Free Republic

{excerpt} Money, get away Elsewhere on the big money beat, I’m still trying to figure out how we got to a place where the top two GOP candidates are giving each other a hard time for making so much dough. It was Gordon Gekko in “Wall Street” who famously said, “Greed, for a lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures, the essence of the evolutionary spirit Greed . . . will . . . save that . . . malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A.” A quarter-century later, a story...

Last week's column started off asking: "What human motivation gets the most wonderful things done?" The answer is that human greed is what gets wonderful things done. I wasn't talking about fraud, theft, dishonesty, special privileges from government or other forms of despicable behavior. I was talking about people trying to get as much as they can for themselves. Think about greed and racial discrimination. In 1947, when the Brooklyn Dodgers hired Jackie Robinson, why did racial discrimination by major league teams begin to drop like a hot potato? It wasn't feelings of guilt by white owners, affirmative action or...

KEENE, N.H. (AP) - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum called Friday for immediate cuts to Social Security benefits, risking the wrath of older voters and countless others who balk at changes to the entitlement program. "We can't wait 10 years," even though "everybody wants to," Santorum told a crowd while campaigning in New Hampshire and looking to set himself apart from his Republican rivals four days before the New Hampshire primary. Most of his opponents have advocated phasing in a reduction and say immediate cuts would be too big a shock to current and soon-to-be retirees.

9. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was the ninth richest member of Congress in 2010, with an average net worth of $101,123,032. Much of her wealth is based on her husband's investments in real estate, a football team and other assets. 14. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) was the 14th richest member of Congress in 2010, with an average net worth of $69,046,622. Feinstein's husband has a number of investments in a diverse range of industires, including a property management firm and a biotech venture.

Colleges pay presidents millions while raising tuitionBy Blake Ellis @CNNMoney December 20, 2011: 5:22 AM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Some private colleges are paying their top executives millions of dollars, at the same time they're hiking tuition prices for students. Vanderbilt University paid its chancellor, Nicholas Zeppos, $1.9 million in 2009, according to the school's most recent tax filings -- enough for up to 43 students to attend Vanderbilt at current prices. His total pay includes a base salary of $673,002, as well as bonus and other compensation. That same year, Vanderbilt's tuition jumped 4.3%. Since then, the college...

I've never seen this guy before although I see some other threads on other topics by Bill Whittle. This one is on how Democrats have painted Republicans as the exact opposite of what history actually shows and the sheeple have bought it hook, line, and sinker. The deadpan sarcasm is priceless. Enjoy and do as I have -- e-mail a link to those misguided acquaintances of yours that have never given critical thought to the propaganda from the left.

Dead Retiree Receives 7.7 Million Dollars in Government Pension Payment  California State Senate aide retired in 1969 at age 56 after 22 years of work with a "super escalator" pension from the state. Almost a decade after his death he is awarded $7.7 million in an additional pension payout.Watch the video... Uploaded by AFPCalifornia on Dec 16, 2011 California State Senate aide retired in 1969 at age 56 after 22 years of work with a "super escalator" pension from the state. Almost a decade after his death he is awarded $7.7 million in an additional pension payout.http://calpensions.com/2011/12/12/bid-to-trim-pension-fails-7-7-million-settl...Ventura County Taxpayer Associationhttp://www.vcta.org/California Common...

So just who are those top 1 percent of Americans that we're all supposed to hate? If you listen to President Obama, the protesters at Occupy Wall Street, and much of the media, it's obvious. They're either "trust-fund babies" who inherited their money, or greedy bankers and hedge-fund managers. Certainly, they haven't worked especially hard for their money. While the recession has thrown millions of Americans out of work, they've been getting even richer. Worse, they don't even pay their fair share in taxes: Millionaires and billionaires are paying a lower tax rate than their secretaries. In reality, each of...

Washington -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's office accused the news program "60 Minutes" of omitting key information from its report Sunday on how members of Congress use privileged information to profit from stock trades. Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill also called the report "a right-wing smear" based on a new book by conservative author Peter Schweizer of the Hoover Institution, a think tank based at Stanford University. The book is titled: "Throw Them All Out: How Politicians and Their Friends Get Rich Off Insider Stock Tips, Land Deals, and Cronyism That Would Send the Rest of Us to Jail." Pelosi,...

By Amy Oliver and Michael SandovalIf lawmakers really cared about consumers, they would ditch expensive renewable energy mandates that require a subsidized market for resources that are not practical on a large scale.  It’s a classic case of putting the cart before the horse; policy came before practical application.The Department of Energy (DOE) reports that 24 states and the district of Columbia have renewable energy mandates ranging from Maine’s high of 40 percent to Pennsylvania’s low of 8 percent.  Also known as a “Renewable Portfolio Standard” (RPS), these policies require that energy providers ignore practicality and price in order to...

Moore Lashes Out At CBS4 Over Wealth Questions Filmmaker Visits Occupy Denver Protesters November 3, 2011 6:29 PM DENVER (CBS4) – Filmmaker and activist Michael Moore joined a growing crowd at the “Occupy” Denver protest Thursday evening, but his encounter with CBS4 left him fuming when he was asked about whether he represented the “99 percent” that the protesters stand for, or the “1 percent” they claim to be rallying against. He appeared in Denver for a book signing event and visited the demonstration at Civic Center Park just before 6 p.m. Moore said a few words to the crowd...

Say what you want about former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain’s presidential bid and his missteps along the way, but it’s hard to argue with results: Cain has an edge in the average of the major polls, and even picked up a straw poll victory in Nevada on Friday. But that doesn’t impress syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer. “[I] saw him on ‘Stossel’ on abortion — entirely incoherent,” Krauthammer said. “On one hand, ‘people ought to have choice.’ On the other hand, ‘life is sacred from the beginning and abortion ought to be illegal.’ This isn’t a complicated issue. It’s one...

Cue the outrage button. A South Florida woman got a shock when she opened a recent cell phone bill: she owed $201,000. Say what! It was no mistake. Celina Aarons has her two deaf-mute brothers on her plan. They communicate by texting and use their phones to watch videos. Normally, that's not a problem. Aarons has the appropriate data plan, and her bill is about $175. But her brothers spent two weeks in Canada and Aarons never changed to an international plan. Her brothers sent over 2,000 texts and also downloaded videos, sometimes racking up $2,000 in data charges. T-Mobile...

(AP) NEW YORK - The Occupy Wall Street movement has close to $300,000, as well as storage space loaded with donated supplies in lower Manhattan. It stared down city officials to hang on to its makeshift headquarters, showed its muscle Saturday with a big Times Square demonstration and found legions of activists demonstrating in solidarity across the country and around the world.

With demands seemingly all over the map by various occupiers of various streets and/or government centers and/or college campuses, a recurring theme has been free education, as in college education should be free. Incidentally, the drums and hula hoops have started up in Durham, N.C., home of Duke University, which was created by the generosity of a tobacco corporation. The Duke news came to me the other day from an acquaintance who informed me, "It's started, drums and hula hoops.'' I knew instantly what she meant and deduced that she watched, with, I hope, some irony, before resuming the rather...

A video about the occupy wall street bums. CAUTION! SCARY PHOTOS w/Nudity and violence! Viewer discretion advised!

"The ruling powers work for the benefit of just a few, ignoring the will of the vast majority and the human and environmental price we all have to pay. This intolerable situation must end."

When I hear You Lie Obama promote his latest "Give-me-more-of-your-money-you-stupid-suckers-because-I-just-spent-all-of-your-money" speech, all I hear is DEBT, DEBT, DEBT ! I also wonder about Obama's SPENDAHOLIC need for an overwhelming desire to increase his DEBT GREED? These are matters that the recently appointed Congressional-Twelve-Steppers might be best suited to address. Admittedly, a standard Twelve-Step Program would be have had more experience than the "Con-12-Steppers." A test is coming this week as DEBT-GREEDY, You Lie Obama tries to milk $ 447,000,000,000.00 from an already Bankrupt US Congress. The main question is : "Why is so much money needed to fund free government-paid...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWsx1X8PV_ASo clear and cogent, Freidman demolishes Phil Donahue. Greed and the lies of politicians who claim they are not greedy but are above it

An Occupy Wall Street campaign protester sleeps on the sidewalk in Zuccotti Park, near Wall Street in New York early September 28, 2011. Protesters complaining about the power of the financial industry staged noisy demonstrations and slowed pedestrian traffic on Wall Street for the second consecutive week. The Occupy Wall Street campaign started last week, with several hundred protesters setting up camps in downtown Manhattan. Freakin' Hippy Fest 2011

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) -- A judge said Monday he's considering giving Washington state's third-largest school district the option of replacing teachers on the picket line as a strike continued despite the judge's order to return to work. The unexpected comment from Pierce County Superior Court Judge Bryan Chushcoff came as Tacoma school district classes were canceled Monday and Tuesday due to the strike, the News Tribune reported (http://bit.ly/njc9RV ). "That came as quite a surprise," district spokesman Dan Voelpel said. "We didn't ask about that in court. He began speaking out loud about actions to impose next week." It would...

Judicial Activism Gone Berserk In a pending civil lawsuit in a Texas Federal Court, a constitutional nightmare is occurring that could have ominous consequences on all Americans. In violation of the Constitution, The Democrat appointed federal judge in this case has made a U.S. business owner essentially a slave without any due process or hearing. All of the relevant details of this incredible and profoundly disturbing case are online at lawinjustice.com No case in recent judicial history resembles more of a Stalinist show trial. The conduct appears to be more corruption than merely judicial activism and the litany of outrages...

The 1980s, according to leftwing columnists and reporters, was sooooo greedy. I mean, didn’t you watch the Hollywood movie, Wall Street? But how greedy was the so-called Decade of Greed? Or in other words, was Republican Ronald Reagan really an evil pro-capitalist monster? One problem with this “Decade of Greed” talk is that it’s based on unsubstantiated views of history. As Robert P. Murphy points out in The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism, during the “Decade of Greed” (p.122): >Total giving grew by 56 percent in real dollars. >Charitable giving grew at a rate 55 percent higher than in the...

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Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid today announced $714,185 in funding for water resource management in Nevada. The Bureau of Reclamation selected four projects in the state as part of its WaterSMART Program, which assists with water resource management.  In 2009, Senator Reid’s efforts led to the passage of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act which authorized the Bureau of Reclamation to promote these types of water conservation and efficiency projects. “I am pleased we are finally having a good water year, but we must continue to conserve and sustain our limited water supplies,” Reid said. “These crucial funds...

If you think the current debt ceiling circus is bad, just wait for the real debt crisis. Peter Coy at Businessweek writes today that the debate over raising the debt limit ignores just how ailing the nation's fiscal health really is. Here are the highlights from his piece: The national debt is only a small part of U.S. liabilities. Failure to raise the debt ceiling would hurt the global financial system, but the threat is minimal compared to the real danger: Sharply rising healthcare costs combined with the aging baby-boomer generation. The U.S. is in danger of reaching a generational...

South Florida Hoping For Big Business From New York With bright, elegant rooms, two luxury pools, and rainfall-inspired showers in each bathroom, the gay-owned Royal Palms boutique hotel in Fort Lauderdale is cashing in on New York's go-ahead for gay marriage. The message: marry there, honeymoon here. Alan Carley, the Royal Palm's executive chef said the hotel is offering special packages for gay newlyweds that include champagne, rainbow roses, and complementary spa treatments. "What a beautiful place to start your life together," Carley said. The highlight of the Royal Palm's "Honeymoon with Pride" package is a ride on the Intercoastal...

To help American carmakers stay in business, autoworkers grudgingly gave up pay raises and some benefits four years ago. Now that General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are making money again, workers want compensation for their sacrifice. Just how much they get is the central question hanging over contract talks that start this week between Detroit and one of the nation's largest and most powerful unions. The negotiations, the first since Chrysler and GM took government aid and emerged from bankruptcy, will set wages and benefits for 111,000 members of the United Auto Workers, including those at Ford, which avoided bankruptcy...

As gay couples began marrying on the day New York became the sixth and largest state to recognize same-sex unions, politicians Sunday made clear whether they were wedded to the policy or not. Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty said he didn’t think “all domestic relationships are the same as traditional marriage,” on CNN’s “State of the Union.” After host Candy Crowley reminded the former Minnesota governor that gay marriage had been legal for a year in Iowa, a key campaign battleground state in which Pawlenty is heavily invested, he said: “We want to maintain traditional marriage elevated in the eyes...

Don't you dare criticize the world's most perfect celebrity — or his charitable schemes.Wow. I make a living taking on corrupt unions and incompetent politicians, but I’ve never experienced the kind of vitriol like what I’ve received criticizing U2 lead singer Bono for his tireless and tiring political activism.The article in question, originally published in the Baltimore Sun, prompted representatives from Bono’s non-profit ONE campaign to pester the Sun, challenging me (unsuccessfully) on the facts. Now Maryland Senator Ben Cardin (D) is attacking me for daring to challenge St. Bono and the efficacy of ONE. Cardin accuses me of spreading...

As the interest in counter-terrorism soars, the Walt Disney Company is attempting to trademark the name Navy “Seal Team 6,” the unit responsible for taking down Osama Bin Laden. Counter-terrorism is becoming a big market since the death of Osama Bin Laden and it appears the Walt Disney Company is ready to cash in. Disney is currently trying to trademark the name Navy “Seal Team 6,” the unit responsible for killing Bin Laden. On May 3, just one day after the news was out about the death of Bin Laden, Disney applied to trademark the name “Seal Team 6.” The...

One of the main sources of increasing tension between private-sector and public-sector workers in this country are the fat, guaranteed pensions that many public-sector workers get. The frustration only increases when public-sector workers "game the system" to further pad their pensions, in some cases allowing them to make more in retirement than even well-paid private-sector workers will ever earn in their lives. There are few worse examples of public pensions run amok than in Yonkers, New York. Yonkers Police and Fire personnel enjoy a peculiar pension system that is based on the total income received during the last year on...

The Wall Street Journal CEO Compensation Study was conducted by Hay Group, a management-consulting firm. The study analyzes CEO pay from the biggest 350 U.S. public companies by revenue that filed their definitive proxy statements between May 1, 2010, and April 30, 2011. Survey Methodology & Terms Definitions Footnotes How to Use This Chart: Click on a column heading to sort by that category. For an individual executive's full compensation details, as well as a link to the proxy statement, click the relevant row. All figures in thousands

“I mean that there is no way to disarm any man,” said Dr. Ferris, “except through guilt. Through that which he himself has accepted as guilt…If there’s not enough guilt in the world, we must create it. If we teach a man that it’s evil to look at spring flowers and he believes us and then does it—we’ll be able to do whatever we please with him. He won’t defend himself.” –Atlas Shrugged, pg. 548What would a group of students attending a pricey private college in Florida do about the deficit? For one thing the editor said they would not...

An Oak Park couple is suing the Applebee’s restaurant chain after their toddler was inadvertently served a margarita instead of apple juice. Taylor Dill-Reese and Dominic Wilson filed a lawsuit in Oakland County Circuit Court seeking in excess of $25,000 in damages after their 15-month-old son, Dominic Wilson Jr., consumed alcohol on Friday at the Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar on 14 Mile in Madison Heights. “We’re asking for some accountability,” said Southfield attorney William Stern, representing the parents and the boy. “This could have turned out very badly.” The boy’s parents had ordered him a kid’s meal – a...

three Cornell researchers [looked at] whether we can determine who is a criminal by looking at his face. Their finding: We can. The researchers gathered head shots of Caucasian males, ages 20 to 29, put them all against a white background and controlled for attractiveness and display of facial emotion. Half were photos of convicts. The criminals were on their first conviction, had short hair and little to no facial hair. About half the criminals had been convicted of violent crimes (forcible rapes, murder, assault) and half for nonviolent crimes (forgery, theft, arson and drug dealing). On a scale of...

National City, Calif.—A San Diego-area boxing gym that serves at-risk kids is showing what it takes to fight for what is right and to win.  A trial is scheduled to begin on Monday, March 14, 2011, to decide whether National City, Calif., may declare nearly 700 properties—including the gym—“blighted,” thus freeing the city to bulldoze these properties and make way for luxury condos among other private developments.  The trial will be held before the Honorable Steven R. Denton, Superior Court of California, Hall of Justice, 330 W. Broadway in San Diego, Calif. The Community Youth Athletic Center (CYAC) has had...

Iowa’s capitol likely will be jammed with people later today as both sides interested in the debate over Iowa’s labor laws gather for a public hearing. Capitol police have been making plans and sound systems are being set up in other parts of the building so those who can’t cram into the House chamber can listen to tonight’s testimony. House Democratic Leader Kevin McCarthy of Des Moines has a prediction. ”Iowa will experience a little bit of Wisconsin,” McCarthy says. For the past two weeks there have been massive protests in Wisconsin after that state’s governor proposed major changes in...

--- snip About 1,300 HECO workers who are members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1260 went on strike at 3:30 p.m. yesterday and began walking picket lines on Oahu, the Big Island and in Maui County. --- snip HECO workers said the two sides disagreed on a management proposal to raise the age of retirement with full benefits to 62 from 60; a proposed reduction in sick leave benefits; and a plan to create a two-tier contract with new hires receiving lower wages and benefits.

If public-school teachers spent more time teaching in classrooms and less time community-organizing in political war rooms, maybe taxpayers wouldn't feel as ripped off as they do. Before the Big Labor bosses start complaining about "teacher-bashing," let's be clear: An increasing number of rank-and-file teachers feel exactly the same way. Retired New York teacher Vinne Cusimano, who was required to pay forced union dues in order to work, wrote me this week after receiving the March 2011 edition of his union's monthly publication. The cover of the New York State United Teachers magazine reads: "Defend What Matters! Educate. Collaborate. AGITATE."...

A controversial billboard in SoHo equating abortion among black women with genocide was yanked Thursday night. Bowing to heavy pressure, Lamar Advertising Co. agreed to pull the ad above Sixth Ave. and Watts St., which featured a picture of a young black girl below the message, "The most dangerous place for African Americans is in the womb." The shocking billboard blind-sided New Jersey mom Tricia Fraser, who was furious that her 6-year-old daughter, Anissa, was featured in the anti-abortion group Life Always's ad. "I want an apology," Fraser, 36, told the Daily News. "I'm happy that it's [being taken down],...

Just about every time I decide to waste my valuable time on this earth discussing anything with a Progressivevik fingersniffer, one word invariably comes up: "greedy". "CEOs are greedy. The rich are greedy. People who oppose Obamacareless are greedy. The United States is greedy...." Blah, blah, blah, 2+2=5, yadda, yadda, yadda. It's as if their little minds can't come up with another concept. It's fairly apparent that when God was passing out brains, the libs were too busy taking bong hits to care. Critical thinking is certainly not a liberal concept to say the least, since it is the libs,...

It’s a taboo subject to discuss in public, but corporate executives would prefer to buy back their own stock than hire more people this year. Meanwhile, investors want unemployment to stay at elevated levels so that the Federal Reserve stays accommodative. “While unemployment is a terrible circumstance for individuals and families, I am sure some companies believe they are better off with fewer people and are hiding behind a supposedly weak economy to keep their ranks thin, focusing instead on greater productivity from their current employees and ensuing higher margins,” said Stephen Weiss of Short Hills Capital. Goldman Sachs estimates...

Filmmaker Michael Moore has sued Harvey and Bob Weinstein, accusing the brothers of “Hollywood accounting tricks” and “financial deception” that cheated him out of at least $2.7 million in profits from the hit documentary Fahrenheit 9/11. In a lawsuit filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court, Moore says the Weinsteins and an affiliated entity called the Fellowship Adventure Group agreed to split profits from the film 50-50 but then diverted monies to hide them from Moore. The suit for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and constructive fraud claims that in 2008 Moore conducted an audit of the 2004...

Fannie Mae: Housing starts to triple by 2013 to nearly 1.5 millionby CHRISTINE RICCIARDI Wednesday, January 19th, 2011, 11:44 am Despite the still fragile housing market, Fannie Mae expects housing starts to triple by 2013. According to the agency's economic outlook, housing starts are predicted to increase 17.3% and hit 710,000 this year, with another 47% increase to 1.1 million in 2012 and another gain of 42% in 2013 to nearly 1.5 million. In 2010, there were about 510,000 housing starts. "We expect a small rise in home sales this year, but significant amounts of supply and shadow inventory of...

"You Have to Obey Court Orders" The first case Judge Schack tossed was Citibank, N.A. v. Murillo, which he dismissed with prejudice on Jan. 7, as the blog StopForeclosureFraud reported. The attorneys for Citibank (C) in that case were from the Steven Baum law firm, a foreclosure mill that has been sanctioned for its involvement in frivolous cases. If the Baum firm couldn't file a timely affirmation in the Murillo case, how many of its other cases will it be able to file affirmations in? Schack tells me he's thrown out a dozen or so more since Murillo, and he...

Sacramento — Lawmakers have spent at least $259,000 in taxpayer funds on new SUVs and other vehicles for themselves in the last year despite a push by the new governor and the last one to cut California's fleet amid the state's financial crisis. Newly elected Assemblyman Luis Alejo (D- Salinas) is taking delivery of a 2011 Ford Escape Hybrid, worth $37,269. More than $32,000 went to buy a 2011 Ford Edge for freshman Tim Donnelly (R-Twin Peaks), a "tea party" activist and the Legislature's most strident conservative. And Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton), who was reelected, is now behind the wheel...

Tunisia's angry protestors are shedding no tears for the downfall of ousted President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali's greedy wife Leila. The former hairdresser was likened to the Philippines' Imelda Marcos of the Arab world because of her love of wealth and its trappings. While Ben Ali, 74, was granted refuge in Saudi Arabia, his wife, more than 20 years her husband's junior, was at first thought to be holed up in Dubai - a destination she is said to know well through shopping trips. The woman who came from a humble background, was branded 'The Regent of Carthage' for her...

Those in the fortunate group at the very top take in at least $8,000 a month—$96,000 a year. If any exclusive club has reason to celebrate the huge income-tax hike, this is it. Five years ago, 860 retired educators collected that much from their state pensions. As of fiscal 2010, the number had more than tripled to nearly 3,000 retirees. Those ranks will grow in the years ahead as rising salaries translate into more lavish pension payouts. We're just talking about educators here. There are many more retired public workers collecting from Illinois. The state, by the way, doesn't tax...

Magliocchetti sentenced for illegal campaign contributionsBy Chuck Neubauer The Washington Times 5:34 p.m., Friday, January 7, 2011 Former superlobbyist Paul Magliocchetti, once the master of getting defense earmarks for his clients from members of Congress, was sentenced Friday to 27 months in prison for making hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions. U.S. District Court Judge T. S. Ellis III sentenced the 64-year-old Magliocchetti in federal court in Alexandria for devising what prosecutors called "one of the most extensive and long-running campaign finance schemes ever." "You made this choice for one reason: greed," said Judge Ellis, who also...