Free Republic

President Barack Obama will deliver his fourth State of the Union address on Tuesday, January 24th–the very day that marks the 1,000th day since the Democrat-controlled United States Senate last bothered to pass a budget...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Goldman Sachs reported a fourth-quarter profit of about $1 billion on Wednesday, reversing a loss from the third quarter and topping expectations. But the company's revenue declined from a year ago and missed analysts' forecasts. Slashing compensation and nearly $1.4 billion in other expenses helped Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) generate its nearly nine-figure profits last year. Chief financial officer David Viniar said cost-cutting won't be the firm's primary focus going forward. "It's not possible to cut expenses as a means to prosperity," he said during a conference call following the earnings release.

9. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was the ninth richest member of Congress in 2010, with an average net worth of $101,123,032. Much of her wealth is based on her husband's investments in real estate, a football team and other assets. 14. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) was the 14th richest member of Congress in 2010, with an average net worth of $69,046,622. Feinstein's husband has a number of investments in a diverse range of industires, including a property management firm and a biotech venture.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have sold a 7-acre property in Kauai’s Hanalei district for $20 million – $6.5 million more than they paid for it two years ago, according to public records. Candace Jackson has details on The News Hub.

AFSCME’s International Executive Board voted this week to endorse President Barack Obama for a second term. The vote was unanimous. The board acted after a substantial majority of AFSCME members indicated in a large telephone poll that they wanted the union to endorse the president. President Obama is the only candidate for president who is fighting to put people back to work, make the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share and protect vital public services. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich (snip) want to privatize your job. They have targeted the modest pension you earn after a career of public service,...

"The richest 1% now pays nearly 40% of all federal income taxes, up from 25% two decades ago, while the bottom 50% of Americans only play 2%, down from 6%."

President Obama believes that Republican leadership of the country would ruin the United States as a land of opportunity, but he's (justifiably) confident that his daughters will have plenty of opportunities, no matter what. "Our kids are going to be fine," Obama told supporters at a campaign event last night. "[T]hey’re on a path that is going to be successful, even if the country as a whole is not successful. But that’s not our vision of America. I don't want an America where my kids are living behind walls and gates, and can’t feel a part of a country that...

President Obama echoes the Occupy Wall Street Movement in demonizing the top 1 percent—suggesting that prosperous people somehow create painful problems for the rest of us. But the president never bothers to answer a basic question: who makes up the top 1 percent? Economists Joe Bakija, Adam Cole and Bradley Heim have completed authoritative research on leading earners—some 1,400,000 taxpayers in 2010, each of whom earned more than $380,000.

In various cities across the country, mobs of mostly young, mostly incoherent, often noisy and sometimes violent demonstrators are making themselves a major nuisance. Meanwhile, many in the media are practically gushing over these "protesters," and giving them the free publicity they crave for themselves and their cause — whatever that is, beyond venting their emotions on television. Members of the mobs apparently believe that other people, who are working while they are out trashing the streets, should be forced to subsidize their college education — and apparently the president of the United States thinks so too. But if these...

Via MRC TV, enjoy as a card-carrying one-percenter braves the Tupperware containers filled with urine at Zuccotti Park to pose the timeless question, “I’m employing 150 people. How many people do you employ?” Link here to HotAir Link here to MRC-TV

WASHINGTON - First Lady Michelle Obama may have temporarily forgotten the lessons of her own anti-obesity campaign when she indulged in a sinfully caloric lunch Monday at a popular new hamburger restaurant. A Washington Post reporter said the first lady ordered a cheeseburger, french fries, chocolate shake and Diet Coke at Shake Shack -- a trendy hamburger spot that recently opened an outpost in Washington's Dupont Circle. Based on nutritional information on the restaurant's website, the meal added up to a scale-tipping 1,556 calories.

Link only due to Copyright agreement.

Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation Change's Name! For Immediate Release Contact: Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network, 727-490-7603, bschindler@terrisfight.org ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Sept. 16 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation has changed its name to the "Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network". "This new name better reflects the purpose of our organization -- to continue to develop and update our network to help families protect their loved ones from a very aggressive anti-life agenda taking control of our nation," said Director of Development, Suzanne Vitadamo. The Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation was originally founded in the year 2000...

I have a pair that's from my high school days. I'm 47 years old, so that makes the underwear about 30 years old. Can anyone top that? The underwear is boys' size 20, but they still fit. They're a little threadbare, but that's an advantage on a hot summer day. I think I can get at least a few more years out of them. (Obviously, I don't wear this pair every day. I wear them mostly for dirty outside jobs.) I'm a lifelong bachelor, so I don't have a wife to throw away my stuff that's old but still good....

He was the best in my opinion for several reasons. 1. Respected God, the People, and the Constitution. 2. He had no prior President in history to use as a guide to lead a country. All those who followed have had him as an example and he still has beaten them all up to this point. 3. He could have been President for Life or King. Had the ability based on leading the Colonial Army and the Constitutional Conventions to have enormous power. But he didn't want that and walked away after 8 years and set the standard for Presidents...

Public Policy Polling: Marriage still close in Maine via kwout

Raleigh, N.C. – Two weeks out from election day Maine voters are divided right down the middle when it comes to whether they will reject the state’s law allowing same sex couples to marry. 48% say they will vote to over turn the law while 48% say they will vote to keep it with only 4% of the electorate still undecided. Opinion on the issue predictably breaks heavily along party lines. 74% of Republicans are planning to vote yes while only 25% of Democrats are. Independents may end up deciding which way it goes- presently 50% of them support rejecting...

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- Data released by the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reported 1,074,757 checks in August 2009, a 12.3 percent increase from the 956,872 reported in August 2008. So far that is roughly 9,076,205 gun bought this year! The total is probably more as NICS background checks may cover the purchase of more than one gun at a time.

Retailer Pier 1 Imports Inc. said Friday it lost $29.4 million in its fourth quarter and could close 80 stores this year. While better than expected, that net income amounted to a loss of 33 cents per share and showed a dramatic reversal for the three months ending Feb. 28. During the same period last year, the company earned $14 million, or 16 cents per share.

FreeRepublic.com, the eleven-year-old conservative granddaddy of political discussion websites, was rated the most popular political website by Hitwise, an Internet data tracking service, for the week ending November 17, 2007 with 5.14% market share. The liberal site, HuffingtonPost.com, founded two-and-a-half years ago, was the only site that came close to Free Republic in interest from net users, with 4.51% market share. In a distant third place, the five-year-old liberal site DailyKos.com, was left in the dust by Free Republic and Huffington Post, garnering only 2.57% market share.The others sites Hitwise listed were, in order, politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com with 2.17%; townhall.com with 2.1%;...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Jeepers, it was just one of those creepers. An investigator specializing in all things bizarre has debugged the mystery of the Santa Fe Courthouse Ghost — a specter captured on a blurry surveillance videotape.

At 4:46 p.m. ET today, Congressman Ron Paul's YouTube channel registered 10,001 subscribers! Dr. Paul now has nearly twice as many subscribers as Barack Obama who is in second place. Here are the current numbers: Paul - 10,001 Obama - 5,768 Clinton - 3,212 Edwards - 2,764 Romney - 2,014 Kucinich - 1,732 Giuliani - 1,389 McCain - 1,259 Gravel - 885 Richardson - 790 Biden - 589 Hunter - 402 Dodd - 230 Huckabee - 205 Tancredo - 190 Brownback - 96 Gilmore - 50

BE HERE, OR BE NOWHERE!

Saddam Hussein could be hanged within days after the rejection of his appeal by Iraq's highest court yesterday. The former Iraqi dictator was sentenced to death in November over the killing of 148 Shia Muslims from the town of Dujail in 1982. He is facing another trial accused of genocide against the Kurds - but that may now never be completed. The death sentence from the first trial must be implemented within 30 days, the chief judge, Aref Shahin, said yesterday, hinting that it could come even sooner: "From tomorrow, any day could be the day of implementation." Iraq's prime...

$1 million cash found concealed in pickup Wednesday, December 13, 2006 By DAVID FERRARA Staff Reporter State troopers found $1 million cash stuffed inside a hidden compartment in a pickup truck, but authorities refused to say much Tuesday about why they seized the money and the vehicle. The driver was alone in a 2006 Ford F-350, registered in Washington state and headed west on Interstate 10 around 3:15 p.m. Sunday, when he was pulled over, initially under suspicion of speeding, just east of the Eastern Shore Centre, said trooper spokeswoman Martha Earnhardt. Working on a "saturation patrol" designed to investigate...

WASHINGTON - Though Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the war in Iraq, the Pentagon said Tuesday it is having success enlisting new troops. The Navy and Air Force met their recruiting goals last month while the Army and Marine Corps exceeded theirs, the Defense Department announced. The Army, which is bearing the brunt of the work in Iraq, did the best. It signed up 6,485 new recruits in November compared with its target of 6,150 — meaning 105 percent of its goal. All the services turned in similar performances in October as well, meaning they so far are meeting their...

I have witnessed over the past 2 weeks the early voting of several areas here in tennessee and I have to believe that turnout will be almost as high as 2004. This, to me, bodes well for Corker at least and if I may, I would offer for your consideration that polls are going to be shown to be way off the mark this year. I have not met many depressed republicans nor have i met many energized democrats. My prediction is that the mainstream media has badly miscalculated this year's potential for democrats.

New $1 billion Yankee Stadium is on deckBy KAREN MATTHEWS, Associated Press Writer August 16, 2006 NEW YORK (AP) -- No tears were shed Wednesday for the historic stadium where Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio played out their storied careers. Politicians and baseball officials who gathered to break ground on a new Yankee Stadium shared memories of the old ballpark but said the new one would be even better. "Yankee Stadium is an iconic stadium, a place where Ruth and (Lou) Gehrig played, where popes and presidents have spoken," Gov. George Pataki said. "But so, too, will the...

THE world is hotter than it has been for four centuries - and probably the hottest for 2,000 years - the United States' most prestigious scientific organisation said yesterday. In a report to the US Congress, the National Academy of Sciences reported that the "recent warmth is unprecedented for at least the last 400 years and potentially the last several millennia". A panel of top climate scientists told politicians that the Earth is heating up and that "human activities are responsible for much of the recent warming". Their 155-page report said average global surface temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere rose...

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - One of two young boys allegedly abducted by their father was found dead in a lake Wednesday, and the other boy and their father were found nearby with knife wounds, authorities said. Katron Walker, 32, had cut his own throat and stabbed himself in the chest, Terre Haute Police Sgt. David Smith said. His 2-year-old son, Monte, was also hospitalized with injuries. Police were called to the lake early Wednesday after a resident recognized Walker's van from an Amber Alert and spotted him with the boys. "He was running from a trailer and had both boys...

BAGHDAD, Iraq – The Central Criminal Court of Iraq convicted 12 security detainees May 10 through May 16 for various crimes including organizing, heading, leading, joining armed groups, murder and possessing illegal weapons. The trial court found Mahdi Ahmed Musa Ali al Jabouri guilty of violating Article 194 and Article 406 of the Iraqi Penal Code for organizing, heading, leading, joining armed groups and murder, and sentenced him to death. Coalition Forces apprehended him for leading a terror cell in Mosul. The defendant said he believes in killing Coalition Forces, Iraqi Police and Iraqi National Guard members because he says...

Time to dust off the whoopee cushions and hand buzzers. April Fools' Day is here and there's no better place for wisecracks and shenanigans than at work. In its annual April Fools' Day survey, CareerBuilder.com found 33 percent of workers have played a practical joke on a co-worker and 17 percent are planning office tricks for this year's holiday. Although it might be thrilling to finally one-up the office funnyman, pranks also help beat something that's no laughing matter: workplace stress. More than half of workers reported working under stress in another CareerBuilder.com survey. Stress and worry on the job...

Shuttle from Selma taking marchers to New Orleans By Cassandra Mickens Tuesday, March 28, 2006 8:58 PM CST The Selma Times-Journal The Dallas County New South Coalition, the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute, the 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement and the Dallas County Democratic Conference have joined together to shuttle area residents to the Return, Vote and Rebuild March in New Orleans Saturday, April 1. Those interested in marching will board charter buses at Memorial Stadium at 3 a.m. Saturday. The cost of the trip is $30 per person. Call (334) 418-0800 or (334) 875-3947 for more information. The...

WASHINGTON, March 28, 2006 – Millions of Shiite Muslims from around the Middle East recently were able to make a pilgrimage to the Iraqi holy cities of Karbala and Najaf with few security problems. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today that this shows a lot about the capabilities of Iraqi security forces. At a Pentagon news conference, Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace also spoke about an operation in Baghdad that freed a hostage, confiscated arms and shut down an improvised-explosive-device factory. Arbaeen, which marks the death of Imam Hussein -- a...

Fourteen indicted in Appalachia election fraud probeFriday, March 03, 2006 By STEPHEN IGO Times-News WISE - Fourteen individuals, including the mayor/town manager of Appalachia, a town councilman, and two law enforcement officials, were indicted by a Wise County grand jury on multiple counts stemming from an alleged conspiracy to conduct election fraud during the 2004 town elections. The indictments show the investigation hasn't been just about pork rinds, Special Prosecutor Tim McAfee said during a press conference at the Wise County Courthouse. The investigation into allegations of voter fraud evolved from early reports of attempted vote buying before town elections...

Editor's note: The Supreme Court announced Feb. 17 that it would again hear arguments in the free-speech case of a whistleblower, apparently so that Justice Samuel Alito can break a tie. That case is Garcetti v. Ceballos. WASHINGTON — New Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr. was sworn in Jan. 31, giving him five months to serve during the Court’s current term. But during that period, Alito will likely have only one chance to show his First Amendment stripes. That chance will be in an important one, and it begins Feb. 28, when the Court hears a trio of First...

Remember Cooter the New Orleans Looter? He became an Internet phenom after everyone photoshopped his image. See here: [url=http://www.cooterthelooter.com]Cooter the New Orleans Looter [/url] Imagine a website for a photoshop contest of Mohamed? I'd bet word of it would spread like wildfire and soon Drudge, James Toronto, Little Green Football would spread the word all over the Internet. Nothing would piss Muslims off more if the creativity is anywhere near what Cooter the Looter has attained. What do you think about it?

A pair of 26-year-old roommates from Texas are looking to cash in on the American dream by simply asking every person in the nation to send them a dollar, and have created a website called GiveUsABuck.com to reach a potential goal of $300 million. ... "Wouldn't it be great if every person in the United States gave us one buck? If you could get every person, then that would be $300 million," Rob Momary said. "Everybody's had this idea, but no one's really done it to make it work. If we only get 1 percent, that's still $3 million, which...

Katrina is gone -- and so are many kids Team pursues difficult search for more than 1,300 missing children TINA SUSMAN Newsday Posted on Sun, Dec. 11, 2005 Royce Osbourne, in a skeleton mask, marches in a protest for hurricane victims' rights in New Orleans December 10, 200. Protesters feared they would receive federal funds to rebuild their homes. REUTERS/Lee Celano NEW ORLEANS - Three months after Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast, the fate of more than 1,300 children remains unknown. Until a few days ago, Lil Joe and Kolenik Williams, brothers from New Orleans, were among the...

Coloradans have no commonsense. Within one year we reelected a financially incompetent, liberal Ken Salazar, then raised our own taxes and legalized marijuana. What is wrong with my neighbors? Well, they want to smoke pot and pay more taxes. One problem explains the other. Drug abuse is a large cause of liberal thinking. This is proven historically as we look at the ‘60s and ‘70s. Drug abuse and modern liberalism are synonymous. Person becomes rebel. Rebel smokes pot. Pot affects mind, causing liberal thinking. Liberals raise taxes. Its simple! Fortunately state and federal law will ensure that nothing in Denver...

Is OBL dead?

SUN-SENTINEL INVESTIGATION FEMA does little to recover funds given to undeserving applicants By Megan O'Matz, Sally Kestin and Jon Burstein Staff Writers October 9, 2005 Federal officials, charged with disbursing billions of dollars in relief after one of the nation's worst natural disasters -- Hurricane Katrina -- are vowing to crack down on fraud by assigning about 350 auditors, investigators and inspectors to catch people and companies who try to cheat the government. But in a continuing investigation of disaster spending by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has found that the agency has rarely pursued individual...

1 million tires catch on fire in Wis. July 20, 2005 WATERTOWN, Wis. -- A massive fire erupted in a huge pile of tires at a recycling plant Tuesday, sending black smoke billowing for miles and forcing roads to be closed while firefighters tried to contain the blaze. The fire ignited in about 1 million tires at the Watertown Tire Recycling Co., said Lt. Doug Ninmann of the Dodge County Sheriff's Department. No one was injured and the cause wasn't determined, but people within a mile's radius were warned to take shelter if the smoke becomes too intense, he said....

Every so often, in the hushed galleries of Congress, history unfolds in a manner that casts the momentous business of Capitol Hill in stark, even humbling relief. Then there are moments spent discussing the Whizzinator. Yesterday morning in Room 2123 of the Rayburn Building, Rep. Bart Stupak, a sober-voiced Democrat from Michigan, held up an advertisement for the "drug-test subversion device," which received national attention last week when it was learned that an NFL player had been detained at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after authorities found the state-of-the-art prosthetic in his luggage (with a packet of dehydrated urine). The player...

Rosen goes to trial May 3 on charges of falsely underreporting the costs of the August 2000 gala — thus inflating the amount of campaign cash ostensibly raised for Clinton at the event.

Editorial: Raiding the tobacco till Friday, December 3, 2004 Three years ago, when the cash was flowing freely on Beacon Hill, Massachusetts led the nation in spending on anti-smoking programs. Voters had agreed to raise cigarette taxes to fund anti-smoking initiatives, and the state's share of the huge federal tobacco settlement brought in even more cash intended to mitigate the health effects of smoking. That investment was paying off. National polls consistently found Massachusetts teen-agers trailing teens from around the country in smoking rates. That was then. After years of budget shortfalls, Massachusetts has fallen to 40th place in tobacco-control...

CHARTED: Yoko Ono, 71, has the No. 1 single on the dance chart, "Every Man Has A Man Who Loves Him"/"Every Woman Has A Woman Who Loves Her," a mix of techno beats and her somewhat off-key vocals that delivers a message in favor of same-sex unions. "This is a victory not just for me but for all Americans who are against the administration's decision to ban gay marriage," Ono says about the success of the tune, as quoted by the BBC.

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. DETROIT - A factory worker attacked and killed a fellow employee with a sword the suspect apparently made himself at the metals plant where both men worked, police said Thursday. Witnesses told police the 30-year-old man had complained he was being bullied by another worker at Peerless Metals, which makes metal powders used in automobile brakes. The suspect had been working on the sword for several days, apparently at work, and when he finished Wednesday, he struck the 40-year-old victim in the neck, nearly decapitating him, said police spokesman James Tate....

In 1997, Kerry questioned the size of the intelligence community during a speech on the floor of the Senate: