Free Republic

New York (CNNMoney) - More than one in three Americans lived in households that received Medicaid, food stamps or other means-based government assistance, according to a new report. And when Social Security, Medicare and unemployment benefits are included, nearly half of the nation lived in a household that received a government check, according to the analysis of third-quarter 2010 Census data done by the Mercatus Center at George Washington University. That's more than 148 million Americans.

A record-high 49% of the population lived in a household receiving some type of government benefit in the second quarter of 2010, according to Census data reported by the Wall Street Journal. Most of this group received so-called "means tested" benefits like food stamps, subsidized housing or Medicaid. Many are also benefiting from unemployment insurance spending, which has quadrupled since the downturn. This is the sort of figure I call a Rorschach Statistic, because (a) it's guaranteed to provoke a passionate reaction and (b) that reaction will say a lot about your politics. Liberals are more likely to see this...

Well, having recruited a couple engineers I now need help in getting permission to go and help out, plus if anyone knows of any inexpensive inns in Japan, it would be a great help.

Households headed by immigrants have a substantially higher rate of welfare use than native-headed households, according a report released by the Center for Immigration Studies this week. The report examined census data about the use of welfare programs – cash assistance, food assistance, housing assistance, and Medicaid – and compared usage by immigrant headed households with at least one child – those headed both by legal and illegal immigrants – with usage by native headed households with at least one child. 57 percent of immigrant headed households participate in at least one welfare program, compared to 39 percent of native...

The United States is prepared to offer "any kind of assistance" to Libyans seeking to overthrow the regime of strongman Moamer Kadhafi, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.(AFP/File/Jewel Samad)

US President Barack Obama on Thursday offered all help in rescue and relief operations, as he called New Zealand Prime Minister John Key to offer condolences over the devastating earthquake that struck Christchurch. During the telephonic conversation, Obama noted that a US search and rescue team was on its way to New Zealand, and said the US was ready to provide whatever further support was needed in this difficult time. "The President underscored the close and enduring friendship between the American people and the people of New Zealand," the White House said. Prime Minister Key described the determination of the...

If you’ve ever seen Teen Mom, you know that it in no way glorifies teen parenthood. Those young moms and dads are struggling, and despite the rumors that MTV pays them around $60,000 a season, (which MTV refuses to comment on) many of them are shown relying on government assistance to get by. The young women on the show, as much as their lives are put under the microscope, do get famous in their way.

The Obama administration is trying out a second big-government remedy for people facing foreclosure, but NBC's "Today" failed to mention criticism of the initial program or provide any free-market solutions. The White House has now tapped $14 billion in TARP funds to expand the administration's existing mortgage assistance program. Matt Lauer introduced the "Today" show March 29 discussion of the program saying: "New help for millions of homeowners who are facing foreclosure. The Obama administration is rolling out new incentives to the federal mortgage relief program - so what's different this time?" "If you're unemployed, this is going to give...

The U.S. Agency for International Development is sending disaster response teams to Haiti to help the impoverished nation after it was hit by a major earthquake on Tuesday. USAID said in a statement it would be sending teams including up to 72 people, six search and rescue dogs and up to 48 tons of rescue equipment. The teams will be accompanied by USAID disaster experts...

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Oct. 13, 2009 – Because success in Afghanistan depends on winning the confidence of the people, U.S. forces are increasing reconstruction activities and changing the way they interact with the Afghan population. Officials at Joint Sustainment Command Afghanistan are reaching out to the community as they establish the second humanitarian assistance yard in Afghanistan. “We are providing needed supplies to communities around the region,” said Army Spc. Antonio V. Charles, a humanitarian assistance specialist from Newark, N.J. The program started in 2005 at Bagram Airfield. The yard’s purpose is to provide timely disaster and emergency relief to...

Live in Washington State? In a crisis? Suicidal? Call 911. Then what? A dispatcher sends crisis negotiators who, if they follow the suggestions provided at a recent negotiators' training session, could help you consider "all options." If you're eligible, you may be referred to friendly volunteers who will help you find a doctor willing to prescribe a deadly drug overdose. Just take the prescription to a pharmacy. Have it filled by a pharmacist who hands it to you with instructions to "take this with a light snack and alcohol to cause death." But what if the pharmacy has opted out...

The typical image of a homeless person is a male in his mid 30’s to late 60”s living in abject poverty. You see him hanging out at soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and on street corners. His mobility includes shuffling between makeshift street locations while sleeping on steam grates, in doorways, under roadway overpasses or temporary housing shelters when available. We may see these men at busy street intersections with creative signs often depicting some religious message, the most common being the favorite ‘God loves You” – or – ‘God Bless You” – or – “Disabled Veteran.” We often walk, or...

A woman from Amarah thanks an Iraqi Army Soldier during a humanitarian aid drop in Amarah, March 9. Photo by 2nd Lt. Sean Frankum, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs. FOB GARRY OWEN — Iraqi Soldiers recently traveled house to house in a small neighborhood in the Maysan province on the southeastern border of Iraq to hand out essential supplies to citizens in need.The Iraqi Soldiers, assisted by their American counterparts, provided blankets, canned food and other household necessities during the humanitarian aid drop in the city of Amarah.Along with food and bedding supplies, Iraqi children were also given comic books...

MANAMA, Bahrain, Feb. 6, 2009 – The U.S. Navy is providing humanitarian assistance to the Ukranian ship Faina and its crew following the ship's release yesterday by Somali pirates. The U.S. Navy fleet ocean tug USNS Catawba provides fuel and fresh water to the Ukranian ship Faina following its release by Somali pirates, Feb. 5, 2009. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael R. McCormick  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Sailors from the Norfolk-based destroyer USS Mason went aboard Faina to conduct a health and comfort inspection of the crew as well as to provide Faina's...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11, 2008 – The Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment’s Call Center is dedicated to helping wounded Marines and their families with various issues and referral assistance. Navy Cmdr. William Tanner, the Wounded Warrior Regiment’s regimental surgeon, said the call center is operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “Any Marines [or] sailors that have served with Marines, and their families, [and] have questions and need help can call into the center,” Tanner said Nov. 6 on the “DotMilDocs” radio program on BlogTalkRadio.com. The call center’s mission is to provide support through distribution of information, resources, advocacy...

Yesterday, I was on FreeRepublic and read an article. There was a prompt that said I could download something that would help the GOP if I did. It is somehow affiliated with Yahoo.Well, long story short, it is garbage. It takes me a few minutes to get on the internet. When I hit my homepage (msn), my screen goes white and at least 2 or 3 minutes later, I get the internet. I tried to call FreeRepublic to report and could not find a phone number in Fresno. Somebody tell me how to get this crap off.

WASHINGTON, July 9, 2008 – An organization that focuses on helping severely injured veterans channels its efforts toward providing the kinds of assistance they don’t otherwise get. The Independence Fund provides “the tools, therapies and guidance that they are otherwise not receiving,” said Steve Danyluk, the organization’s president. The Independence Fund, he explained, is built upon three pillars of support. These pillars, according to the Independence Fund Web site, include providing specialized tools and therapies to troops and veterans, promoting the overall well-being of severely injured veterans through physical and leisure activity, and providing advocacy and guidance through veterans...

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2008 – Governors in four of six Midwestern states affected by heavy rains and subsequent flooding called out more than 2,000 National Guard members this week as flood waters forced residents from their homes, left thousands without power and damaged infrastructure. Army Spc. Joseph Stamm, 1st Battalion, 151st Infantry, helps residents load sandbags into their vehicle in Martinsville, Ind. Flash floods tore through the area after more than 10 inches of rain poured over the already saturated land. U.S. Army photo by Spc. William E. Henry, Indiana National Guard  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The...

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, meeting today to consider new strategies to bring development and peace to increasingly violent Afghanistan, is looking to its old Cold War rival for help. NATO is seeking assistance from Russia even though Afghans on both sides of the current struggle have bitter memories of the old Soviet Union's brutal 1979 invasion and decade-long occupation that ended in a humiliating withdrawal of troops by Moscow. The transatlantic alliance will stop short of asking for Russian troops or the dreaded attack helicopters used in Afghanistan during the 1980s, since that would represent a huge propaganda coup...

I'm working with a few other people in the Rochester area on creating a conservative website/blog. The blogger software for the webhosting company that we have our website on is WordPress. Unfortunately for me, WordPress uses php, something I know little about. I'd like to have a unique look and feel to the website, a patriotic theme preferably a three column theme. I did find a couple of free themes on the web, but they're two columned. I'd rather a Freeper helped us out with this. If you have any ideas, please post here.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Aug. 9, 2007 — Afghan National Security Forces, advised by Coalition forces brought medical, veterinary and material assistance to Afghan civilians at the Sangin District Center, Helmand Province, Aug. 1-5. The medical and veterinary assistance were made possible due to diminished Taliban enemy activity in the area. Coalition forces have put heavy pressure on insurgents in Helmand Province since spring, a strategy that disrupted the Taliban’s plan for a spring offensive. “Most of the people who come here have problems that are preventable or easy to fix. We can make simple advice and a little bit of...

I came across this today. A web site that helps you get through phone menus and get to a human. The "F"'s are their grades. http://www.gethuman.com/

March 20, 2007 -- In a memorandum to the Secretary of State, President Bush has authorized arming of Serbia and its once partner, Montenegro. According to the White House Press Release, President Bush has authorized "furnishing defense articles and defense services" to both, Montenegro and Serbia. "Pursuant to the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 503(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, and section 3(a)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended, I hereby find that the furnishing of defense articles and defense services to the...

WASHINGTON, March 6, 2007 – With income tax deadlines quickly approaching, the Internal Revenue Service is reminding troops and their families that free assistance is available to them at military tax centers worldwide. The IRS has provided the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program to servicemembers from more than 25 years. Bill Cressman, an IRS spokesman, said the revenue service wants to help lift the burden of tax filing from members of the military who often run into complicated tax exemptions. “The IRS offers volunteer income tax assistance to both military servicemembers and civilians,” Cressman said. “We want to make...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2007 – An organization that has distributed more than $3 million in scholarships and interest-free education loans has entered its second half-century of service to the extended Army Aviation family. The Army Aviation Association of America, or “Quad A,” was organized 50 years ago at Fort Rucker, Ala., to support U.S. Army aviation soldiers and their families, the group’s national president said. The group’s AAAA Scholarship Foundation, Inc., a member of the Defense Department’s America Supports You program, furthers that purpose by offering financial assistance for educational pursuits. America Supports You highlights the ways Americans are...

If anyone can offer assistance, I would appreciate it. I'm trying to upload website changes to my company server. For some reason, on several files (but not all) I am getting an error message (see below). Like I said, some files will publish with no problem, but if/when I try to upload all at once and even some one by one, I get the error message. Why do some go through and others not? The server could not complete your request. Contact your Internet service provider or web server admin to make sure that the server has FP Server Extensions...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is touring the hardest-hit of California's farmland today, as efforts continue to gauge the damage done by the recent cold snap. The tour of Central Valley farms and orchards coincides with the opening of one-stop assistance centers in Riverside and San Bernardino counties and 16 other communities for agricultural workers out of work because of the frigid temperatures. The centers are offering job and unemployment assistance, food, healthcare and other services, according to the governor's office. New centers are at the following locations: * Workforce Development Center 1151 Spruce Street Riverside, CA 92507 * San Bernardino Employment...

An Iraqi national policeman and Sgt. Robin Roberts share smiles with local children during a humanitarian assistance distribution at the Khadra Neighborhood Advisory Council Nov. 11. Approximately 70 boxes of school supplies for five area primary schools and 1000 boxes of food for local families were distributed along with toys for children. (Courtesy Photo) BAGHDAD -- Iraqi Soldiers are striving to improve security and living conditions throughout neighborhoods here and throughout Iraq. Iraqi Army Soldiers and National Policemen delivered more than 1,000 boxes of food, 70 boxes of school supplies and toys to local children and families Nov. 11...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2006 -- Amid the thousands of walkers at the Pentagon yesterday commemorating the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, and the nation’s past and present veterans, was a group that looks to help those veterans in a very tangible way. The American Legion’s “Heroes to Hometown” program, which was represented at the end of yesterday’s America Supports You Freedom Walk, is a group that works to provide a seamless transfer for severely injured veterans from the hospital to their hometowns. “We wanted to be a part of this, of course,” David L. Marsh, assistant director of...

Captain James Van Thach a Rising Star in Iraq. Your job highlights the “nation-building” purpose of this war, and your choice of this dangerous assignment speaks well of you as highly idealistic.

This web site provides information to US citizens covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) If you are not a UOCAVA citizen, and wish to vote absentee as a regular state voter, please click here for links to State Election Sites. If you wish to vote in person, please contact your local county election official (listed in the Government Pages of the telephone book). Only 113 days until Election Day!

U.S. Army Capt. Frank Cerfogli (right) and Spc. Heather Kikulski treat Afghan villagersÂ’ sheep and goats with deworming medicine in Ander Key Bay, Afghanistan, June 13, 2006. Cerfogli and Kikulski, assigned to the 7/19 Medical Detachment, were part of a Cooperative Medical Assistance team, that provided much needed medical assistance to the remote villages of Hazarbez and Ander Key, June 9 to 13, 2006. Cerfogli, from Boone, Iowa, is a field veterinary officer. Kikulski, from Lake Geneva, Wis., is an animal specialist. U.S. Army photo by Army Sgt Nina J. Ramon Medical Assistance Team Visits Afghan Villages Despite the...

JALALABAD AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, May 10, 2006 – Defying estimates of a low turnout, more than 6,300 patients were treated during a historic six-day medical civic assistance program conducted by the Afghan National Army and coalition forces in Kunar province's Korengal Valley in Afghanistan recently. U.S. Navy Cmdr. Sandra Hearn of the cooperative medical assistance team for Combined Joint Task Force 76, treats an Afghan girl with a head injury during a six-day medial civic assistance program run by Afghan and coalition forces in Afghanistan''s Korengal Valley. More than 6,300 patients were treated. Photo by Capt. Dan Huvane, USMC  (Click photo...

ABOARD USS GERMANTOWN, At Sea (NNS) -- Sailors from USS Germantown (LSD 42) provided medical assistance to an injured Iranian fisherman May 7, in the Northern Persian Gulf. During routine surveillance of three dhows by Germantown’s Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) team, radio contact revealed an injured crew member on one of the vessels. The dhow’s master stated that the crew member injured a foot during rough seas the day before and requested medical assistance from the VBSS team. A corpsman from Germantown was then transported to the dhow, where he diagnosed the injured man with a severe sprain...

For more than two decades, Andy had collected monthly disability checks and food stamps. Taxpayers picked up his medical bills, too, including the cost of more than half a dozen stays in mental hospitals. But Andy has a job now and says his life is finally under control. He says he received his last disability check this month. What's changed? Andy used to be Ava. A woman. Tormented since childhood with what doctors later diagnosed as gender-identity disorder, Andy six years ago won a legal settlement that required the state to pay for him to undergo a sex change. In...

WEST OF NACO, Sonora, Mexico — Grupo Beta agent Waldo Montiel had just finished a brief off-road spin through a gully known to be a waiting area for migrants when the red Chevy Suburban roared past, headed west along the dusty border road. “Do you recognize that truck?” asked fellow agent Bertha Alicia De la Rosa from her seat beside Montiel. “No,” he said. “It’s not from one of the ranches around here?” “I don’t think so,” he answered as he pulled the bright orange Dodge Ram truck back on to the road and took up pursuit of the Suburban....

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The April 10 deadline for all victims of Hurricane Katrina and Rita requesting assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is rapidly approaching. In an initial news release March 10, David Paulison, FEMA acting director, announced that the deadline for registering for assistance as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas would be extended 30 days to April 10. Applicants may qualify for help under a wide range of federal and state programs, such as temporary disaster housing assistance; SBA low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters and businesses; and assistance for...

Chicago Voting Spots Open For New Orleans ElectionCenters To Help Displaced Hurricane Katrina Victims Vote Mar 22, 2006 8:08 am US/Central (AP) CHICAGO The NAACP has opened two voter assistance centers in Chicago to provide displaced Hurricane Katrina victims with information on the New Orleans city election. The Chicago centers will help Katrina victims by providing voter registration and absentee ballot information for the April 22 election. The last day to cast an absentee ballot is today if displaced New Orleans residents were registered as of Sept. 25. After today, voters will only be able to vote in New Orleans....

Medical Civil Assistance Program visits to Bamian Province provided basic medical care to residents and their livestock. BAMIAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan, March 8, 2006 — Officials in Bamian Province tended to health of fellow Afghans – and their livestock – during Medical Civil Assistance Program visits in early March. The government officials put together five visits from March 1 through March 8 in coordination with coalition forces and the Bamian Provincial Reconstruction Team. The purpose of the visits was to improve health conditions in the province by vaccinating, deworming and providing basic medical care to people and livestock. Over the five-day...

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) -- The Navy is encouraging Sailors and their families to take part in the 2006 election season with help from the Navy Voting Assistance Program. The program and its Navy Voting Assistance officers can assist with the process of absentee voting in time for the start of this year’s election season, which begins March 7. “The Navy Voting Assistance Program is here to assist every Sailor who is eligible to vote,” said Lt. Dave Truman, Navy Voting Assistance Program manager, Commander, Navy Installations Command, Millington Detachment. “Sailors can still vote in their state primary through the process...

ABOARD USS NASSAU, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Nassau (LHA 4) and embarked units provided assistance to a distressed vessel off the coast of Kenya Jan. 31 while conducting maritime security operations (MSO) in the area. Motor vessel Al Manara reported a need for provisions, engineering assistance and medical attention. The crew aboard Nassau responded as part of their MSO mission to provide supplies, medicine and assistance to the vessel’s crew. “We received a report from Coalition Task Force (CTF) 150 stating that the motor vessel Al Manara had suffered an engineering casualty approximately 680 miles off the coast of...

A federal court will soon sentence attorney Lynne Stewart to prison for "providing material support" to terrorists, among related charges.[1] The charges center upon her assistance to Egyptian sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman who, from a federal prison cell in Minnesota, has continued his quest both to install an Islamist government in Egypt and to kill Americans and Jews around the world. Stewart's case is symbolic of a corollary battle in the war against terror and highlights the need not only to counter terrorism but also the ideology of Islamism. Her infatuation with her client's cause evolved into an example of...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2005 – Combat veterans dealing with readjustment issues as they return home have a place to turn, thanks to a Department of Veterans Affairs initiative. The Vet Center program provides returning veterans with someone to talk to who can relate to their experiences. Former Army Cpl. Rafiq Raza of Orlando, Fla., is one of about 100 "global war on terror outreach technicians" working for the Vet Center program. Like his colleagues, he is a combat veteran, which gives him an edge in his job, he said. Raza said his two tours in Afghanistan as an intelligence analyst...

MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, Calif. (Oct. 6, 2005) -- In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina federal, state and local agencies dispatched teams of personnel to provide much needed assistance to the thousands of evacuees who were forced to leave the cities along the Gulf Coast to include New Orleans, which was nearly destroyed. Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29 as a high Category 4 hurricane and by all accounts, it has been considered the most destructive hurricane ever. Joining in to provide much-needed assistance to evacuees were MCLB Barstow civilian employees, Gary Heidorn, supervisor of the PAXMAN Shop at...

CAMP KINSER, OKINAWA, Japan (Sept. 28, 2005) -- Students from Kinser Elementary School show off some of the money they have collected to support the ongoing relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina, the most destructive tropical storm in recorded U.S. history, in the school’s lunchroom Sept. 28. The students have been taking donations during their lunch periods for more than a week and have collected over $1,000. After the hurricane, members of the local community immediately started collecting money in order to help in any way they could. According to Chuck Miller, assistant station manager for the American Red Cross office...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government said on Saturday it would distribute two types of housing assistance to people displaced by Hurricane Katrina based on the type of housing they had before the storm. Under a Federal Emergency Management Agency program, previous homeowners or renters will receive an initial three-month rental assistance payment of $2,358. That sum was calculated based on the average fair-market rent rate for a two-bedroom unit nationwide, and can be increased if needed, a FEMA spokesman said.

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 19, 2005 – The man in charge of a Baptist-run mission set in an impoverished neighborhood here said Sept. 18 that he's glad the Army arrived to help him meet the needs of Hurricane Katrina victims. "The Army's support has helped us tremendously," said Rev. James N. Brown, who oversees St. Mary's Place Mission in Algiers, an old New Orleans neighborhood across the Mississippi River from the French Quarter. Brown said 1st Cavalry Division soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, arrived in Algiers a few days after the storm and restored order to a community that experienced chaos...

GULFPORT, Miss. (NNS) -- The Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport office of the Navy/Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS) is providing financial assistance to military victims of Hurricane Katrina here. Just two days after Hurricane Katrina destroyed large sections of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Gulfport's NMCRS was helping military personnel and their family members secure emergency funds through interest-free loans. As of Sept. 14, NMCRS worldwide had assisted 3,574 victims; 1,701 of whom were seen at the Gulfport office. More than $1.3 million in loans have been awarded so far, with more than $400,000 of that amount going to Gulfport....

NEW ORLEANS – Faced with the nation's costliest natural disaster, President Bush said Thursday the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast will be one of the largest reconstruction projects the world has ever seen and the federal government will cover most of the costs – estimated at $200 billion or beyond. "There is no way to imagine America without New Orleans, and this great city will rise again," the president said in remarks prepared for an address to the nation. Bush committed the federal government to covering "the great majority of the costs" of rebuilding critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges,...

149th Fighter Wing security forces return from Louisiana LACKLAND AFB, Texas (Sept. 15, 2005) – Forty-seven security forces personnel from the 149th Fighter Wing returned Sept. 13 from Louisiana after providing security and evacuation assistance to New Orleans residents during the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The group arrived at Kelly Field via C-130 aircraft and was taken to the 149th Fighter Wing for health assessments before leaving for home and much-needed showers and sleep. The security team left from San Antonio Aug. 31, commanded by Lt. Col. Scott Elliott of the 204th Security Forces Squadron, and included Air Guard...