Free Republic

Liturgical reform is “irreversible,” Pope Francis says. If he means that history cannot be undone—we can’t rewind the tape—his point is beyond dispute. But surely he does not mean that we are stuck forever with the status quo. It is noteworthy that in speaking on the liturgical reform, Pope Francis invoked his magisterial authority: something that he has been reluctant to do when he speaks on doctrinal matters. But it is also profoundly confusing. What does it mean to speak with magisterial authority about a process? Insofar as he is saying that the Church is committed to the process that...

The goal is to remove what critics of the criminal justice system call an unfair disadvantage for poor people and people of color, who reportedly pay disproportionately higher amounts for bail. “Nationally, African American men pay 35 percent higher money bail amounts than white men, and Hispanic men pay 19 percent higher money bail amounts than white men,” part of the Harris-Paul bill reads. The individuals who would be exempt from bail are described as “low-risk individuals” awaiting criminal trials.

The head of France’s biggest employers federation said on Friday that President Emmanuel Macron represented the last chance to reform the country’s rigid labor market, but did not want the country to end up like the US or the UK. […] While his plans have leftist trade unions seething and warning of mass street protests, the leaders of France’s big companies are unsurprisingly right behind him. “We need to get going quickly,” said Pierre Gattaz, president of France’s employers federation MEDEF, an organization that is reviled by many among France’s hard left. “France won’t have another opportunity. Now we have...

Reflections on the War on Terror, in light of the Manchester Arena Bombing On Sunday, May 22, 2017, President Trump and King Salman of Saudi Arabia addressed a gathering of the political leadership of some 50 muslim-majority nations… and on Monday, May 23, an ISIS-inspired jihadist detonated a nail bomb in Manchester, England after a concert, killing over twenty innocents, injuring sixty more. Whether intended to be a response or not, this terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena must be directly assessed in light of King Salman's speech yesterday in Saudi Arabia… because it hammers home the special challenge of...

The Senate will take up health care reform; here are some of the ten most influential players in the battle to reform health care: 10. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Mitch McConnell, as leader of the Senate, will have to balance the competing interests between the moderate and conservative wings of the chamber. Republicans enjoy a 52-seat majority in the Senate, meaning that McConnell could lose two votes and still let Vice President Mike Pence break the tie and pass the bill. McConnell convened a working group of 13 senators to write a Senate health care bill, rather than...

Trump is asking everyone to forward this email to a minimum of 20 people, and to ask each of those to do likewise.c In three days, most people in the United States will have the message. This is an idea that should be passed around. The TRUMP Rule Let's see if congress understands what people pressure is all about. Salary of retired US Presidents .. . . . .. . . . . .. . $180,000 FOR LIFE. Salary of House/Senate members .. . . . .. . . . $174,000 FOR LIFE. This is stupid Salary of Speaker of...

As we turn the page on yet another inspiring tax day, let’s look into who is really bearing the burden of the individual taxes in the United States. In 2014’s tax year, the federal government took in a then-record $1.377 trillion in income taxes from individuals, according to a report published by the Internal Revenue Service. And of the 148,606,578 individual tax returns filed that year, 52,062,499 of them (35 percent) filed “nontaxable returns,” which means they paid no net individual income taxes. The rest of us, the 65 percent who did pay income taxes, paid an average of $14,271,...

On March 13th, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order that will make the Federal government more efficient, effective, and accountable to you, the American people. This Executive Order directs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to present the President with a plan that recommends ways to reorganize the executive branch and eliminate unnecessary agencies. President Trump wants to hear your ideas and suggestions on how the government can be better organized to work for the American people. Here is a link to the form to register your suggestion...have at it fellow patriots and tell all...

On Friday, President Donald Trump told reporters that he is moving on after the Republican health care bill was pulled from a floor vote in the House of Representatives. As market and political analysts work to understand what the bill’s failure means for the future of tax reform, one outspoken advocate for tax cuts expressed concern. Grover Norquist, president and founder of Americans for Tax Reform, a politically conservative organization that opposes all tax increases, said health care reform is an essential first step to achieving significant tax reform. “It has to go first in order to have a significant...

The White House tried very hard Friday to send a clear message that the success of President Donald Trump’s tax and infrastructure agenda does not turn on the fate of the Obamacare replacement bill. House Speaker Paul Ryan, only minutes after pulling his health care bill, appeared to at least partially contradict that. “Yes. This does make tax reform more difficult,” Ryan said. “But it does not in any way make it impossible.” Even though Ryan went on to say the House would “proceed with tax reform,” he appeared to be far less optimistic than the two top Trump administration...

President Trump may urge lawmakers to pass a compromise immigration reform bill during his speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, a senior administration official told television network anchors who met with the president. Trump believes a major immigration bill is necessary but would require "a softening on both sides. There's got to be a coming together," the official said, according to CNN. Trump envisions a proposal that would allow some undocumented immigrants live and work in the U.S. without fear of deportation, but would stop short of offering them a pathway to citizenship. Such a move would...

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday that he wants to see "very significant" tax reform passed before Congress' August recess, in what could prove a tough task as lawmakers work through a complex agenda. "We want to get this done by the August recess. We've been working closely with the leadership in the House and the Senate and we're looking at a combined plan," he told CNBC in his first television interview since assuming office. President Donald Trump has repeatedly made pledges for tax reform and regulatory cuts since he took office, creating optimism among business executives and investors. So...

The plaintiff filed suit in a California court in early December in regards to a road accident that occurred on Christmas Eve in 2014. The driver was " distracted while using the 'FaceTime' application on an iPhone 6 Plus during the operation of his motor vehicle," and hit the back of a stationary vehicle while going 65 miles per hour, per the court documents obtained by AppleInsider.SNIP Apple was sued for not implementing a technology that could have prevented the driver from using the app while driving. The Cupertino-based company applied for the patent on the technology in 2008 and...

Iranian civil society is an illusion; all of the government and by extension most of the private sector are mere extensions of the Grand Ayatollah's personal will. Velayat-e Faqih is the only state ideology; the only differences of opinion are about how it should be implemented. Therefore, elections in this regime are not indicative of any form of "democracy". Instead, they are merely a process of choosing among individuals vetted by the Supreme Leader. There are no factions based upon ideological differences, there is mere jockeying for position and the personal favor of the Supreme Leader. Traditional "regime change" in...

Over the last two pontificates, the Pope's traditional Christmas "greeting" to the cardinals and bishops of the Roman Curia has taken on an outsize significance, serving under Benedict XVI by turns as a "Year in Review" or theological showcase, and for Francis as an incisive meditation on best practice in church administration... or the lack thereof. Keeping with the decade-old thread, this morning the pontiff unleashed another whopper at his dicastery-chiefs – not an indictment of the "15 diseases" kind, but laying out in unprecedented detail his rationale and principles for the ongoing reform of the Roman Curia. Intended as...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Republicans are laying the groundwork for a fresh effort to overhaul the food stamp program during Donald Trump's presidency, with the possibility of new work and eligibility requirements for millions of people. The GOP majority on the House Agriculture Committee released a two-year review of the program on Wednesday that stops short of making specific policy recommendations, but hints at areas where Republicans could focus: strengthening work requirements and perhaps issuing new ones, tightening some eligibility requirements or providing new incentives to encourage food stamp recipients to buy healthier foods.

The federal government requires structural reform. Because it is very expensive and time-consuming to fire anyone, bad behavior is not just tolerated but propagated. Civil Service protections originally intended to guard against a politicized bureaucracy have now become guarantors of the high-handedness and lack of accountability we saw with Lois Lerner, now retired with a six-figure pension after pleading the Fifth Amendment. Government employee unions have become a mainstay of the Democratic Party, with employee dues, harvested from taxpayers via salaries, laundered into the party’s coffers. So the Democrats will fight like hell, up to and including a filibuster, mass...

How would you reform the university system? How would you find a way to lower tuition and raise standards?

First: I am going to re-institute a 5-year ban on all executive branch officials lobbying the government for 5 years after they leave government service. I am going to ask Congress to pass this ban into law so that it cannot be lifted by executive order. Second: I am going to ask Congress to institute its own 5-year ban on lobbying by former members of Congress and their staffs. Third: I am going to expand the definition of lobbyist so we close all the loopholes that former government officials use by labeling themselves consultants and advisors when we all know...

“It’s Time To Drain The Swamp In Washington, D.C. That’s Why I’m Proposing A Package Of Ethics Reforms To Make Our Government Honest Once Again."