Free Yourself from
Conservative Talk Radio: 12 Steps to Recovery
Posted November 6, 2003 thepeoplesvoice.org
by Thom
Hartmann
Step 1: Admit that you were under the
sway of right-wing, anti-democracy radicals.
This is the first step for every conservative or "ditto-head"
listener on the way to recovery. It is important to understand that the
people you were listening to are not "compassionate
conservatives," "Republicans," or "pillars of
morality." They're right-wing conservative radicals, more interested
in strong corporations than strong democracy, and you must be honest with
yourself about that fact.
Step 2: Realize that we can't have
freedom & liberty without first building a civil society.
And civil society has certain costs, such as education, infrastructure,
health care, defense, transportation, communications, a viable social
safety net, and the protection of the commons, which we all agree to pay
for with something called taxes that we levy on ourselves and not on our
children. Only on this basis can we have individual liberty.
Step 3: Love democracy's basis in debate
and respectful disagreement.
The processes of debate, dissent, and compromise are democracy's
underlying strength. This may be the most difficult step for those of you
who had completely surrendered to the dark side of conservatism and have
labeled dissenters as unpatriotic. Admit that democracy actually requires
dissent. You might want to read the words of our Founders to better
understand what democracy is and what it isn't. Start with Jefferson.
Step 4: Understand that a living wage is
vital to maintain a viable middle-class.
A strong middle class is vital to democracy. To say that somebody who
earns millions a year by sitting by the pool collecting dividend checks
"works that much harder" than a middle-class wage earner is
simple nonsense. Although morality tells us that people deserve a livable
wage and fair taxes, reality tells us even more starkly that without
everybody having access to a good job, and in a nation where
dividend-earners pay only 15% in income tax, democracy is at risk.
Step 5: Support labor unions and stop
chanting "cheap labor" as the tired old right-wing mantra.
"Cheap labor" is the core mantra of the conservatives, and
ultimately harms democracy. If capital can organize in the form of a
corporation, and corporations can organize as conglomerates, Chambers of
Commerce, and trade and lobbying associations, then labor must have an
equal and guaranteed-by-law right to organize. Strong unions are the only
thing standing between you and serfdom at the hands of corporate masters,
and without the unions of the past there would be no American middle class
today. If you have difficulty with this step, spend a week with a family
living below the poverty level because their manufacturing jobs were sent
overseas for "cheap labor" and all that was left was a cashier's
position at Wal-Mart. You'll be chanting "livable wage now!" in
no time at all.
Step 6: Stop listening to TV and radio
pundits who have "amnesia" about the separation of church and
state.
Their intent is to convince everyone that church-state separation was
never intended by our Founding Fathers and that the United States was
started as a Christian nation. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robinson not only lie
about our founding fathers, but also don't grasp the lessons of millennia
of bloody battles between popes, mullahs, and kings. Look at the back of a
dollar bill and see "novus ordo seclorum" - "a new secular
order" - and realize that the US Government is a secular democracy,
not a religious theocracy.
Step 7: Stop pretending that you don't
understand that government is "We, The People," and not some
sort of "them."
"Drowning government in a bathtub," as conservatives have
recommended, may have been a good idea in the former Soviet Union, but the
United States is a constitutional representative democratic republic where
our government is, literally, us. It was designed to work for us, be owned
by us, exists solely by virtue of our ongoing approval, and must answer to
us. The shared commons of our nation - including our air, water,
transportation routes, airwaves and cable networks, communication systems,
military, police, prisons, fire services, health care infrastructure, and
courts must, for democracy to work well, be held either by
locally-controlled non-profit corporations or by a government responsive
to its citizens, with corporations barred from the political process.
Step 8: Repent from your SUV and let's
start taking care of the planet we all share.
The natural world - including our water and air - is our most vital and
essential commons, and therefore must be protected from those who would
despoil it for short-term profit. When they poison the world, they degrade
our quality of life and threaten our children's future. Begin now - by
participating in our representative government - to take immediate steps
to protect the commons we share with all other life on planet Earth.
Step 9: Stop listening to conservative
talk radio.
Understand that talk show hosts of the conservative ilk daily demonstrate
that bullying, humiliation, and the "big lie" are at the core of
conservative talk radio. Turn them off, and instead tune into one of the
many liberal talk shows that are daily sprouting across America, and where
democracy is still alive and well.
Step 10: Help transform America back
into an energy-independent nation.
Building a civilization on liquefied fossils and then thinking it will
last forever makes no sense. World oil reserves are enough to sustain us
only into our children's lifetimes, and then will run out. Encourage your
elected representatives to help create viable energy sources that are not
dependent on fossil fuels, and, in the meantime, take immediate steps to
reduce use of and preserve our precious stores before they're exhausted.
Step 11: Refrain from rewriting
political history.
Its now time to admit that George W. Bush and his administration have been
lying to us about the war on terror, the invasion of Iraq, taking away our
freedoms with The Patriot Act, and misleading the America people on issues
from the environment to taxes to jobs. Know now that George W. Bush was
selected not elected, and the election was stolen from Al Gore. You may
now research beyond propaganda from right-wing think tanks and Faux News
to understand things as they really exist in the world. Stay in touch with
the many progressive news sites (like this one) and publications and
encourage our mainstream media to stop being cowed by right-wing bullies
and corporate paymasters.
Step 12: Be a visionary.
Once you have completed the previous steps to freeing yourself from
conservative talk radio, it's time for you to share this awakening with
others who will benefit from your new enlightenment. Go out amongst the
"ditto-head" sheep and spread the good word of your freedom from
the chains of ignorance that once bound you. Congratulations, and welcome
to reality! And keep tuning your radio to The
Thom Hartmann Program.
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Copyright 2003 by Thom Hartmann
(thom at thomhartmann.com)
is the award-winning, best-selling author of over a dozen books, and the
host of a syndicated daily talk show that runs opposite Rush Limbaugh in
cities from coast to coast. www.thomhartmann.com
This article is copyright by Thom Hartmann, but permission is granted for
reprint in print, email, blog, or web media so long as this credit is
attached and the title is unchanged.
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