Thom Hartmann on The News - February 16, 2012

tomorrow here on the news you need to know that this stage is set for citizens united ground too last december the montana state supreme court ignore the citizens united relating continued its ban on corporate election spending in that state upholding nineteen twelve long known as the montana corrupt practices act going to be act quote any corporation may not be expenditure in connection with the candidate or a political party that support servos is akin inner political party and quote but those corporate interests in this case the american tradition partnership they were upset by this law are now petition the supreme court to have a reversed lead attorney for the american tradition partnership james bob junior belief system the citizens united legal arguments file to stay with supreme court justice anthony kennedy and wednesday calling for the montana law to be overturned as bob said immediate relief is needed to prevent irreparable harm to corporations first amendment free speech right likely the coral straight down on general in us for a second time ruling the corporations are people in money his speech without looking at the real world consequences of such a ruling as montana supreme court justice james nelson who even decided in the case of january wrote in the real world of politics a quid pro quo of both direct contributions to candidates an independent expenditures on their behalf is loyalty and practice in practical fact experience teaches that money corrupts had enough of the corrupts absolutely he's right as long as citizens united stance that our democracy is corrupted time to go to move to a man dot org to fight for a constitutional amendment to keep corporations out of our democracy with oil prices climbing our economy is crude oil is once again traded over a hundred always apparel and their projections the gas dated four or even five dollars a gallon this summer that exactly helpful for an economy in a fragile recovery hears a strange thing demand for oil in america is lower than it's been since two thousand seven so demand isn't right in your price bike whatevs wall street just like you l bubble in two thousand eight the many economists believe played a role in the eventual financial crash wall street speculators behind the scenes of driving up the price of oil and derivatives markets and making massive amounts of money off it meanwhile average americans are getting killed at the pump bernie tom claws a achieve well analyst for the oil price information service well speculators on wall street if put eleven billion dollars on it well futures betting that the price will go up and when enough people best and sure enough the price goes up as the consequence of a financial ized economy where wall street has to pick up the slack of creating wealth since we don't manufacture anything anymore unfortunately wall street can't pick up that slack and and has never created any actual well in the best for the rest of the news governor rick scott's plan to imprisoned for radiance for profit was derailed by his own party wednesday nine republicans joined with democrats in the state senate to vote on legislation that would have sold twenty six states run prisons private corporations like the pressure corporation of america profits out you'll merrick and incarcerate cc recently sent a letter to forty eight states around the nation offering a buyout prisons but studies out of ohio shows a similar deal worked out last year was c_c_a_ well actually cost ohio taxpayers more money over the long run at the state kept ownership of the present other words too bad deal for taxpayers and it's a bad thing for our economy would profiteers of throwing americans in prison to make money this is the latest example for-profit corporations tried it yet park almonds we need to keep fighting back wiki leaks is dabbling in social networking in march the whistleblower website launch its global square project which twiggy weeks calls first massive decentralize social network in the history of the internet easy peer to peer technology like file-sharing in having no centralized servers it's an online community that will be virtually impossible to censor or shut down activists from around the world will be able to go to the global square at their word search for assemblies around the world of working groups and message like-minded activists brenda website the goal of global square is to quote perpetuating spur the creative in cooperative spirit of the occupations transform this in the lasting forms of social organization at the global as well as the local level keep an eye on this it would be the greatest challenge yet to emerge against the entrenched power of bank stirs transnational c_e_o_'s and corrupt government the middle east is on the verge of exploding on wednesday israel's debbie prime minister warned that iran's nuclear program is nearing the point of no return a suggestion of military strikes maybe just around the corner meanwhile the japanese prime minister is urging israel to refrain from il military action arguing that it could lead to an extremely dangerous situation because i have is and file it with news that weekly jobless claims of fall into the lowest level in four years is even more bad news for republicans who hope to take the white house enthusiasm gap the propelled republicans the landslide victories in the twenty ten midterm elections as disappear bring to a new c_n_n_ poll fifty one percent of republicans claim they are enthusiastic about voting for republican for president this year as a thirteen point drop since october meanwhile democratic and dizzy as mystic up six points since october two forty nine percent must be time for millionaires *** armey in the billionaire called brothers to fire up the good old tea party buses and create some astroturf excitement again untrue gubernatorial quitter syrup a little bit more than happy to go driving around the country well fundraising meantime for democrats it's administered let sense of purpose to let's take over the break new ground up or progress and that's the way it is today thursday february sixteenth twenty twelve and tom harkin