Rebooting the American Dream, by Hartmann Free to Read

[liberalmike27]

http://www.truth-out.org/conclusion-tag-youre-it67299

I've been posting these links weekly on my FB page, and I suspect people have here too. Anyway, here is the final installment, and within the chapter are links to the other chapters if you've missed it.

It's a free book, and Thom Hartmann is probably the most historically informed radio host, who doesn't lecture, but educates. It's worth the read, as I belive his prescription for our country is the one that will work.

[grahamhgreen]

1. It opens like this:

"I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power."

- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Charles Jarvis, September 28, 1820

[liberalmike27]

3. This is a Link Someone Might Want to Make Sticky

As it offers a whole free book of good democratic solutions.

I'm not sure how to do that, or if I can. I don't think we're allowed, but if anyone at DU that does editing can make this happen, they might do so. It's a good book, it's free, so...

[lumberjack_jeff]

2. Excellent stuff. Thanks!

[pnorman]

4. I don't find the links to the earlier chapters!

n/t

[grahamhgreen]

5. Here they are:

http://www.truth-out.org/thom-hartmann-rebooting-american-dream65183

[pnorman]

6. Thanks! I guess I didn't dig deep enough!

n/t

[jotsy]

7. A gentleman and a scholar, I tell him as often as I can.

In the political video forum here at DU, he's posting clips from RT's Big Picture a few times a week. I try to be supportive and find I'm a bit surprised that I'm part of a pretty small crew.

<http://www.youtube.com/user/TheBigPictureRT>

Recommended.

[bobbolink]

8. I would be part of that crew, if he would be willing to be more informed and more outspoken about

poverty and homelessness.

[jotsy]

9. Well, after checking youtube and google for awhile between dishes and business calls.

I found a few things where he has touched on the subject. Inequality is a topic he addresses with some regularity. It's the Thom Hartmann community that I found discusses both issue and possible remedies.

There is a site I learned of through the hunt for info, so thanks for making me want to look.

<http://www.theendofpoverty.com/>in case you're not already familiar.

[bobbolink]

10. I have heard him say really erroneous and ignorant things about poverty, which really

stunned me. He is so accurate about other things, yet poverty just isn't important to him. If there are ever enough people to do so, I would like to have a letter campaign to him with some real facts for him to use.

I have thought about the "community", but haven't found it something I could easily log onto, and also... when you are ONE PERSON with an issue, it just doesn't resonate, and I am worn out trying to get people interested, and KNOWLEDGEABLE.

thank you for the link, and thanks for looking. I am aware of the film you linked to....several people have mentioned it to me, and I said it was probably about poverty in other parts of the world... because US poverty isn't important. They looked into it and said that was true. One was a DUer who had been asked to moderate the discussion for the film, so she inserted, as much as she could, info about poverty here. I really appreciated her doing that, because it really hurts to be constantly ignored.

As for solutions... it is really funny that we poor folk AREN'T consulted about what we actually NEED. That, in itself, is very paternalistic.

We are the castoffs.