Free Republic

The most important principle taught in the graduate business economics course I took at the University of Kansas is: "There is no free lunch." Many wealthy Republicans either don't understand that "you can't get something for nothing" or don't understand how the value of their assets depends upon the federal government providing them with a safe and financially stable environment in which to make their fortunes. The term "free lunch" comes from the practice of some nineteenth century bars placing a "free lunch" on the bar for those who purchased drinks that might have a higher price than at other...

A recent article by David Leonhardt, "Why Taxes Will Rise in the End", directly reinforces the points made earlier in: "The Looming Compromise on Revenues." Leonhardt paints a picture in which revenue increases of some sort have to be an elemental part of fiscal reform, whether they be closing loopholes, the elimination of tax subsidies, an outright increase in taxes or any combination thereof. He points to several factors that make revenue increases inevitable for those who are serious about addressing America's looming fiscal crisis. Lets take a look at his analysis. 1. No Free Lunches: "If only we could...

DELAWARE, Ohio - Kids don't stop being hungry on weekends. Many depend on free lunches served on weekdays during the summer at more than 1,500 sites throughout Ohio, but Saturdays and Sundays can be days without a guaranteed meal. This summer, six of those sites will try to fill kids' bellies over weekends through a two-year national pilot project. Andrews House, a community-services center here, is the only central Ohio site offering the weekend meals. "They become dependent on the school cafeteria. It's an important source of nutrition for them," said Don Chenoweth, executive director of Andrews House. "Some families...

More than two-thirds of New York City's public school students will begin getting more nutritious free or low-cost school lunches under First Lady Michelle Obama's pet project to get kids to eat well and exercise. President Obama signed into law Sunday the $4.5 billion Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which expands the free lunch program and requires that schools provide more nutritious lunches. "We've seen the connection between what kids eat and how well they perform in school," he said. Some 680,000 out of 1.1 million New York children participate in the school lunch program - a big chunk of the...

Generations of British children could sympathise with the impulse to riot over school dinners. But the Chinese teenagers who rampaged through their cafeteria this week were protesting at the rocketing prices of meals rather than the quality of the food. While British students took to the streets to demonstrate against rising tuition fees, those at a school in Guizhou trashed the dinner hall after learning that the cost of dishes had gone up by an average of 0.5 yuan (5p). The south-western province is one of the poorest in China, with more than 5.5 million people living in poverty –...

The federal government could soon be paying for lunch for entire communities of children under a new plan in the U.S. House of Representatives. Christina A. Samuels of Education Week reports that the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act of 2010 would allow schools in high-poverty areas to be covered under a “community eligibility” option that allows free meals to all students without the traditional paperwork to determine eligibility. That would mean free meals for an extra 20 percent of students in Grand Rapids, where eight of 10 students already meet income levels to qualify for free or reduced-price meals....

More children in the Dayton area and Ohio are relying on free summer meal programs. In 2009, schools and community groups in Montgomery County served 510,496 free summer meals, a 20 percent increase since 2007, according to the Ohio Department of Education. Statewide, schools and community groups last year served 3.56 million free summer meals, an increase of 10 percent from 2008 and 17 percent from 2007, according to federal data. Food service officials expect the numbers to be even higher this year. Money is tight in the home of Amanda Gyldholm, a 32-year-old single mother of four who is...

Trillion dollar+ budget deficit for the fiscal year 2009 and the money keeps flowing! Must be ultra income redistribution!

The code words used for so-called "health care reform," single-payer, universal coverage, etc. bring images into the minds of many of "free" health care, something for nothing. When I was a boy, I was often puzzled why Dad didn't go for the special deals, discounts, etc. when we shopped for something. Now I understand that these were tricks crafted for the consumer looking for something for nothing. Dad knew that if you went after "something for nothing," you would be hooked and reeled in like a fish who took the bait. In the real world there is no "something for...

PHILADELPHIA - For students at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, there really is such a thing as a free lunch - and a free breakfast, too. With no strings attached. The Philadelphia school district's unique program provides free food for all children in schools with a high percentage of low-income students, dispensing with the cumbersome forms parents must fill out elsewhere to qualify their kids for free meals. Although federal officials recently threatened to kill this paperless model, other cities are looking to replicate it. Food service directors say it eliminates the costly bureaucracy that both deters needy families from applying...

I have been teaching introductory economics courses for more than 30 years. The topic of my first lecture is always on the concept of relative scarcity. Scarcity simply means that human wants and desires are unlimited; while resources, the means of production, are limited. The fact is that each individual, family, business and government entity must grapple with the scarcity problem and calculate the best way to allocate their resources to attain some end. The economic entity must choose how to best allocate its income to attain some level of happiness balancing current consumption and saving for future consumption. The...

“The war against illegal plunder has been fought since the beginning of the world. But how is… legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. Then abolish this law without delay … If such a law is not abolished immediately it will spread, multiply and develop into a system.” --Fredrick Bastiat, 1850 in...

Patients who refuse to change their unhealthy lifestyles should not be treated by the NHS, the Conservatives said today. In a bid to ease spiralling levels of obesity and other health concerns, a Tory panel said certain treatments should be denied to patients who refuse to co-operate with health professionals and live healthier lifestyles. And those who do manage to improve their general health by losing weight and quitting smoking, for example, would receive "Health Miles" cards. Points earned could then be used to pay for health-related products such as gym membership and fresh vegetables. The aim is a shift...

Fair Tax, Foul Politics By The Editors Advocates of a national sales tax to replace the income tax have built an impressive grassroots army. They have given their idea an appealing, if somewhat gimmicky, name: the Fair Tax. And they have managed to get five Republican presidential candidates to suggest that they would sign a sales-tax bill if it reached their desk. Some observers credit the enthusiasm of the Fair Taxers for Gov. Mike Huckabee’s surprisingly strong showing in the Iowa straw poll. Huckabee is the candidate most committed to the Fair Tax. Former senator Fred Thompson is, however, backing...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Every American should have health care coverage within six years, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday as he set an ambitious goal soon after jumping into the 2008 presidential race. "The time has come for universal health care in America," Obama said at a conference of Families USA, a health care advocacy group. "I am absolutely determined that by the end of the first term of the next president, we should have universal health care in this country," the Illinois senator said. Obama was previewing what is shaping up to be a theme of the 2008 Democratic...

I don't know a single Democrat not on a political payroll who is enthusiastic about state Treasurer Phil Angelides' run for governor. In the Capitol, many Dems can't stand the guy. No one can argue with a straight face that Angelides has a serious plan to balance state finances. If Schwarzenegger is the free-lunch governor -- he won't raise taxes and has failed to slice spending to eliminate the state's $4 billion to $5 billion structural budget shortfall -- Angelides offers free lunch followed by free desert. Angelides' recipe for state finances: no new taxes, unless you're rich, and a...

Passing on as received. Subject: Something You Won't Read About In the Papers During the Immigration Debate As you all listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration there are some things that you should be aware of. My wife is in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at large Southern California high school which is designated a Title 1 school, meaning that its student’s have an average lower socio-economic and income level. Most of the schools you are hearing about; South Gate High, Bell Gardens, Huntington Park, etc., where these students are protesting are also Title 1...

FairTax Strikes Back - Introduction On April 8, 2003 I wrote my first article on the FairTax proposal. The article FairTax - Income Taxes vs. Sales Taxes detailed the costs and benefits of moving from a system of income taxes to a system of sales taxes. In the article I concluded that "[the]FairTax is an interesting proposal which is unlikely to ever be implemented." The response I received to this article was overwhelming. I've gotten hundreds and hundreds of e-mails on the article, every last one of them from a FairTax supporter. While many of the supporters had something negative...

Eating Our Independence for Breakfast by Edward Hudgins As many major public policy matters are being debated in Washington -- a Supreme Court nomination, runaway federal spending -- seemingly small erosions of our independence and, thus, our freedom continue with very little attention. District of Columbia school officials have just announced that all students will be offered free breakfasts, regardless of family income, under a U.S. Department of Agriculture program. School system official Mark Truax argues that, "Studies keep showing the benefits of a good breakfast: increased attendance, better behavior and better performance." What he fails to say is that...

Although free breakfast is available to all students in Miami-Dade Public Schools, only a small fraction are taking advantage of it. Even a registered dietitian with a master's of science degree and oversight of food services in the nation's fourth-largest school system, Penny Parham, advises: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. ''I sound like an old grandmother, but nutritionally, it's the truth,'' Parham said. ``Everybody should eat breakfast -- hands down. Research is clear and strong.'' Free breakfast has been available to all Miami-Dade students for more than a year, but Parham said participation is still low....