IT ALL TRULY STARTS HERE, with the national narrative. If not, we are collectively sunk and hopeless in turning the tide. We are as a people, what we consume. And if we don't demand better of our TV JOURNALISTS and are continued to be fed idiotic "he said she said", winner/loser, day to day political horse race gossip... INSTEAD of intelligent, long view, Big Picture, connect-the-dot NARRATIVES of what really is happening to the American Dream via woefully unsustainable trade, fiscal, and regulatory policies, laid down and unmitigated over the last 30 to 40 years, without thought, without corrective action or even national discussion... THAN WE LOSE.

We lose as a people, nation, and competitive country. The loss is in quality of life ... due to being mesmerized by the inane and pack rat lazy journalism. Becoming a nations of idiots ourselves.
Trade deficits... for 40 years? What does that mean to me, you? Insideous budget deficits yet again, 30 yrs running? PacMan Federal Fund deficits vs looted Trust Fund surpluses? WHAT?? What does that mean to our nation, and retirement years? How much deficit & debt can an EMPIRE carry before it collapses under too much weight and burden? Economic meltdown via laissez faire regulation due to paid-off politicians -- How did that happen? $8 Trillion Current Account trade deficits? $14 Trillion National Debt + $8 Trillion Net Interest costs over last 30 years carrying that debt load... $22 TRILLION! How could that be?? The national debt was only $1.0 Trillion for its first 205 years? Now what? What does the conservatives' "Starve the Beast" fiscal/political strategy mean to me, to us? Tax & Spend Paygo Liberals? Charge-it & Forget-it Conservatives? Over a $100 Billion added to the National Debt each month? How? How has the American economy been Hollowed Out sooooooo much? "Free Trade trumps Fair Trade in America? WHY?? Why don't Americans add value and build stuff anymore? How has an unproductive Financial Sector come to absolutely DOMINATE our American economy? Universities turning out more Financial Engineers than Civil or Mechanical Engineers? Why? How? WTF? What are the privatized public officials all doing about it????? How did they become privatized if they are public officials? Why is there no publicly financed campaigns? Can privatized public officals be bought back by their public?

Journalists lead that national discussion for us... or NOT. Demand better. Demand the narrative be changed. Or else... we all lose.

Dylan Ratigan's Steel On Wheels Tour is a GREAT idea and has really been educating thus far. I applaud Dylan as well as all of the hard working people behind the scenes for giving us such progressive programming and the ideas/solutions seen thus far.

I'm a BIG fan of the 'Daily Rant' on Dylan's show but I think it would be GREAT to give a plain-old-ordinary member of the public, the opportunity to speak their mind, at least once a week. We "on the ground" have the resources and talent to educate not only our elected officials and the public at large, but the news media as well. Why not give the American people their OWN VOICE instead of making us listen to pundits, journalists, etc. interpret our issues for us?


It would be far more effective to have rants FROM the sources enduring the pain and suffering and/or WORKING the ideas that are solving the problems in our communities!

I personally am QUITE SAVVY re: the latest statistics, reports, data, etc. and am a PASSIONATE and articulate speaker re: hunger, homelessness, poverty, social issues, 99ers, etc. and am on top of the same re: banksters, fraud, foreclosures, etc. and would LOVE for our elected leaders and the 85% of Americans still doing OK, to hear what I have to say, out of my own personal experiences and out of my tours thus far of food banks, schools, and homeless shelters, documenting the CRITICAL needs of both clients AND organizations/services helping the RECORD millions of suffering, with inadequate budgets, volunteers, resources, etc.

Please Dylan, consider having me do the 'Daily Rant' during your Steel On Wheels Tour to Boulder, Colorado next week. I won't let you down. I'm a dedicated viewer and pupil of both you and Cenk Uyger and your professional rants. I think you'll be amazed at what a great rant you'll hear from down here "on the ground".

Thanks again Dylan for all you are doing to educate and engage America and for any consideration you can give me. Blessings.

I've been working with the Coffee Party since March. They're a lot like "No Labels", but more inclusive and more scatter-brained. I like these guys because they are looking at everything, and this month, they are doing a big event in Washington DC on the anniversary of Citizen's United. They're also working closely with Lawrence Lessig, who was featured on Dylan Ratigan today. We need the punch and heart and passion of Dylan Ratigan, combined with the brilliance of guys like Lawrence Lessig, plus some high-end programming designs, plus some corporate support from people like IBM and Cisco. We can start engineering "electronic alliances" and start uniting "We the People" in ways that cross all boundaries, and really get to the heart of the problems facing this country. Thanks for a great program, Dylan, you knock it out of the park. - Bruce Schuman, Santa Barbara CA http://sharedpurpose.net