The lettuce outbreak is just the beginning. This is the story of how, thanks to GOP politicians, corporate cash rewrites America's laws and why ordinary people keep paying the price….
Thom, what will stay with me about this piece isn't any single example—it's the accumulation.
One by one, these may be dismissed by deniers as partisan disagreements or isolated policy decisions. But seeing them laid out together reveals something so much larger: a pattern that asks us to think beyond today's headlines and consider what kind of country we're becoming.
What struck me most in this piece is that many of the consequences you describe aren't dramatic or immediate in our every day lives. They unfold quietly, often unnoticed, until one day we discover that the many safeguards we assume are permanent have disappeared.
This article must be shared widely, and I sincerely hope no one misses your larger warning. Democracies, as you well know and remind us in so many ways, are rarely weakened all at once. More often, they are diminished one decision at a time, one protection at a time, until the cumulative cost becomes irreparable.
Thank you for writing a piece that compels us to step back, connect the dots, and see the larger picture of a crisis we can no longer afford to ignore.
This got real for my roommate who turned 61 while she was in the hospital discovering that she had a form of diabetes (poor diet) and then a week later was back in the ER for four days with the cyclospora infection. She was moved to a regular hospital room finally, yesterday. She has insurance through her job but expects her part of the medical bills to be totally unmanageable. I was exposed for several days before the cause was identified and have been extremely concerned about what the parasite would do to my 84-year-old body. So far, I have no symptoms except a headache. Republicans on the take did this and they MUST pay for their corruption in November. Then, Democrats MUST act swiftly to reverse as much of the damage as possible - without hesitation or fears of being called radical.
I am sorry to hear about your friend. Hard to believe that our government conspired against us for a bribe from Taylor Farms. But, everyday, the Trump/Project2025 administration betrays us in huge, massive ways.
It is hard to believe. But these people are not about government or politics. They are about destroying government and replacing it with a fascist theocracy. They are committed and fanatic. The victims and ordinary citizens are just collateral damage to them. Most of them are racist and are perfectly okay with the purging of all non-whites, including the Christians. They must be defeated and simply beating them at the ballot box will not stop them. I visited my roommate earlier and she is slowly gaining strength, and antibiotics appear to be doing the job of overcoming the parasite.
Less government, less oversight, more monopolies good. Socialism bad. Capitalism good, corporate capitalism better. Oligarchy good, more oligarchs better; cut their taxes. Corporate Democrats “concerned”.
The corrupt money, and the planned incompetence it buys, explodes like intestinal incontinence on a daily basis; meanwhile, as Thom catalogued in this post, just and compassionate public policy remains dangerously constipated. Lettuce pray for our country.
Thom did a great job describing the state of our union - if you can call it a union. I cannot argue that our legislators are, for the most part, bought and paid-for corporate employees. A few still have integrity - most of them, but not all, are Democrats. However, both parties do what they are told today by our oligarchs. Most of Thom's litany of fallout from Washington corruption was enabled by Democrats. For example, Obama had a majority in both houses but did nothing about "Citizens United." We American voters also contributed to the problem by voting along party lines, rather than along self- and local-interest.
The myth that rich people deserve their power because they are smarter than the rest of us is still too strong in our capitalist society. Doubtless it rattles the GOP that some middle-class ex-New York City barmaid can be succeeding in kicking their political asses. Gee, maybe smarts are not highly correlated with wealth accumulation.
The next Democratic president faces a huge task of restoring our government and restoring the services taxpayers are entitled to, rather than to the ones tax-dodging billionaires "feel" entitled to.
It's a whorehouse. But instead of renting out lady-bits, they dole out permissions and tax-payer monies.
All 3 branches. Each is not unlike one of the "Five Families" of New York City. Racketeers, all.
Each individual within a given branch is a self-consciously fraudulent sellout of the citizenry.
Most of them are whores. They think they're being Ayn Randian individuals, but they tend to forget that Ayn was a hack writer who was a non-fiction, home-wrecking*, two-bit whore, herself.
Not unlike Mr. Donald, though the only homes he wrecked were his own.
These gov't hookers think that they are simply individualistic, doing what self-absorbed jackasses do in America.
Nope. They are figuratively on their backs, knees, or bending over, daily boffing for dollars.
Some [only some] are not pedos or gay or loose, but they are all looking for easy money in all the wrong places: Saudi, Israel, Nazi-memorabilia collectors, Big Oil, Russia, Big Armor, Big Pill [Pharma], Big Agg. If there's a buck nearby, they can smell it.
Think of Ted Haggert. Or Jim Bakker. Or Swaggart. Or Billy Graham & Son. That's who they are.
*Ayn Rand and Nathaniel Branden (her protégé and co‑architect of Objectivism) began a secret affair in 1954. His wife, Barbara, dumped his trifling ass.
#VOTE like Ajax "the foaming cleanser" to get rid of GOP scum. Also, any Dem roaches.
Sounds like a great TED Talk. Or a great PSA. Or a great campaign ad for Democrats. We HAD these things. We didn’t lose them, they were stolen from us by Republicans who have become the mob foot soldiers for the rich. The only way we get them back is to elect Democrats and demand change…back to the policies, tax codes and regulations of FDR, Truman (even Eisenhower), LBJ that made America great, with a growling, successful, affordable middle class.
As Thom outlines the purpose of a government in a democracy that has been created by WE the People is to serve its people. That is, make WE the People's lives better, improved.
Since Reagan the B rated Cowboy portrayed as the rugged individualist swindled the now Nazi Republicans into a new direction that denigrated government and its function to serve WE the People, it came at a severe cost to WE the People. Those costs are outlined in so many different ways as Hartmann points out.
A reverse Robin Hood approach has fully blossomed as the Nazi Republicans have had their complete fantasy of the rich stealing from the poor in order to stay in power forever. But the day of reckoning is coming for the Nazis just like it came for Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette in the French Revolution and for Hitler in 1945.
Of course the Nazi Republicans will claim ignorance but WE the People will hold them accountable for at least 4 election cycles. They should not be trusted with public office for what they have done to WE the People. Political beheading if you will.
Thank God For Thom Hartmann!! No One Comes Close To His Finger On The Pulse Of All Issues, Domestic and Foreign, That Zero In On Rule 1 In Any, So Called, Democracy, "The Rich Will Always Find A Way To Eat The Middle Class, and The Poor, All Year Long, Which Then Turnd Into Decades, And Lifetimes!! This Is Not Only Rule 1 Of The Rich and Powerful, It Is Their Eternal Montra, Which Will Never Be Broken, But Their Eternal Destiny Is Sure, And It's Not Pretty!!!
I appreciate his bringing all this down to stuff we deal with every day -- like lettuce), I'd like to add another level. This is one that Thom has hammered home again and again...
Donald Trump's antisocial narcissism. My present concern is his increasing desperation, as poll numbers tank, MAGA influencers jump ship, the November election looms and the ever-present pressure to release the Epstein files. Predictably, this will intensify as November approaches. DJT does not have a personality structure that can just "roll with it." In fact, as he has shown that he simply cannot tolerate any experiences of loss. (Loss causes him to lose it).
I would expect his "acting-out" behavior to escalate and then escalate some more.
So, I wonder, along with Thom, whether he will succeed in creating a scenario "necessitating" emergency rule. I don't think I need to spell out the possibilities (and there are any number of them. One at the extreme end is creating some kind of false flag situation).
I'm also with psychologist John Gartner, who has argued that Trump, always insisting he is the first and the best, may well want to be "the first" world leader (in 80 years, since Hiroshima) to "go nuclear." I'm aware this is a ghastly consideration. I also think it is one we should take seriously.
Thom, what will stay with me about this piece isn't any single example—it's the accumulation.
One by one, these may be dismissed by deniers as partisan disagreements or isolated policy decisions. But seeing them laid out together reveals something so much larger: a pattern that asks us to think beyond today's headlines and consider what kind of country we're becoming.
What struck me most in this piece is that many of the consequences you describe aren't dramatic or immediate in our every day lives. They unfold quietly, often unnoticed, until one day we discover that the many safeguards we assume are permanent have disappeared.
This article must be shared widely, and I sincerely hope no one misses your larger warning. Democracies, as you well know and remind us in so many ways, are rarely weakened all at once. More often, they are diminished one decision at a time, one protection at a time, until the cumulative cost becomes irreparable.
Thank you for writing a piece that compels us to step back, connect the dots, and see the larger picture of a crisis we can no longer afford to ignore.
This got real for my roommate who turned 61 while she was in the hospital discovering that she had a form of diabetes (poor diet) and then a week later was back in the ER for four days with the cyclospora infection. She was moved to a regular hospital room finally, yesterday. She has insurance through her job but expects her part of the medical bills to be totally unmanageable. I was exposed for several days before the cause was identified and have been extremely concerned about what the parasite would do to my 84-year-old body. So far, I have no symptoms except a headache. Republicans on the take did this and they MUST pay for their corruption in November. Then, Democrats MUST act swiftly to reverse as much of the damage as possible - without hesitation or fears of being called radical.
I am sorry to hear about your friend. Hard to believe that our government conspired against us for a bribe from Taylor Farms. But, everyday, the Trump/Project2025 administration betrays us in huge, massive ways.
It is hard to believe. But these people are not about government or politics. They are about destroying government and replacing it with a fascist theocracy. They are committed and fanatic. The victims and ordinary citizens are just collateral damage to them. Most of them are racist and are perfectly okay with the purging of all non-whites, including the Christians. They must be defeated and simply beating them at the ballot box will not stop them. I visited my roommate earlier and she is slowly gaining strength, and antibiotics appear to be doing the job of overcoming the parasite.
Less government, less oversight, more monopolies good. Socialism bad. Capitalism good, corporate capitalism better. Oligarchy good, more oligarchs better; cut their taxes. Corporate Democrats “concerned”.
The corrupt money, and the planned incompetence it buys, explodes like intestinal incontinence on a daily basis; meanwhile, as Thom catalogued in this post, just and compassionate public policy remains dangerously constipated. Lettuce pray for our country.
Thom did a great job describing the state of our union - if you can call it a union. I cannot argue that our legislators are, for the most part, bought and paid-for corporate employees. A few still have integrity - most of them, but not all, are Democrats. However, both parties do what they are told today by our oligarchs. Most of Thom's litany of fallout from Washington corruption was enabled by Democrats. For example, Obama had a majority in both houses but did nothing about "Citizens United." We American voters also contributed to the problem by voting along party lines, rather than along self- and local-interest.
The myth that rich people deserve their power because they are smarter than the rest of us is still too strong in our capitalist society. Doubtless it rattles the GOP that some middle-class ex-New York City barmaid can be succeeding in kicking their political asses. Gee, maybe smarts are not highly correlated with wealth accumulation.
The next Democratic president faces a huge task of restoring our government and restoring the services taxpayers are entitled to, rather than to the ones tax-dodging billionaires "feel" entitled to.
More true under Trump than ever before, We have the best government money can buy.
“High Crimes, Bribery and Misdemeanors “…
Incapable of fulfilling the job. Mentally, Emotionally and Physically.
All three branches of government are invaded and occupied by terrorists and are at war against the U.S. taxpayers.
Politics as usual is gone. Traditional Republicans must protect and defend the taxpayers who pay them.
Gov't is a racket. A brothel.
It's a whorehouse. But instead of renting out lady-bits, they dole out permissions and tax-payer monies.
All 3 branches. Each is not unlike one of the "Five Families" of New York City. Racketeers, all.
Each individual within a given branch is a self-consciously fraudulent sellout of the citizenry.
Most of them are whores. They think they're being Ayn Randian individuals, but they tend to forget that Ayn was a hack writer who was a non-fiction, home-wrecking*, two-bit whore, herself.
Not unlike Mr. Donald, though the only homes he wrecked were his own.
These gov't hookers think that they are simply individualistic, doing what self-absorbed jackasses do in America.
Nope. They are figuratively on their backs, knees, or bending over, daily boffing for dollars.
Some [only some] are not pedos or gay or loose, but they are all looking for easy money in all the wrong places: Saudi, Israel, Nazi-memorabilia collectors, Big Oil, Russia, Big Armor, Big Pill [Pharma], Big Agg. If there's a buck nearby, they can smell it.
Think of Ted Haggert. Or Jim Bakker. Or Swaggart. Or Billy Graham & Son. That's who they are.
*Ayn Rand and Nathaniel Branden (her protégé and co‑architect of Objectivism) began a secret affair in 1954. His wife, Barbara, dumped his trifling ass.
#VOTE like Ajax "the foaming cleanser" to get rid of GOP scum. Also, any Dem roaches.
#Send Barron to keep Tate company in Tate's cell
*
Sounds like a great TED Talk. Or a great PSA. Or a great campaign ad for Democrats. We HAD these things. We didn’t lose them, they were stolen from us by Republicans who have become the mob foot soldiers for the rich. The only way we get them back is to elect Democrats and demand change…back to the policies, tax codes and regulations of FDR, Truman (even Eisenhower), LBJ that made America great, with a growling, successful, affordable middle class.
As Thom outlines the purpose of a government in a democracy that has been created by WE the People is to serve its people. That is, make WE the People's lives better, improved.
Since Reagan the B rated Cowboy portrayed as the rugged individualist swindled the now Nazi Republicans into a new direction that denigrated government and its function to serve WE the People, it came at a severe cost to WE the People. Those costs are outlined in so many different ways as Hartmann points out.
A reverse Robin Hood approach has fully blossomed as the Nazi Republicans have had their complete fantasy of the rich stealing from the poor in order to stay in power forever. But the day of reckoning is coming for the Nazis just like it came for Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette in the French Revolution and for Hitler in 1945.
Of course the Nazi Republicans will claim ignorance but WE the People will hold them accountable for at least 4 election cycles. They should not be trusted with public office for what they have done to WE the People. Political beheading if you will.
Thank God For Thom Hartmann!! No One Comes Close To His Finger On The Pulse Of All Issues, Domestic and Foreign, That Zero In On Rule 1 In Any, So Called, Democracy, "The Rich Will Always Find A Way To Eat The Middle Class, and The Poor, All Year Long, Which Then Turnd Into Decades, And Lifetimes!! This Is Not Only Rule 1 Of The Rich and Powerful, It Is Their Eternal Montra, Which Will Never Be Broken, But Their Eternal Destiny Is Sure, And It's Not Pretty!!!
Exactly our situation. Horrible and heartbreaking.
Holy cow, this is a good one. Enraging and heartbreaking.
And yet the approval rate of kraznov by maggots lingers at 40% They are a boat anchor on our democracy.
Bribery, and ignorance galore - enough to impeach and REMOVE these guilty inefective rapacious monsters of "our" government.
I appreciate his bringing all this down to stuff we deal with every day -- like lettuce), I'd like to add another level. This is one that Thom has hammered home again and again...
Donald Trump's antisocial narcissism. My present concern is his increasing desperation, as poll numbers tank, MAGA influencers jump ship, the November election looms and the ever-present pressure to release the Epstein files. Predictably, this will intensify as November approaches. DJT does not have a personality structure that can just "roll with it." In fact, as he has shown that he simply cannot tolerate any experiences of loss. (Loss causes him to lose it).
I would expect his "acting-out" behavior to escalate and then escalate some more.
So, I wonder, along with Thom, whether he will succeed in creating a scenario "necessitating" emergency rule. I don't think I need to spell out the possibilities (and there are any number of them. One at the extreme end is creating some kind of false flag situation).
I'm also with psychologist John Gartner, who has argued that Trump, always insisting he is the first and the best, may well want to be "the first" world leader (in 80 years, since Hiroshima) to "go nuclear." I'm aware this is a ghastly consideration. I also think it is one we should take seriously.