The person in charge of our Federal Election Commission says she has pretty much given up hope of regulating the 2016 election. That agency has been unable to reach a conclusion on any key vote, because they are perpetually locked in a 3-to-3 tie along party lines.

In an interview with the New York Times, FEC Chairwoman Ann M. Ravel said, "The likelihood of the laws being enforced is slim." She's not even talking about dealing with new rules to address the massive level of corruption in our political system. She's saying that they can't even hold anyone accountable for violating the inadequate rules that are already on the books.

According to that recent piece in the Times, "Some commissioners are barely on speaking terms, cross-aisle negotiations are infrequent, and with no consensus on which rules to enforce, the caseload against violators has plummeted."

So, the FEC recognizes that groups and individuals are violating election laws, but they can't get along long enough to do anything about that, let alone protect the integrity of our elections in 2016. This amounts to telling a thief that you're leaving the front door unlocked, and that you'll be too busy arguing with your neighbors to worry about who might get inside.

Since the earliest days of this great nation, protecting our democratic process has been paramount. Without the right of We, The People to select our representatives and decide on issues, this country would have been no different than the monarchies and dictatorships that came before our democratic republic. And, in the wake of the Supreme Court's disastrous Citizens United ruling, it's more important than ever that we hold people accountable when they violate the law.

It's the FEC's job to protect the integrity of our elections, and it's about time that we put pressure on that agency to make sure that they stop bickering and start doing their job.

-Thom

(What do you think? Tell us here.)

  

Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10pm... No show tonight - quarterly maintenance (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)

 

Be sure to check out our newest video: RESTORATION - narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio & Thom Hartmann, directed by Leila Conners / Visit GreenWorldRising.org to check out all the videos: CARBON, LAST HOURS & GREEN WORLD RISING - narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio & Thom Hartmann, directed by Leila Conners

 

 

There will be no show tonight as it is RT's quarterly maintenance day

 

Thursday's Daily Stack 

Article: "House Committee Votes To Slash Amtrak Funding" by William McDonald.

Article: "House GOP approves cuts to Amtrak budget despite crash" by Andrew Taylor.

Article: "Panel approves DC Metro funding cut" by Keith Laing.

Article: " Rail privatisation: legalised larceny" by Aditya Chakrabortty.

Article: "Viareggio train derailment" (29 June 2009) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Maglev Train Record in Japan: Reaches 374 MPH for 11 Seconds" by Nick Sanchez.

Article: "Currently Available Technology May Have Prevented Fatal Amtrak Crash. But Congress Never Funded It" by Josh Israel.

Article: "Positive train control" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Rail transport" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Privatisation of British Rail" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Supreme Court Sides With Amtrak, With Some Distaste" by Adam Liptak.

Article: "Russ Feingold Announces Senate Run, Setting Up Rematch".

Article: ""The Rich Suffered More": The Worst Of Fox News' Poor-Shaming" by Media Matters.

Article: "Amtrak Crash Death Toll Rises To 8" by Nicholas Salazar.

The bad: Andrea Tantaros: "Fox Host: 'Last Acceptable Form Of Discrimination' Is Of White Men" by Ahiza Garcia.

Article: "Running on empty: Federal road construction fund set to expire " by Sharon O'Malley.

Article: "Constitution of the United States" Article 1 section 8: ...To establish Post Offices and post Roads;...

Hour Two: Is treachery afoot with the TPP?
- Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL, 9th district), Trade Treachery 

Article: "Carper bucks party on trade vote" by Susan Davis and Nicole Gaudiano.

Article: "Senate Deal Gives Trade Bill New Life" by Siobhan Hughes and William Mauldin.

Site: ObamaTrade.

Site: Economy in Crisis.

 

Article: "Lifeguard Rats Will Save Another Rat from Drowning" by Catherine Griffin.

Article: "From Public Citizen: Top 10 Most Pernicious Investor-State Dispute Settlement Lawsuits" by Lambert Strether.

The good: "Vatican Recognizes 'State Of Palestine' In New Treaty" by AP.

The bad: "O'Reilly: Secular Growth in U.S. Could Lead Us to Collapse Like the Roman Empire" by Josh Feldman.

The very, very ugly: "Rush Limbaugh Blames Gay Marriage For Decline Of Christianity In America" by Media Matters.

Article: "Gov. Rick Scott rejects funding for high-speed rail" by Janet Zink, February 16, 2011.

Article: "The Danger of American Fascism" by Henry A. Wallace.

Article: "Reid offers plan to break trade impasse" by Burgess Everett and Manu Raju.

 

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Ellen Ratner, Bureau Chief 

Article: "Freight Train Derails In Pittsburgh" by TRNS.

Site: "Goats for the old Goat".

Site: Governor Free Don Siegelman.

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 5/14" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 5/13" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "Did the Derailed Amtrak Train Nearly Collide With an Oil-Filled Freight Car?" by Patrick Kerkstra.

Article: "Falling apart: America's neglected infrastructure" by Steve Kroft.

Article: "Obama, Arab Delegations Huddle At Camp David" by Justin Duckham.

Article: "NORAD exercise planned for Washington, D.C." by Douglas Ernst.

Article: "Canada's Finance Minister Says Volcker Rule Violates Nafta" by Paul Vieira.

Article: "Senate Votes to Advance Fast-Track Trade Bill" by Steven Dennis.

Article: "Michigan Sales Tax Increase for Transportation Amendment, Proposal 1 (May 2015)" by BallotPedia.

Article: "Hillary's Lawyer Sues Ohio To Thwart Voter Suppression Tactics That Helped GOP Steal Ohio In 2004" by Steven Rosenfeld.

Geeky Science: "Thinning Antarctic ice shelf could contribute to sea level rise, says study" by Karl Mathiesen.

Article: "Western Antarctic ice sheet collapse has already begun, scientists warn" by Suzanne Goldenberg.

Article: "Jeb Bush Says He Would Not Have Invaded Iraq" by TRNS.

Article: "Watch Obama's speech at Nike: live stream" by Bruce Ely.

Law: "The National Labor Relations Act (The Wagner Act)", 1935.

Friday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET 

 

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