Free Republic

Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.) says President Obama’s plan to raise tax rates for the wealthiest Americans won’t balance the budget by itself—but that’s not the goal anyway. “Well, that (tax hikes) alone doesn’t balance the budget. It’s part of a broader plan,” Connolly said. “A totally balanced budget is probably not what is being sought. What is being sought is stabilizing the debt in its ratio to the broader general economy—bringing it down to a much more manageable level.” …

The federal government ran a deficit of $292 billion for the first two months of fiscal year 2013—October and November 2012—amounting to $4.8 billion of borrowed money each day. … This means that the government borrowed $4.8 billion for each calendar day so far in 2013. If the Treasury Department restricted its borrowing to only weekdays, its per day average would jump to $6.5 billion per day thus far in fiscal year 2013. …

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush—one of the top potential GOP contenders for a 2016 presidential run—has been tapped to become chairman of the Board of Trustees at the prestigious National Constitution Center, succeeding former President Bill Clinton. Bush is the second in his family to serve as the chairman of center’s Board of Trustees—his father former President George H.W. Bush had the post in 2007. “I am honored to have this opportunity and am humbled to follow in the footsteps of my beloved father … who first exemplified to me what it means to be a good citizen and to...

In a reversal from four years ago, President Barack Obama will accept unlimited sums of money from corporations and individuals to pay for events surrounding his inauguration, a spokeswoman said Friday. Lobbyists, political action committees and foreign entities, however, will still be banned from underwriting the costs of the gala events, spokeswoman Addie Whisenant said. The committee also will reject donations from companies that haven’t paid back loans from the 2008 federal bailout of Wall Street, as well as corporate sponsorship deals. …

The Republican share of the Jewish vote jumped nationally in the presidential election from 22 percent to 32 percent, an increase of almost 50 percent, Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, tells Newsmax. Based on an exit poll of 1,000 Jewish voters commissioned by the group, Brooks says the results show that Republicans have gained market share among Jewish voters in five of the last six national elections. The 10-point gain in the last election is the largest since 1972. Brooks takes issue with a poll commissioned by the left-leaning, pro-Israel organization J Street. That poll found...

How did Washington become the best friend of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, even as President Mohamed Morsi was asserting dictatorial powers and his followers were beating up secular liberals in the streets of Cairo? ItÂ’s a question many Arabs ask these days, and it deserves an answer. And letÂ’s be honest: The Obama administration has been MorsiÂ’s main enabler. U.S. officials have worked closely with him on economic development and regional diplomacy. Visiting Washington last week, MorsiÂ’s top aides were touting their bossÂ’s close contacts with President Obama and describing phone calls between the two leaders that led to...

It comes after the organisation was mocked last month a ruling that led to a ban on claims that drinking water can prevent dehydration. Despite a long held belief that prunes, traditionally served with custard, are good for improving bowel function, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has ruled this is not the case. Its experts said there was "insufficient" evidence of a link between the dried plums and normal bowel function after looking at three studies of prune consumption. Sir Graham Watson MEP has now challenged an EU Commissioner to a prune-eating contest after his food safety committee ruled...

Washington has failed to heed warnings from inside Egypt about the true intentions of the Muslim Brotherhood, business and political leader Ahmed Said tells Newsmax in an exclusive interview. “Unfortunately the United States was not listening,” Said, head of the strongly pro-United States Free Egyptians Party, tells Newsmax. “I was a member of parliament for the past five months before the parliament was dissolved, and I have met with several congressional delegations and met with Sens. John McCain and John Kerry—and I don’t think they’re really listening, to be very honest.” Said, whose group is among the many opposing Egyptian...

Ever since Election Day, the left has been riding high. Not only did President Obama and Democrats across the country win big on Nov. 6, the president has gratified his base with his tough talk on the fiscal cliff negotiations, and the new Congress looks to be substantially more progressive than the last. But how long will the second honeymoon last for President Obama and the Democrats? Chances are, it won't be long until the left's hopes are dashed. Here are four possible letdowns on the horizon. 1. Entitlements: Obama has talked very tough on tax rates for income over...

Turning over the education of future generations to liberals was not such a good idea. Even the Heartland provides plenty of examples of the pernicious indoctrination being imposed on children at our expense in public schools: Students at Capital High School (CHS) in Charleston, West Virginia have been regularly forced to stand during the playing of a song known as “The Black National Anthem.” The song, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” was played in the morning right after the American national anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance, and students were forced to stand for all three. While the law currently...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama asked Congress Friday for $60.4 billion in federal aid for New York, New Jersey and other states hit by Superstorm Sandy in late October. It's a disaster whose cost is rivaled only by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the 2005 Hurricane that devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Obama's request adds a huge new to-do item to a congressional agenda already packed with controversy on how to resolve the nation's budget woes and avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. "Our nation has an obligation to assist those who suffered losses and who...

As rare as it is, it’s so refreshing to hear common sense come out of the entertainment industry. During an interview to discuss the release of his new album, rapper Big Boi made the following response when asked about the president: “I’m not pro-government at all, I’m pro-people. Our freedoms are getting taken away every day with things that people aren’t aware of, like the [National Defense Authorization Act]. I don’t care who the president is–it ain’t just all about who’s black or who’s white or who’s Republican or Democrat, it’s about who is for the betterment of people, period....

The Obama Administration has launched its newest campaign to confiscate the minds of our children. To qualify for federal grant funds, Obama is requiring states to adopt a new program called Common Core State Standards In English. The program would wipe great works of literature from English curriculums across the country. And replace them with “information text”, such as “Executive Order 13423: Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management”, an Order, of course, favorable to the Liberal environmentalist movement. Via Lucianne, Powerline reports, Controversy is brewing over new Common Core State Standards in English that call on public schools to...

In a Roswell, New Mexico grocery store, a loaded semi-automatic Rock Island Armory .38 Super and seven rounds of ammunition were found in a packed case of frozen ribs. A grocery store employee made the strange discovery and the gun and ammo were then brought to the Roswell Police Department. Unfortunately, the gun was cleaned before it was handed over so police were not able to uncover any forensic evidence.

LANSING, MI — Union members say their fight isn’t over after the House and Senate passed bills to make Michigan a right-to-work state. After a long day of protesting inside and outside the state Capitol, union leaders called on members to attend civil disobedience training on Saturday, and return to Lansing for more protests on Tuesday. “We’ve got to rebuild the broad social justice movement; I think this is going to energize people,” said United Auto Workers President Bob King. “All this administration has done is attack working people, so it’s our job to go out and talk in our...

I met Senate President Don Gaetz after speaking to the Senate Committee on Healthcare Exchanges. I explained to him that I wanted to teach on nullification and why the Healthcare Act is unconstitutional. He mocked the Founders of the this nation to my face, implying they are irrelevant to the interpretation of the Constituion. He laughed at my support of Constitutional principles. He then shouted out to me as he left the room that he wouldn’t read anything that I sent him. This morning I sent him an email explaining the Founders’ position on State Sovereignty and nullificaion. After sending...

Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter SH: So are you saying that, for PR purposes, that they should give in to Obama on the tax rate? AC: Not exactly, I--Well, yeah, I guess I am. SH: You're saying capitulate to Obama? We don't have a revenue problem, Ann. AC: We lost the election, Sean. Hannity seems genuinely flummoxed by Coulter's capitulatory attitude, but does she have a point? Recent polling has been gruesome for Republicans. Not only does an overall double-digit plurality favor raising taxes on "the rich," support for extending all current tax rates has plummeted by nearly 30 percentage...

Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has announced on Twitter that he's joining the Democratic Party. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/12/07/former-florida-gov-charlie-crist-tweets-joining-democrats/?test=latestnews#ixzz2EQvhAx49

Two years ago Fox 2 Problem Solver Rob Wolchek got a tip from someone inside Chrysler's Jefferson North Assembly plant about what some workers were doing at the park on their lunch break.

Just announced on Jacksonville, Fl local news Christ tittered he has joined the Dem Party! Shocked! I tell you I am shocked....yeah.

President Barack Obama asked Congress Friday for $60.4 billion in federal aid for New York, New Jersey and other states hit by Superstorm Sandy in late October. It’s a disaster whose cost is rivaled only by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the 2005 Hurricane that devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Obama’s request adds a huge new to-do item to a congressional agenda already packed with controversy on how to resolve the nation's budget woes and avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. “Our nation has an obligation to assist those who suffered losses and who lack adequate resources...

Ex-Dixon official's home: Pool, baby grand, chandelier with pistolsAssociated Press 4:15 p.m. CST, December 7, 2012 Rita Crundwell spared no expense when she built and furnished her sprawling home with custom touches like a chandelier made of old revolvers and spurs, an in-ground pool and a baby grand piano in the wood-beamed living room. **SNIP** And she did it all, Crundwell has admitted, by stealing $53 million from the people of Dixon, embezzling the money over two decades while serving as comptroller in the city that was Ronald Reagan's boyhood home. The 59-year-old pleaded guilty last month and will be...

It's looking very likely that a bill in Congress that will make mandatory the use of "black boxes"— more formally, Event Data Recorders (EDR) — will become law soon. These are little computers clad in rugged casings that record data from your car's various sensors and computers to use for accident investigation and, very likely, other uses. There's lots of privacy concerns around this new bill, and lots of questions as to exactly what that little boxy black snitch is snooping on. Plus, what about the voluntary black boxes some insurance carriers are offering? Let's see what we can clear...

It was just a matter of time. Charlie Crist, Florida's former Republican governor who relished the tough-on-crime nickname "Chain Gang Charlie" and used to describe himself variously as a "Ronald Reagan Republican" and "Jeb Bush Republican," on Friday signed papers to become a registered Democrat. He did so Friday evening during a Christmas reception at the White House, where President Barack Obama greeted the news with a fist bump for the man who had a higher profile campaigning for Obama's re-election this year than any Florida Democrat.

Fiscal Cliff Means 50% Tax Rates For The Middle Class Politics / TaxesDec 07, 2012 - 08:12 AM By: Money Morning Keith Fitz-Gerald writes: If I didn't know any better, I'd think there's a small but growing group of people in Washington who think it would actually be good if we temporarily went over the fiscal cliff. I say that because I am seeing a smattering of articles recently suggesting that somehow going over the cliff "won't be all that bad" or that we're "really just talking about cuts that need to happen in the first place." President Obama seems...

Rendering of Design Proposal 1 for the new Tappan Zee Bridge, NY, estimated to cost $3.142 billion. (New York State Thruway Authority) A selection committee has recommended a futuristic design for the new Tappan Zee Bridge, with suspension supports leaning outwards, giving the bridge the look of a stripped-down building by Santiago Calatrava.Calatrava has designed the World Trade Center transit hub, the Milwaukee Museum of Art, and the Athens Olympic stadium.The New York State Thruway Authority — the agency in charge of the project — will consider the design, along with two others, for a new Tappan Zee Bridge. The...

Excerpted from the Longmont, Times-Call Thursday, December 6 {by Joe Rubino} County steps up meeting security Comissioners cite "mob" during fracking hearing. The Boulder County Comissioners were so taken aback by the conduct of anti-fracking protesters during a hearing Tuesday that that have announced a new security plan. The plan [...] calls for [...] the prosecution of people who threaten the safety of others at meetings.

MEXICO CITY — As a U.S. Marine, Jon Hammar endured nightmarish tension patrolling the war-ravaged streets of Iraq’s Fallujah. When he came home, the brutality of war still pinging around his brain, mental peace proved elusive. Surfing provided the only respite. “The only time Hammar is not losing his mind is when he’s on the water,” said a fellow Marine veteran, Ian McDonough. snip--- But Mexican prosecutors who looked at the disassembled relic in the 1972 Winnebago motor home dismissed the U.S. registration papers Hammar had filled out. They charged him with a serious crime: possession of a weapon restricted...

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify on a report expected to be released next week on the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, a top Republican lawmaker said on Friday. "I have just received confirmation from Secretary Clinton's office that the secretary of state will appear before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to discuss, in an open hearing, the findings and the recommendations in the report," Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement. snip Ros-Lehtinen is chair of the House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee, which has already held several hearings and classified...

The U.S. Export-Import Bank,an agency of the federal government,is lending $105 million to the Brazilian state of Ceara to help build an aquarium in its capital city of Fortaleza. “An anticipated tourist attraction,the aquarium will boast four floors housing 25 large tanks containing approximately 15 million liters of water and showcasing 500 marine species and 35,000 individual specimens,” the Export- Import Bank said in a press release. “The aquarium will also feature interactive exhibits,two 4D cinemas,one 3D cinema, and an educational platform

The Tell-Tale Chart ECRI December 7, 2012 Following our September 2011 recession call, we clarified its likely timing in December 2011. Based on the historical lead times of ECRI’s leading indexes, we concluded that, if it didn’t start in the first quarter of 2012, it was very likely to begin by mid-year. But we also made it clear at the time that you wouldn’t know whether or not we were wrong until the end of 2012. And so it’s interesting to note the rush to judgment by a number of analysts, already asserting that we were wrong. So, with about...

The Board of Directors of The Washington Post Company (WPO) today announced ... an accelerated cash dividend ... This accelerated dividend is intended by the Board to be in lieu of regular quarterly dividends that the Company otherwise would have declared and paid in calendar year 2013

In the summer of 2012, Barack Obama talked tough about “red lines” for Syria and the regime’s chemical weapons. In a rare press conference on August 20th, the President warned Bashar Assad that the US was prepared to act if Assad began to move his chemical weapons as a precursor to their use, emphasis mine: obama-We have been very clear to the Assad regime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. That would change my calculus. That would...

Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn released a scathing report on wasteful spending at the Department of Homeland Security. The report concentrates mainly on the grant program, Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) which is meant to help at-risk cities strengthen their security against terrorists. DHS has spent almost $7.144 billion in UASI grants this past decade, but there is no hard evidence grant recipient cities are any safer. The program used to include 64 cities, but this was cut down to 31 in 2012. The money is specifically meant for terrorist protection. Officials in Michigan used money to pay for 13 sno-cone...

   ***** ~ Christmas Tunes For Our Troops ~ *****~ Support The Artists ~   Support the artists you hear throughout the Canteen! Click on the links below! Keep the music going! ArtistDirect l  Internet Radio l  AOL Music l  Sonique (Lycos) l  Real Radio Live365 l  971TheRiver  l  GotRadio  l  Wherehouse  l  Target  l Shoutcast AFRTS l  VH1 l XM Radio l  BET l  audiophile l  Virgin Radio l  Soma (Alternative) Acaza l AudioRealm l VH1 l  Yahoo! Launch Music l  Radio Disney l  Live-Radio Net ITunes l Amazon l Salsa Radio l MTV l CMT l Ticketmaster...

In an interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook for Thursday's NBC Rock Center, host Brian Williams wondered why the tech giant couldn't be a "made-in-America company" and outlined a political scenario in which President Obama was all-powerful: "Let's say our Constitution was a little different and Barack Obama called you in tomorrow and said, 'Get everybody out of China and do whatever you have to do, make these, make everything you make in the United States.'" Cook responded by suggesting American workers simply didn't have the capacity to manufacture Apple products: "Over time, there are skills that are associated with...

The Fiscal Cliff. It all comes down to principles. And leverage. Not to mention an abrupt campaign to depose Speaker John Boehner, as now reported last night by the Daily Caller. An idea discussed in this very space only days ago. Grover Norquist understands this. Brent Bozell understands this. The Heritage Foundation understands this. Ditto Rush, Sean and Mark. And in truth -- millions of conservatives get it in their bones. John Boehner does not understand this. -SNIP- And let's not forget the leverage that is the debt ceiling. Let's see the House GOP start talking relentlessly, in Reagan-style, about...

Michigan is one step closer to becoming a Right to Work state. Last night, both the state House and Senate passed bills that would forbid the public sector unions from taking 2% out of workers’ paychecks for dues payments, regardless of whether or not they’re members. The bills can’t be passed into law until Tuesday, owing to procedural requirements, but they’re almost sure to prevail, at which point Gov. Rick Snyder has vowed to sign them. The House and Senate each passed bills on the same day they were introduced that give private and public sector workers the right to...

TOKYO—A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Japan on Friday afternoon, unnerving residents in a region hit last year by a devastating quake and nuclear accident.No deaths were directly caused by the earthquake, but one person was seriously injured and 10 suffered minor injuries, according to the National Police Agency. A tsunami warning of up to one meter was issued moments after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit northeastern Japan. As the WSJ's Yumiko Ono reports, Friday's earthquake was close to the epicenter of the quake that struck in March 2011. The quake at 5:18 p.m. was centered off Miyagi prefecture, the same area...

Authorities discovered hundreds of full-grown marijuana plants and others "in the incubation stage" at what they say was an elaborate Fishtown growhouse in which children were living. The District Attorney's Office charged Vinh Quang Nguyen, 41, with possession with intent to distribute, risking a catastrophe, and endangering the welfare of a child.

I write these words chiefly to women and girls who have had an abortion. Still, it is my humble hope and honest prayer that anyone weighing this life-versus-death choice might also read them with an open mind and a hearing heart. I share these truths in love. Some of you already know them. Others deny them. Yet truths they remain. It is through obedience to Christ and in the authority of His Spirit that I write you this letter. It may be difficult to read, but I pray you will read it.

Ousted GOP freshmen demand explanation from Speaker BoehnerBy Justin Sink - 12/07/12 06:20 PM ET Three Republican congressmen who were booted from House committees are demanding an explanation from Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). Reps. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), Tim Huelskamp (R-Kansas) and David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) sent a letter to Boehner asking for "a full and complete written explanation of the rationale for removing us from our current committee assignments, including any 'scorecards' presented to the Steering Committee to justify our removals." “Two days ago I asked House GOP Leadership to explain why we were taken off key committees, but my questions...

High-level negotiations between the White House and Capitol Hill in times of divided government tend to follow a script. This year’s talks about how to avert the fiscal cliff, for the most part, appear to track a familiar line: The outside message from the top players is often different from what's happening on a parallel track inside the room where the final deal is being crafted. Publicly, both President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner continue to argue their positions on taxes and entitlement reforms, hoping they can win the public relations battle that frames their respective party as...

PSY is backtracking on that invisible horse of his. The hugely successful “Gangnam Style” rapper shocked many earlier today when anti-American statements he made at a protest concert in 2004 came to light. Among the incendiary lyrics: “Kill those f—king Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives/Kill those f—king Yankees who ordered them to torture/Kill their daughters, mothers, daughter-in-law and fathers/Kill them all slowly and painfully.” …

WRC-TV’s Tom Sherwood reports this evening, citing “officials” speaking privately, that D.C. would support moving FBI headquarters to Prince George’s County in return for the county allowing the Washington Redskins to break their stadium lease and move to a new stadium in D.C.

Well-armed activists want the rest of America defenselessThe loudest advocates of gun control are well protected. President Obama said he wants more laws restricting firearms ownership because, in his hometown of Chicago, “there’s an awful lot of violence, and they’re not using AK-47s, they’re using cheap handguns.” With his own armed Secret Service detail, the president doesn’t need to worry about crime. Illinois State Sen. Donne Trotter takes the hypocrisy up a notch. On Wednesday, Mr. Trotter was arrested on felony charges after attempting to board a plane at O'Hare International Airport with a loaded .25-caliber Beretta. The South Side...

Right To Work: Both chambers of the Michigan legislature pass bills banning union dues as a condition of employment as a Detroit city councilwoman wonders when the pork will arrive. The choice is growth vs. stagnation. Reports of the GOP's demise may be greatly exaggerated, at least at the state level, as Michigan, birthplace of the modern labor movement and unionism, stands poised to become the nation's 24th right-to-work (RTW) state. If it goes ahead, it will join recent addition Indiana in challenging union power as Gov. Scott Walker successfully did in Wisconsin. Michigan's Republican governor, Rick Snyder, is poised...

Dr. Sowell is perhaps one of our greatest living economists. Since arguments and debates about economic matters seem so important to almost everyone during our election cycles, I will never understand America's reluctance to actually take the time and energy required to gain even a basic understanding of the subject. I will likewise never fully understand the nation's economists remaining mostly silent during election seasons and allowing politicians and morons to take it upon themselves to put words into their mouths. When Barack Obama and Bill Clinton stood up during the Democrat National Convention and made the astoundingly false claim...

The first day of legal marijuana use in Washington State was marred by an attempted robbery ending with two deaths at an alleged pot-growing facility just south of Seattle. The possession of pot became legal in the state Thursday after voters passed a measure decriminalizing it in November. Day two kicked off with more celebrations under the Space Needle tower, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported, but the Pierce County Sheriff's Department investigated an attempted robbery in Puyallup at an alleged growing center foiled by a homeowner who shot two alleged burglars in front of his 9-year-old son. Officers say they arrived...