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Thom's blog
Have you heard about the retirement income gap?
 Low wages aren't the only reason that the poor are getting poorer and the richer are getting richer. According to new research from the Economic Policy Institute, high-income Americans are 10 times more likely to have retirement accounts than those at the low-end of the income spectrum. And, the national shift away from defined-benefit pension plans into 401(k)'s has left more and more older Americans retiring in poverty. In the richest nation on the planet, this is simply unacceptable. That's why EPI and other organizations are pushing Congress to expand - not cut - Social Security benefits. Decades ago, most working-class Americans were able to retire with dignity because of the defined-benefit plans provided by their employers, but that's no longer the case. Those plans were pretty much wiped out and replaced with 401(k) plans that may or may not include matched contributions from employers. As low-wage workers don't have much to contribute, employers don't match anything, and retiring workers end up with little-to-no savings when it comes time to leave the workforce. And, even if some workers were able to save, their savings were subject to the turns of the stock market. Wealthier workers were able to contribute and save more in their retirement plans, and they are often better able to withstand the ups and downs of the market. The income disparity in retirement savings is so pronounced, 74 percent of total savings in retirement accounts belongs to the top 20 percent of earners, even though that group only brings in 63 percent of all income. Rich people aren't just earning more, they're saving more, and that leaves them in better shape for retirement. Poor people are left with no choice but to rely on Social Security benefits, which leaves them living in poverty. We can and should do better, and that starts with expanding, not cutting, these important benefits on which so many rely. -Thom (What do you think? Tell us here.) |
Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10pm... Seymour Hersh, The Killing of Osama bin Laden (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
Live Election Report From Maryland:
- Manny Rapalo, RT America in Maryland 
Big Picture Politics Panel:
- Hughey P. Newsome, Bold.global/Move-On-Up
- Kymone Freeman, We Act Radio/Black Lives Matter DC
- Bryan Pruitt, RedState
Conversations with Great Minds:
- Seymour Hersh, The Killing of Osama bin Laden |
Tuesday's Daily Stack 
Hour One: What Do You Want the Democratic Platform to Say...What Do You Fear the GOP Platform Will Say???
Letter: " Letter to Thomas Cooper" by Thomas Jefferson, September 10, 1814. " ...took care to put into the hands of their rulers no such engine of oppression, as a standing army." Quote: " Courage is the first of human virtues because it makes all others possible" - Aristotle.
Hour Two: BUSTED! Congressional Payday Pals Exposed - Karl Frisch, Allied Progress
Hour Three: Thom's Best of the Rest of the News - GOP members of Congress stopping funding to help the children of Flint... Science and green news Article: "" by . Do you have all the info you need to vote for @BernieSanders? Find it here. |
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Wednesday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET
The Middle Class is Doing Okay... REALLY?! In What Universe? I debate Scott Winship of the Manhattan Institute
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...
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The Thom Hartmann Program is a Charity Wine Partner with the Organic Wine Company. Purchase any wines and they will donate a portion of the proceeds to The Hunter School for children with autism, ADHD, and other learning challenges.
One of my favorite wines is CHATEAU VERONIQUE 2011 - The wine that started the Organic Wine Company. Subtle and sophisticated, this wine will complement any table.
Thom
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