Free Republic

“Superstorm” Sandy killed more than 100 people, destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, and left millions without food, water, electricity, sanitation or shelter for days or even weeks. Our thoughts and prayers remain focused on its victims, many of whom are still grieving as they struggle with the storm’s wintry aftermath and try to rebuild their lives. Unfortunately, too many politicians continue to use the storm to advance agendas, deflect blame for incompetence and mistakes, and obfuscate and magnify future risks from building and development projects that they have designed, promoted, permitted and profited from. Sandy was “unprecedented,” the...

What is missing in every gun-control discussion is a "full disclosure" of which politician has a concealed weapons permit, has any guns in his own home, or is protected by armed security guards. Just like the CNBC disclosure regarding touting stocks and the personal holdings of the person touting the stock, we need a "full disclosure" rule regarding armed protection of the politicians who advocate gun control. Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/12/a_call_for_full_disclosure_in_the_gun_control_debate.html#ixzz2FQ8JHvJW

It’s time for the president to stand up and lead,” he said. “This should be his No. 1 agenda. He’s president of the United States. And if he does nothing during his second term, something like 48,000 Americans will be killed with illegal guns” in the next year.

If you're discouraged or think the world is upside down, I have something for you. Guess what, regardless of who won the election, today we still have millions of babies being aborted every year. We still have 50% of marriages ending in divorce. We still have a supposedly Christian culture that has separated sex from marriage from procreation. We still have many Americans who are more likely to vote based upon peer pressure, or how nice somebody is, or their own self-interest, or by what the media told them, or by what's socially easy than they are to vote based...

DETROIT (WWJ) Among the new group of state lawmakers to emerge from Election Day on Tuesday is Brian Banks, who has been convicted eight times for felonies involving bad checks and credit card fraud. Banks, a Democrat and lifelong Detroiter, won a seat in Lansing as a state representative for the 1st District, representing the east side of Detroit, Harper Woods, and the tony Grosse Pointes. He won 68 percent of the vote to Republican Dan Schulte’s 32 percent. Banks, 35, was convicted eight times between 1998 and 2004 of writing bad checks and credit card fraud.

Support for Proposition 30, the income and sales tax increase touted by Governor Jerry Brown, has fallen below the critical 50% needed for passage for the first time in the California Field Poll. With just five days to go before the election and polls showing support for Prop 30 fading, the teachers’ and other public employees’ unions are desperately spending fortunes trying to get voters to rescue their lifestyles. Unfettered by the risk of the initiative failing, Governor Brown and state politicians have increased deficit spending this year by more than the $6 billion Prop 30 might bring in. “Taxafornia”...

American politicians are always on the lookout for "new sources of revenue," which sounds a lot nicer than "sinking their fangs into our necks." But however you describe it, they just can't stop sucking our blood with their unending tax increases on the national, state and local levels. They tax our gas, our houses, our sodas. They tax our smokes, they tax our roads, they tax our health care and our paychecks, and after we've paid, they even tax our deaths. Cutting government is painful for them. Their mantra? "Government can't afford a tax cut." So they tax us instead,...

Egads, that was awful. And I do mean awful. Joe Biden’s constant laughing throughout the debate – beyond being annoying, rude, and unprofessional – was obviously coached. We see this in the legal profession with some frequency: litigators who hire coaches to help them act for the jury, in the hopes that the jurors will be swayed by the Academy Award-winning performance, and ignore the evidence. (Or lack thereof.) It’s already in the annals of campaign debate lore that Naomi Wolf coached Al Gore about how to act like an “alpha male” and “dress in earth tones” during his debates...

Johnny Carson as a truthful politician.

There is a debt of service due from every man to his country, proportioned to the bounties which nature and fortune have measured to him. Thomas Jefferson Have you ever wondered what is meant by the term ‘public servants?’ I suppose these days it depends on who is either using or misusing the term. If you look at any of the signers of the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution, you will see men who believed in public service. And I will show you examples of this. I have absolutely no doubt the founding fathers of this nation knew...

Today’s Food for Thought by pansgold The next time you hear a politician talk about “…the children of America.”, know they are talking about you.

As we get to know more about Obama, with his charm and leadership style, I begin to think the comparison between Obama and Reagan. Obama is impressive in his role as a president, as any great Hollywood actors playing the role of president: charming, visionary, clean-cut, and tough yet caring – a celebrity world leader with his die-hart fans and media paparazzi. Being so smart and talented beyond our understanding, he mesmerizes his audiences with his political maneuvering and Oscar-winning performance. As a mediocre politician growing up in Chicago neighborhood, however, Obama has found his acting role as president more...

Orange Punch readers know how we feel about most laws passed by politicians. They should be few and legitimate, but instead are too many and tools for rewarding friends and punishing enemies. In short, they should protect rights, not invent new ones. Laws generally seek to take from someone something of value, often not merely cash, and bestow on someone else a benefit, oh say, like health care insurance. We’re pleased to see – but not surprised to see – that the majority of Americans believe there are too many unnecessary laws. ..

I really thought there was nothing to say or write about the shootings at the Aurora, Colorado, movie theatre. The prattling, smug, and often unsubstantiated talk filling the airwaves and print pages really added nothing. But then I realized that there is indeed something important to conclude from this tragic episode. And it’s one of the most important things—perhaps the most important of all—to understand about history, civilization, humanity, and society. Human frailty. None of us are perfect. We all have weaknesses and shortcomings. And some have more than others. We see a daily display of jealousy, anger, hatred, ignorance,...

Rep. Carlos T. Henriquez of Dorchester was arrested early this morning on charges of domestic kidnapping and assault stemming from an incident involving a girlfriend who fled from his car, Boston police said. Henriquez, 35, a Democratic state legislator, was arrested at about 4:30 a.m. after the woman jumped out of his rented Zipcar on Forsyth Way and reached out to a Northeastern University security officer for help, police spokesman Officer James Kenneally said.

Engineering Thinking teaches us to challenge our assumptions, because if they are wrong, then our subsequent analysis and decisions will be wrong. The healthcare challenge — it is commonly assumed — is this: how can the government best ensure that the weakest members of society receive adequate health care? This is the wrong question. The reason it is wrong is that it is based on the flawed assumption that the government should be making our health care decisions. As discussed previously (see “Feedback, Prices, And Sullen Spouses“), the government is inherently inefficient, and is therefore the last organization that one...

By now, nearly everyone paying attention knows that Barack Obama has lied countless times over the years in order to further his academic and political career. He is, in fact, a "composite." And what we do know is just a hint of what there is yet to know, given that all his academic records are sealed. Our president lied about his mother's lack of health insurance. He lied about his father's early life. His publisher's brochure described him as "born in Kenya" for years, until he began running for president. There are countless other examples of his prevarications that fluff...

A top Argentine lawmaker came on stage (and lost his temper) when he had to explain why his savings are in dollars after the government of President Cristina Fernandez, including him personally, launched not only strong restriction policies on dollar purchases, but told the population to forget about dollars and start thinking in pesos. “I save in dollars because I feel like it”, said Argentine Senator, former Cabinet chief and the most vocal supporter of the current government restriction to purchase US dollars. Hypocrisy has turned once again into the trending topic of the Argentine political agenda after Senator Fernández...

In what a prudent observer would think is the least they should do, the pay for Gov. Jerry Brown, legislators and statewide officeholders will be reduced 5 percent, thanks to the state’s independent salary-setting commission. . . Had the people of California to do it over again, they may want to give themselves the power to raise and lower officials’ pay. Voting on Facebook by registered voters seems to us an effective tool for whipping these folks into shape in a timely manner. Bad acts in Sacramento could be cause for pay cuts instantly. That would be some motivation. ....

There are seven characteristics I can think of that define a sociopath, although I'm sure the list could be extended. 1) Sociopaths completely lack a conscience or any capacity for real regret about hurting people. Although they pretend the opposite. 2) Sociopaths put their own desires and wants on a totally different level from those of other people. Their wants are incommensurate. They truly believe their ends justify their means. Although they pretend the opposite. 3) Sociopaths consider themselves superior to everyone else, because they aren't burdened by the emotions and ethics others have – they're above all that. They're...