Free Republic

The Institute for Energy Research (IER) is committed to free-market policy solutions for America’s energy needs. IER has repeatedly argued that reducing the federal government’s intervention in the energy sector would reduce prices for consumers and, especially in our current recession, would create thousands of good jobs for unemployed workers. In this context, a recent opinion piece on FoxNews by Steve Lockard—CEO of a company making wind turbines and a board member of the American Wind Energy Association—was quite ironic. Lockard was trying to appeal to conservative readers by claiming that the Congress was threatening to destroy American jobs through...

This Treasury Inspector General report gives us yet another reason to end the education tax credits: 17.5% of all the money “paid” is fraudulent. Figure 2 tells us that there were $18.3B in education tax credits, and figure 3, shown below tells us that $3.2B of it was fraudulent. Super-committee, take note, killing the tax credits would yield significant savings (probably around $20B a year, though how this is scored by the CBO depends on the currently legislated future of the programs). Moreover, this will have virtually no effect on college affordability (tax credits and state appropriations are the types...

BRUSSELS (AFP) – Hackers stole two million tonnes of polluting rights in a five-day raid this week on the European Union's carbon emissions trading system, an EU source said on Thursday. The volume of carbon credits stolen in online action, which a European Commission spokeswoman was "possibly concerted", represents just a fraction of global industrial greenhouse gas permits, but is potentially worth many millions of euros. The scale of the theft, which involved five unnamed EU states, was revealed a day after Brussels shut all 27 national trading registries for a week, citing inadequate online protection. Credits stolen just from...

In central Connecticut there are a lot of two and three family rental properties built in the 1940s through the 1960s. The last few years have been tough for renters paying for natural gas, oil and electricity. Many of those properties could benefit from insulation improvements, yet the federal government says “no way” to landlords looking for an energy rebate to help offset the cost of improvements. Tell me readers ... who loses out?

Update 17:37 01/10/10 - Reports indicate that police have shot and killed James Lee, and released the hostages.SILVER SPRING, Maryland, September 1, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Chaos erupted after at least one hostage was taken at the Silver Spring headquarters of the Discovery Channel by what appears to be a crazed radical environmentalist. The armed man has reportedly demanded that Discovery Channel executives run programming geared toward stopping the propagation of "parasitic human infants" in order to save the planet from global warming and pollution.In a document apparently authored by James J. Lee, identified by law enforcement as the gunman, Lee...

Even the director of the Michigan Film Office thinks giving a $10 million special tax favor to a Grand Rapids film studio would be a bad idea. This video is an update on the fishy film deal in Grand Rapids.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is trumpeting a new White House estimate that his top economist calls "stunning": His stimulus plan has already created or saved up to 2 million jobs. The analysis is part of the administration's quarterly report to Congress on the controversial $787 billion package of spending and tax cuts he signed weeks after taking office. Obama planned to highlight the report Wednesday during a visit to a Lanham, Md., training center for union electricians that specializes in "green" technology.

WASHINGTON -- The White House will announce plans Wednesday to provide another $5 billion in tax credits for manufacturers of wind, solar, electric vehicle and other renewable energy products, hoping to leverage at least $15 billion in private investment and create "tens of thousands" of jobs. The expansion would increase three-fold the $2.3 billion available in the Section 48C Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit program, part of the $787 billion stimulus package enacted in February. That program has been over-subscribed. The additional money could go to applicants turned down when the money ran out.

COPENHAGEN, Dec 14 -- The Copenhagen climate talks will generate more carbon emissions than any previous climate conference, equivalent to the annual output of more than half- -a-million Ethiopians, figures commissioned by hosts Denmark show. Delegates, journalists, activists and observers from almost 200 countries have gathered at the Dec 7-18 summit and their travel and work will create 46,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide, most of it from their flights. This would fill nearly 10,000 Olympic swimming pools, and is the same amount produced each year by 2,300 Americans or 660,000 Ethiopians -- the vast difference is due to the huge...

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- It's getting more rewarding to be a home buyer. There's the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time home buyers. ....There's just one hitch: You have to buy a newly-constructed home that's never been lived in. (And later in the story) There are some other limitations: The credit is available for just one year. Also, the state allocated $100 million to the credit -- once the funds run out, so does the tax break. And taxpayers must live in the home for two years or pay the credit back, Morris said. The state tax agency will pay...

Kyoto Carbon Emission Credits Not For Sale 04 December 2008 By Mathew Carr, Alex Morales / Bloomberg POZNAN, Poland — The country will refuse to sell carbon-emissions credits to other nations, removing from the market the biggest single pool of licenses to release greenhouse gases under the Kyoto global-warming treaty, a government official said. The country will hold the credits beyond the Kyoto Protocol's 2012 deadline, Viktor Blinov, deputy chief of Russia's delegation to United Nations climate talks in Poland, said Tuesday. Instead, Russia will use them to comply with a successor treaty that is being negotiated. The comments may...

ASA responds to the Tax Foundation’s Gerald Prante blog, “Is Any Ol’ Tax Cut a Good Tax Cut? No.”

Forget the economy, forget Russia, forget even Fannie and Freddie. If you're looking for your first full-time job, or you're between employers, or if you work now for a small company that offers no health plan, your main concern might be how to get health insurance. Would you prefer a $5,000 tax credit toward buying a family health insurance policy and more competition among insurance providers (McCain), or a national public health care plan and additional regulation of insurance markets (Obama)? Do these plans raise or lower your taxes?

What is Cheat Offsetting? When you cheat on your partner you add to the heartbreak, pain and jealousy in the atmosphere. Cheatneutral offsets your cheating by funding someone else to be faithful and NOT cheat. This neutralises the pain and unhappy emotion and leaves you with a clear conscience. Can I offset all my cheating? First you should look at ways of reducing your cheating. Once you've done this you can use Cheatneutral to offset the remaining, unavoidable cheating

WASHINGTON – Sen. John McCain called Monday for reductions in carbon emissions and criticized the Bush administration for failing to lead the fight against climate change. "We have many advantages in the fight against global warming, but time is not one of them. … We stand warned by serious and credible scientists across the world that time is short and the dangers are great," the Arizona Republican said in a speech delivered at a wind-energy facility in Portland, Ore. "The most relevant question is whether our own government is equal to the challenge." McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, proposed...

OXFORD, England -- Marc Stuart and Pedro Moura Costa have become multimillionaires in a booming new market designed to fight global warming. Now, their empire is under attack. Their firm, United Kingdom-based EcoSecurities Ltd., helps companies in the industrialized world meet their obligations to pollute less by selling them "credits" that fund clean-air projects in poorer nations. Last year, some $9.4 billion in these credits were traded, up from almost none four years earlier. The market's anything-goes early days now appear to be ending. United Nations officials who regulate the trade have started questioning scores of proposed projects, from hydroelectric...

Al Gore’s campaign against global warming is shifting into high gear...But while the mainstream media promote his ideas about the state of planet Earth, they are mostly silent about the dramatic impact his economic proposals would have on America...and routinely ignore evidence that he may personally benefit from his programs. Would the romance fizzle if Gore’s followers realized how much their man stands to gain?...... Never mind that the scientific community is divided over what causes global warming, how bad it is and how to deal with it. Gore plays Chicken Little to the media’s applause, insisting that the world...

"And the idea was, the shark comes to the nearest man, that man, he starts poundin' and hollerin' and screamin', sometime's the shark goes away, sometimes he wouldn't go away. Sometime's that shark, he looks right into ya, right into your eyes. And another thing about that shark. He's got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, he doesn't seem to be livin'. Until he bites you." Quint from Jaws

NOGALES, Ariz. (Army News Service, July 31, 2006) – The number of illegal immigrants crossing from Mexico into the U.S. Border Patrol’s busy Tucson, Ariz., sector have dropped from about 600 a day in March to 200 this month, according to Border Patrol officials. Although apprehension rates typically vary with the season, Border Patrol officials attribute the latest drop to the arrival of National Guard troops for Operation Jump Start, the initiative President George W. Bush announced in mid-May to help the Border Patrol secure the U.S. border with Mexico. “We’ve seen dramatic decreases in the number of entries and...

SACRAMENTO – Mexican President Vicente Fox today lauded President Bush and U.S. senators for passing a comprehensive immigration bill that offers employment and citizenship opportunities, but said most of the credit should go to Mexican immigrants. "Nobody deserved more credit than the ... paisanos here," he said, using the Spanish colloquial word for "countrymen" during a speech to the California Chamber of Commerce and Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. "They have fought for it." He offered his "most caring salute to all Mexicans here in the United States," whom he praised for their work ethic and loyalty not only to...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (May 25, 2006) -- Marines from 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division gathered in front of the regiment’s headquarters as four Bronze Stars were awarded May 19. Lt. Col. Richard O. Miles Jr., executive officer for Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Division, received his award for meritorious achievement in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from February 2005 to February 2006 in Fallujah, Iraq. The Bronze Star is given for valor and meritorious service and is the nation’s fourth highest distinction. “As the executive officer I see and hear almost everything that goes on....

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (May 25, 2006) -- Marines from 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division gathered in front of the regiment’s headquarters as four Bronze Stars were awarded, May 19. Maj. Toby G. Dyer, logistics officer for Regimental Combat Team-8, 2nd Marine Division, received his award for meritorious achievement in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from July 2005 to February 2006 in Fallujah, Iraq. “It’s an honor to receive something that commemorates the hard work of my Marines,” said Dyer, a Seattle native. The Bronze Star is given for valor and meritorious service and is the nation’s...

In a big win for conservatives, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano has opted not to veto a controversial bill that offers tax credits to businesses that donate to private schools. Napolitano, a Democrat, informed Republican legislative leaders Wednesday that she would not veto and would let a private school tax credit bill become law without her signature. The governor vetoed previous versions of the private school tax credit bill earlier this year and last year during budget and education spending disputes with GOP lawmakers. The vetoes soured already tart relations between Napolitano and state Senate President Ken Bennett and House Speaker...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (March 14, 2006) -- “The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to 1st Lt. Brian M. Stann, United States Marine Corps,” were the words starting the Silver Star presentation ceremony here March 10. All of 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment gathered together as the commanding general of 2nd Marine Division presented Stann, Weapons Company commander, with his Silver Star Medal, honoring him for his actions and bravery during Operation Matador last year in Iraq. “This award represents my guys,” the Scranton, Pa. native explained. “It’s an insight...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2006 – Kelly Perdew was hired as Donald Trump's "Apprentice" in 2004, and he believes his training at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point helped him win the reality TV competition. Kelly Perdew (left), winner of the TV show "The Apprentice," shakes the hand of a fan after autographing his newly released book, "Take Command," during his book signing in Washington Feb. 15. Perdew is a former Army intelligence officer and Ranger, as well as a West Point graduate. Photo by William D. Moss  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Perdew, whose new book, "Take...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York man was temporarily barred on Friday from preparing income tax returns for others because he has been including bogus tax credits such as reparations for African-American slavery and segregation. The Manhattan U.S. attorney's office said it obtained a restraining order against Kevin Hardy of Mount Vernon that immediately barred him from working as a tax preparer until a full hearing can be held. Prosecutors said that the Internal Revenue Code does not provide any such slavery reparations tax credit and that Hardy repeatedly prepared returns for others making such claims.

OTTAWA (Reuters) - After insisting it would not buy "hot air" from Russia and other countries, the Canadian government said on Tuesday it would have go abroad to buy green credits in order to meet its emissions targets under the Kyoto accord. Environment Minister Stephane Dion said the government's plans so far were not enough to meet the targets laid down by the international Kyoto treaty on climate change, which comes into force on Wednesday. Dion said most of the plan he is developing to cut greenhouse gases, blamed for global warming, would bring about reductions in Canadian emissions. But...

Energy Producers See Cash in Kyoto By Greg Walters Staff Writers When the Dutch government expressed interest in funding the modernization of a power plant in Amursk, Khabarovsk region, last year, the Russian government stopped the deal dead in its tracks. The Dutch wanted Russia to give up a few of its greenhouse gas emissions credits, which would be portioned out if the Kyoto Protocol on global warming takes effect. The Dutch were prepared to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for the emissions credits -- on top of the renovation costs. But the Russian authorities did not give their...

Brokers gather to trade emissions credits As carbon dioxide emissions continue to be a problem, Europe takes the lead in the fight against global warming. Buyers, sellers, brokers and lawyers, even ''specialists in carbon asset creation management,'' convene Wednesday on the banks of the Rhine to launch a new business for a worried world. CarbonExpo, in the cavernous congress halls of Cologne, Germany, is a three-day trade fair for those who would deal in carbon dioxide -- buying and selling permits to discharge the waste gas chiefly blamed for global warming. This carbon trading is a Europe-wide effort to use...

<p>BY some reports, the just- passed federal tax cut favored the rich at the expense of the poor. Yet U.S. Treasury data show that lower-income taxpayers received a larger percentage tax cut than higher-income taxpayers. Families with modest incomes received an expansion in the 10 percent tax bracket, an increase in the standard deduction for married couples and an increase in the child tax credit.</p>

<p>Caddo Parish classroom paraprofessionals and their colleagues across the nation face their own version of high-stakes testing.</p> <p>Paraprofessionals, also known as teacher aides, or simply "paras," must demonstrate that they are qualified, either by earning 48 hours of college credit in specified courses, gaining a two-year college degree or passing a state-approved competency test.</p>