Thom Harmtann - The Oil Volcano, who's fault is it really? The Government or the Corporation?

[thomhartmann]

Run time: 08:55 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIeSUh3V7YA   Posted on YouTube: June 03, 2010 By YouTube Member: thomhartmann Views on YouTube: 1   Posted on DU: June 03, 2010 By DU Member: thomhartmann Views on DU: 748

 
The Thom Hartmann Program can be heard daily M-F 12-3pm ET. Visit www.thomhartmann.com to listen live, join the community or purchase a podcast.

[murray hill farm]

1. Actually....

It is also our fault, yours and mine as well. We are the oil consumers of what drives our lives and we refuse to accept our lives without that oil and all that it means in our lives. We the consumers of oil are greatly at fault and to blame. We do not accept the responsibility for it any more that the government or the oil companies. We do not know how to live without the oil and as long as we continue to use it, we are also to blame as much as anyone.

[pundaint]

4. No, I'd rather have a car that ran on electricity. It hasn't been one of my options.

I try to avoid plastics in my clothes and I shop specifically to minimize the amount of plastic wrapping my foods. I support nuclear power and solar and wind, and I have been telling my representatives about it since the '70s.

I reject your levy of blame. I, like about 200 million of my fellow citizens, have been sold out by elected officials who were bought off by automotive and oil interests, to limit public transportation, and hide the true price of oil, by taxing us for the difference.

But, now that you all know, if you vote for your incumbents, it will be your fault.

[Captain Boomerang]

5. That feels like a cop out response to me.

It's like saying you got the ptomaine food poisoning from that Chinese restaurant because you eat Chinese food.
Just because I eat Chinese food at a Chinese restaurant does not make me Chinese. (Despite all my rage I am not a Marx bother.)

The video featured some guy named Alex Epstein from the Ayn Rand Institute who believes that the Socialist agenda is not working.
I think this is a good example of how t-bags/Birchers like to dance around issues and dis-inform.

IMO- naturally.

[indimuse]

8. *Who KILLED the Electric Car*....!

you might wanna rent that,then come back and comment! ;)

[damonm]

2. What. A. Doofus. n/t

[Captain Boomerang]

3. Methinks Alex is a t-bag shill.

Note to self; Avoid all people, places, things, with the word, "Rand" in the title.

[southmost]

6. i'm tired of the fantasy free market idealist

so this 'free market' fool cites our current government (which has been intentionally weakened by 30 years of conservative rule) as proof that government regulations don't work? Excuse me, but that has always been the conservative goal : break or disable the government to the point that it doesn't work, and then use this as proof that government regulations don't work, thus justifying further weakening of government regulations. That type of downward spiral logic gives me a headache. The stupid, yeah it burns alright....

[bulloney]

7. That Epstein guy is obviously on some illegal substance.

He, like the other Ayn Randers that I've heard don't think in terms of the real world. They have this pie-in-the-sky fantasy that corporations inherently operate for the good of mankind, when they operate for profit. And if that drive for profit disrupts or costs lives, then so be it.

Does this dufus really believe that the courts are the proper forum to address disasters and potential disasters? Like Thom was saying, who can afford to hire the "experts" to present such cases in a court? And, given our corrupt court system, the corporations will likely get some legal decision to allow them to drill for oil (or whatever the case involves) while the case is being argued in the courts.

[ProfessorPlum]

9. Wow, what an epic fail by Thom's guest.

So, private citizens should all get together, pool their money, and pay to have experts make sure that private business is properly regulated and monitored?

Gee, what a great plan! We could even give it a name - like, taxation and government regulation.

[JoshieR]

11. There's also the fact that...

...the same kind of corruption will likely exist with these private experts. These Libertarians come up with these "free market" ideas without thinking them through. They don't critically assess their plans. They also have no idea what "free market" is or what "socialism" is or what "communism" is. Completely free market economies are terrible for ordinary citizens. They promote income inequality and trampling of human rights. No thank you.

[Althaia]

10. I'm surprised Thom did not mention the delay games Exxon played with the courts..

...to delay paying the lawsuits brought against them, while they collected interest on the money set aside to pay those suits. Greg Palast has a lot about it at his website. http://www.gregpalast.com/stick-your-damn-hand-in-it-20th-birthday-of-the-exxon-valdez-lie/

Exxon finally started paying out, 20 years after the spill, but only 10 cents on the court-mandated dollar, and only after 1/3 of the people whose lives exxon ruined had died.

The courts are not effective preventative enforcement.

[PA Democrat]

12. If you ever wanted proof that libertarians are delusional,

this interview would be exhibit #1.

[Mari333]

13. govt is the corporation . corporation is the govt.

just see them as the same thing now.