People" - it's only about the money. As a result, we longer have a functioning democracy in America. Years of corporate-friendly Supreme Court decisions, like the decision in Citizen's United, have rigged and corrupted American politics so badly that average hard-working Americans have little to no influence in Washington.
Instead, our "elected officials" are only answering to the wishes of the wealthy elite and private interest groups. A study published in Perspectives on Politics by Martin Gilens of Princeton University and Benjamin Page of Northwestern University finds that when the wealthy elite or powerful interest groups want a policy passed or not passed, Washington listens. But, when We The People speak up and sound out about a particular policy or piece of legislation, Americans are right to be cynical.
In his dissent in Citizens United, Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens pointed out that the Court's decision would lead to fewer and fewer people even bothering to show up to vote. He said from the bench: "When citizens turn on their televisions and radios before an election and hear only corporate electioneering, they may lose faith in their capacity, as citizens, to influence public policy. A Government captured by corporate interests, they may come to believe, will be neither responsive to their needs nor willing to give their views a fair hearing. The predictable result is cynicism and disenchantment: an increased perception that large spenders call the tune and a reduced willingness of voters to take part in democratic governance."
-Thom
|
Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 9pm... The new GOP death panels (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)
Watch the video 'Last Hours' narrated by Thom Hartmann about the "time bomb" that is ticking underground, underwater and under ice... frozen methane that is now escaping and could trigger runaway climate change. www.lasthours.org
Have a question or comment for Thom? Grab your phone, hit record and send your video to YourTakeMyTake@gmail.com and we may air it on "The Big Picture."
Need to Know: The new GOP death panels- David Hogberg PhD, National Center for Public Policy Research 
Screwed: The new American warlords...- John Nichols, The Nation Magazine
The Best of the Rest...
Daily Take: American democracy no longer works
|
Friday's Daily Stack 
Hour One: If it's Friday, it's "Brunch With Bernie"... the honorable Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) joins Thom with all the news from our nation's capitol and as always he'll be spending the hour taking your calls and answering your questions too... Follow Bernie:    campaign site.
Hour Two: Anything Goes Friday! Article: " Constitution of the United States" Article 1, section 5". "Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member."
Hour Three: Anything Goes Friday! Article: " Constitution of the United States", article 3 section 2. "... the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make..." |
|
Monday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 3-6pm ET
Hour One: American democracy no longer works
Hour Two: The new American warlords...
And, the best of the rest of the news and your calls right here on...
The Thom Hartmann Program...your media support group for "we the people"...
|
|
Tuesday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 3-6pm ET
We'll have the best of the rest of the news...all the latest news & information you won't be hearing from the corporate owned news media...
And, the best of the rest of the news along with your calls right here on...
The Thom Hartmann Program, Occupying The Media 3 hours a day 5 days a week" for "we the people"
And don't forget...Democracy is NOT a spectator sport...it begins with you...
|
|
Thank you for being part of our ever growing community for News, Debate and Opinion on the Thom Hartmann Program.
Click here to subscribe to the Thom Hartmann Newsletter.
Sincerely,
The Thom Hartmann Program |
|
|
Thom's Poll
Will GOP state lawmakers give in to public pressure & expand Medicaid?
|
|
Watch & Listen to Thom
Caller: Could Corporations Make a Profit if They Pay Their Fair Share?
David Koch's 1980 Campaign Agenda
The Thom Hartmann Program - April 11, 2014
Is Roundup Killing Ag Workers in Central America?
Brunch with Bernie - April 11, 2014 |
|
Show Info
Call Thom on the show at 1-866-987-THOM (8466) (0870 974 9686 from the UK).
Sign up for Thom's podcasts.
Come on over to the free chat room, where Thom hangs out during the show.
Join in the discussions on Thom's free message board.
Blog or upload videos or audios at Thom's community.
|
 Would you like to help give a child with a very troubled background this feeling of peace? Thom and Louise Hartmann founded the New England Salem Children's Village (NESCV) in New Hampshire in 1979. With states delaying payment for the children they entrust to the village, they need help with cash flow. Can you help? Now on Facebook. |
|
