Thom Hartmann
Thom Hartmann, an American radio personality, author, former psychotherapist, businessman, and progressive political commentator, discusses his new book: “The Hidden History of Neoliberalism: How Reaganism Gutted America and How to Restore Its Greatness?” Neoliberalism ostensibly contributed to the transfer of $50 trillion from the middle class to the wealthiest 1%, as well as shifting 15 million jobs from the U.S. to Mexico and China. One suggestion to reduce this disparity and the vast income gap would be to adopt Alexander Hamilton’s 11-Point Plan for American Manufacturers. He argues that free trade is really managed trade by the large corporations. Another major player in perpetuating this myth and increasing income inequality is the US Congress. Several Supreme Court decisions exacerbated the situation with the Citizens United ruling, corporations being declared persons and money equated with free speech. The media, in general, has been radically altered with the loss of local ownership of media outlets, the demise of the Fairness Doctrine by Reagan in 1987 and the constant quest for viewers’ ratings and profits.
