Free Republic

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo experienced a sharp drop in approval after pushing through tough new gun laws, according to a poll conducted by Quinnipiac University. Cuomo, who last month had an all-time high job approval of 74 percent, saw that number drop to 59 percent. The Quinnipiac poll also shows: Voters in non-gun homes approve of the governor 68%-19%. Voters in households with a gun disapprove 50%-40%. Thirty-four percent of all voters say the gun-control package signed by Gov. Cuomo this month goes "too far" in restricting gun owners' rights while 30 percent say it does not go far...

Bank of America has reportedly frozen the account of gun manufacturer American Spirit Arms, according to its owner, Joe Sirochman. In a Facebook post dated December 29, Sirochman wrote the following: “My name is Joe Sirochman owner of American Spirit Arms...our Web site orders have jumped 500 percent causing our Web site e-commerce processing larger deposits to Bank of America. So they decided to hold the deposits for further review. “After countless hours on the phone with Bank of America, I finally got a manager in the right department that told me the reason that the deposits were on hold...

Background checks for individuals purchasing firearms increased in every state in December - and in 48 of the 50 states and in Washington, D.C. for full-year 2012 - according to data compiled by the FBI. Compared to the total number of background checks completed from January through December of 2011 all but two states saw net increases in gun sales in 2012. Utah reported a decline of 77.4%, and Iowa a decline of 17.9%. Nationally, background checks were up 19.1% for 2012. Washington D.C. saw the largest year-to-year increase with sales jumping 49.7%. Wisconsin followed with 45.4%, then New Jersey...

Recent polling data show that the National Rifle Association has a higher favorability rating than both President Barack Obama and the mainstream media. Fifty-four percent of Americans said they have a favorable opinion of the NRA according to a USA Today/Gallup Poll conducted Dec. 19-22. A Gallup poll released earlier this year showed that Americans’ distrust of the media hit a new high with 60 percent saying they had little or no trust in the mass media while 40 percent said they had a great deal or fair amount of trust. Barack Obama’s popularity falls short of each with a...

The British have responded to a petition calling for the deportation from the United States of CNN host Piers Morgan with one of their own: “Stop Piers Morgan from being deported back to the UK from America.” The counter-petition, addressed to Theresa May, Home Secretary, is a direct response to the 70,000 Americans who have signed a petition calling for Mr. Morgan to be deported from the United States because of his strong gun-control views. The UK petition, posted on change.org reads as follows: “We got rid of him [Piers Morgan] once and why should we have to suffer again....

Under the leadership of House Speaker John Boehner (R.-Ohio), the 112th House of Representatives has thus far approved legislation that has increased the debt of the federal government by $2,176,949,774,695.46—or approximately $18,944 for per American household. The 112th House of Representatives has achieved this in a little more than 20 months time—and it may not be done yet enacting laws to approve new federal borrowing and spending. The 112th House came into power on Jan. 5, 2011, electing Rep. John Boehner as its speaker on that day. The Boehner-led House did not have a direct impact on the fiscal policy...

Since President Barack Obama took the oath of office on January 20, 2009, the share price of firearms manufacturer Sturm, Ruger & Company has increased more than 700 percent. At the close of business on the day of Obama's inauguration, the price of Ruger stock (Ticker: RGR) was $5.48 per share. At the end of the trading day on December 17, 2012, the price of the stock closed at $44.00 per share; an increase of 703 percent in less than four years. But, Ruger isn't the only gun manufacturer that has seen an explosion in its stock value. Smith &...

People who watch non-competition reality shows are more extroverted, neurotic and have a lower self-esteem, according to a new study. The survey, conducted by Today.com polled 19,000 people and found that "those who watched non-competition reality shows are more extroverted, neurotic and have lower self-esteem than watchers who are not fans of the genre." Additionally, the survey found that 72% of women and 60% of men watch Reality television simply because they're bored. Also, 46% of women and 26% of men watch this genre because they like to see how people with money and fame live their lives. Deadliest Catch...

Facebook is the number one company to work for in the world, according to a new study by Glassdoor.com. The career site ranked the 50 best companies to work for based on employee reviews and other corporate data and found that the social media website tops them all. Facebook employees gave the company a 4.6 rating on a scale of 5.0 with a majority saying they are "Very Satisfied." The company's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, received a 97 percent approval rating. Some of the pros reported by Facebook employees included smart and driven employees, vision of management and the ability to...

Americans favor the legalization of marijuana 51 to 44 percent, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday morning. The poll showed a substantial gender and age gap on the issue: -- Men favored legalization 59 to 36 percent, but women opposed it, 52 to 44 percent. -- Americans 18 to 29 years old support legalization 67 to 29 percent, while those over 65 years oppose it, 56 to 35 percent. -- Respondents between 30 and 44 years old also support the idea of legalization, 58 to 39 percent, while Americans between 45 and 64 are more closely divided,...

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) warns that the Obamacare tax hikes set to kick in at the start of 2013 are "a big part of the fiscal cliff" that will hurt those in need of vital medical equipment. Today, Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Jordan issued the following statement highlighting the $1.058 trillion in higher taxes coming from ObamaCare over the next ten years. Many of the tax increases take effect on January 1, 2013: "ObamaCare raises taxes on middle-income families, employers and investors. It hikes taxes on people with no health insurance, people with too little insurance and people with...

In an interview with NBC Washington, NFL sensation Robert Griffin III ("RG3") told WRC-TV sports reporter Dan Hellie that his biggest fear coming to Washington, D.C. to be an NFL quarterback was God. Hellie asked the Washington Redskins' star quarterback, "Everybody fears something. What was your biggest fear coming to Washington, D.C., to be an NFL quarterback? "You try not to fear too many things. I fear God," Griffin responded. "RG3" also told Hellie that he fears his parents saying, "you don't want to let people down, and some would say that's pressure, but I didn't fear it. "I just...

Two lucky individuals won $587.5 million last night by matching all six numbers in the Powerball lottery. This represents the second-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history. To put this amount in perspective, and to shed light on the United States' spending problem, the math below shows that the federal government's pace of deficit spending would consume this amount in just four hours. In fiscal year 2012, the debt of the U.S. government increased by $1,275,901,078,828.74, according to the Treasury Department. That equals about $3.5 billion per day, or $2,430,555.00 per minute. Based on these numbers, the federal government would blow...

As the fiscal cliff looms, a growing number of Republican lawmakers are abandoning their pledge to the American people NOT to raise taxes. It was reported last week that Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) broke from his conservative colleagues when he stated on WMAZ-TV, "I care more about my country than I do about a 20-year-old pledge." Chambliss was referring to the Taxpayer Protection Pledge created by Grover Norquist at Americans for Tax Reform. The pledge asks candidates and incumbents to bind themselves to oppose any and all tax increases. The promise, made to the American people states the following: 1....

New York Times bestselling author Dinesh D’Souza spoke at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, yesterday about his new book, “Obama’s America.” The book, which I read over this past weekend, seeks to explain the actions and policies of President Barack Obama using the principles of Anti-Colonial ideology. Obama’s Anti-Colonialism, D’Souza suggests, is based on the premise that rich countries got rich by looting poor countries and that, within the rich countries, plutocratic and corporate elites continue to exploit ordinary citizens. Throughout the book, D’Souza endeavors to explain the origins of Obama’s ideology, including stories about the president’s father, Barack...

On his show last night, Mark Levin said that President Barack Obama is the Commander-in-Chief of the war on the private sector. Levin discussed the lack of U.S. jobs and pointed to a number of disappointing economic statistics. “I want you to look around you. I want you to think about family members and friends and co-workers. Many of you look at your own situation. Look at the situation of your children. Think how prices are rising, costs are rising. But, for most people income is flat – if not, losing ground.” “There are 23 million unemployed or underemployed today."...

(CNSNews.com) – Embattled Attorney General Eric Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that he has “stuck by my guns” during his time in office. “I’ve enjoyed my time as attorney general,” he told the panel. “It’s been a tough job. It is one that takes a lot out of you. Some raised concerns as to whether I was tough enough for this job. I think that people will hopefully see that I’ve done this job in a way that is consistent with our values.” He was responding to Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) who asked Holder if he would...

(CNSNews.com) – Attorney General Eric Holder told the House Judiciary Committee Thursday that the Justice Department will “vigorously use” anti-Jim Crow provisions in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to prevent some southern states from purging ineligible voters from their rolls and enacting voter-I.D. laws. "It is the position of this Department of Justice and certainly this Attorney General that we will vigorously defend and vigorously use Section 5. The need for it is still there." Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act requires several southern states and counties in states such as California and Florida to get federal “pre-clearance”...

(CNSNews.com) - Since President Barack Obama was inaugurated in January 2009, the Federal Reserve’s holdings of U.S. government debt have quintupled, according to the Fed’s official monthly balance sheet. On Jan. 28, 2009, a week after Obama’s nomination, the Fed owned $302 billion in U.S. Treasury securities. On April 25, 2012, the latest date reported, the Fed owned five and a half time that much in U.S. Treasury securities--$1.668 trillion. That is an increase from January 2009 of $1.366 trillion—or 452 percent. Under Obama, the Federal Reserve has become the single largest owner of U.S. government debt. When Obama entered...

On his show today, Rush Limbaugh said that President Barack Obama “doesn’t give a damn about anybody.” Limbaugh described Obama as a “lone-wolf” who doesn’t have the “backs” of those in his party, including his largest supporters, the public-sector unions. He said that Obama demonstrated his lack of support by failing to show up to the Wisconsin recall election. “He’s a lone-wolf," said the talk radio host. "He’s a lone-player, but it doesn’t end there. Obama doesn’t give a damn about anybody. He didn’t care about Tom Barrett, did he? He wasn’t willing to do one thing. He barely lifted...