Free Republic

My husband and I are moving to the Chattanooga, TN, area in the near future and would like to know the experiences of others who have retired or plan to retire there. We are particularly interested in the difference in cost between buying a home in north GA versus TN. Does the exemption for retirement income make it worthwhile to choose GA over TN? We have been talking with our accountant, and we really cannot tell if the lower housing cost will balance out what we pay in state taxes. Thank you and feel free to private message me!

---snip--- So, with all of these statements in mind, how is the Welfare State NOT a giant machine of theft and redistribution? Yes, yes, I know. I’m a heartless SOB for asking the question. I’ve never struggled to feed myself (even though I have), and I’ve never been “low income” (even though I have), and I don’t care about poor people (even though I do, and deeply so). I get it. I’m a cold blooded scoundrel, I hear ya. Fine. But can you answer the question? If statements 1, 2, and 3 are all accurate, how does welfare manage to...

The public school year starts this month. Unfortunately, Florida isn't known for its stellar public schools. That means a lot of families are worried about their kids' educations and might even be dreading the thought of another disappointing year.

Parents of middle school aged children may want to be aware that the national MathCounts Foundation has changed the rules for homeschoolers this year. MathCounts provides an opportunity for 6th through 8th grade students to compete in academic problem solving and mathematical competitions which may be of particular interest to gifted middle schoolers.

With its economy in the worst shape in decades, Florida has few places to turn. This probably means that the state will have to consider...

Homeschooling: great for self-aggrandizing, society-phobic mother…… but not quite so good for the kid. Here are my top ten reasons why homeschooling parents are doing the wrong thing: 10. “You were totally home schooled” is an insult college kids use when mocking the geeky kid in the dorm (whether or not the offender was home schooled or not). And… say what you will… but it doesn’t feel nice to be considered an outsider, a natural outcropping of being homeschooled. 9. Call me old-fashioned, but a students’ classroom shouldn’t also be where they eat Fruit Loops and meat loaf (not at...

Starting this August, elementary and middle-school students in one school district in Westminster, Colo., won't be assigned to grade levels based on age. Instead, they'll fall into multi-age levels based on what they already know and will move up only as they master new material. The concept makes sense to many education experts because it matches how kids actually learn: One student needs three hours to figure out fractions while another takes a full day.

Gunfire at a South Orange Blossom Trail carwash Friday left a suspected robber dead at the hands of his intended victim, Orange County deputies said.

I am sorry I don't have the original article, but it has been removed from the WFTV web site. They did a big expose this week on the proliferation of concealed carry permit holders in Central Florda. On their web site they had links to excel files containing lists of permit holders by county including names, addresses, birth dates and permit numbers. Of course, that is all a matter of public record, but they made it easy to access and, from what I have been told by those who heard their promos on the TV and radio, they told people...

The Churwide Assembly starts today! My son and I will drive down to the hotel this afternoon to serve as general volunteers and as volunteers for Word Alone. I hope to blog regularly as well as post on FR. I know there will be at least one other Freeper there...anyone else? We'll keep you posted!

herchurch.org??? Sigh. It's not just the sexuality study, you know. Here is an excerpt from the web page of Ebenezer Lutheran Church in, where else, San Francisco: We are a diverse community, standing firmly within the Christian tradition in order to reconstruct the divine by reclaiming her feminine persona in thealogy, liturgy, church structure, art, language, practices, leadership, and acts of justice. Challenging the church’s restricted language of the past, we pay special attention to images and metaphors that attempt to embrace divine fullness and that offer a witness of holy nurture and inclusive justice, both to the church and...

Looks like NBC is following CBS's lead in demonizing homeschooling....

Just heard something (on MSNBC) about an earthquake in Tokyo...no details as of yet.

The Rev. Howard Edington, who in two decades as pastor more than tripled the downtown congregation of First Presbyterian Church of Orlando, announced his retirement Wednesday in the wake of a controversy sparked by his conservative views on the role of gays in the denomination. The 60-year-old Edington's vocal opposition to ordaining gay ministers and blessing same-sex unions -- together with a sermon opposing the Orlando City Council's recently passed ordinance protecting gays from discrimination -- had roiled his congregation.Read the rest of the article here: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-aseceding05120502dec05.story

I recently finished the book, Unintended Consequences, and I was rather disappointed in it. While I support the premise of the book, that government has encroached greatly on our freedoms, I am uncomfortable with the hero's amorality. What do you think? What did you like or dislike about the book? Was it life-changing for you, as some freepers have written in other posts?

Some limits of tolerance seem boundless Every faith or spirituality gets benefit of doubt; Why doesn't Christianity? Lorne Gunter Edmonton Journal Sunday, December 30, 2001 In August, during a family holiday on the Mexican Riviera, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie, went through a "rebirthing ritual." According to a report in the Dec. 15 edition of the Times of London, the Blairs stayed at the very swanky Maroma Hotel near Cancun, where rooms fetch as much as $1,800 Cdn a night. While there, they underwent the hybrid New Age/Mayan ceremony. Dressed only in bathing suits, Britain's first ...