Free Republic

Twitchy reports that on Tuesday night, the left launched a Twitter game with the hashtag #SarahPalinFilms. Via a verified account, this was Netflix's voluntary contribution: -- #SarahPalinFilms "Iron Sky" nflx.it/11AZvLR twitter.com/netflix/status… — Netflix US (@netflix) May 1, 2013 -- One review of "Iron Sky" describes the film this way: The film tries to make the connection between the Nazis and the current state of American politics via a US President character that embodies the Sarah Palin brand of politics, but it’s done in bad taste and this is where the satire fails.

California Democrats appear to have picked up a supermajority in both houses of the state Legislature Tuesday night, a surprise outcome that gives the party the ability to unilaterally raise taxes and leaves Republicans essentially irrelevant in Sacramento. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Democrats-get-supermajority-in-Legislature-4015861.php#ixzz2BZ1jgHgh

Los Angeles County Assessor John Noguez has been arrested amid an on-going corruption investigation. (snip) Assessor's office employees had complained they were pressured to lower property taxes for clients who were prominent contributors to Noguez's campaign .

As many as 5 million California property-tax payers who have been taking the entire amount they pay off their state income taxes could see a major cut in their deductions when they file next year. Beginning with the 2012 tax bill (the one due in April 2013), the state Franchise Tax Board will require property owners to break down their property taxes into deductible and non-deductible portions. That means property owners who have been deducting their Mello-Roos fees — often running into thousands of dollars — will no longer be able to deduct those or any other special assessments like...

Three Democrats have introduced a federal bill that would require online retailers such as Amazon.com to collect states' sales taxes. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill) and Representatives John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) call their proposal that was introduced July 29 the Main Street Fairness Act. Amazon.com, which has been fighting individual states – including California – over efforts to require online retailers to collect state and local sales tax, is supporting the bill, according to a letter to Durbin from Amazon.com Vice President for Global Public Policy Paul Misener.

WASHINGTON -- The Senate has rejected a GOP bid to ban the practice of larding spending bills with earmarks -- those pet projects that lawmakers love to send home to their states. Democrats and a handful of Republicans combined to defeat the effort, which would have effectively forbidden the Senate from considering legislation containing earmarks like road and bridge projects, community development funding, grants to local police departments and special-interest tax breaks.

Tiger Woods has decided to have surgery on his left knee, which will end his 2008 season, according to a source close to Woods. A report on the Golf Channel, citing unnamed sources, said Woods would have surgery on his ACL. The Golf Channel and Associated Press reported that Woods suffered a small stress fracture in his left leg about two weeks before the U.S. Open. The AP reported that Woods is expect to discuss his future on his Web site later Wednesday. Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on April 15, two days after he finished second...

BATON ROUGE -- Ending one of Louisiana's most enduring political dynasties, Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom today publicly withdrew from his race for re-election in the Nov. 17 runoff, closing out his 28-year tenure and turning the office over to Republican state Rep. Mike Strain, who ran a close second in Saturday's primary. (snip) Odom had never faced stiff opposition to to re-election bids. He got 41 percent of the vote in Saturday's primary. Strain took 40 percent and the other challengers, all Republicans, split the rest. For Odom to have won the runoff, he would have had to mount a...

(snip) The state's Franchise Tax Board last week launched a Web site listing the names, addresses and past-due amounts of its worst 250 scofflaws. Among California's most delinquent: singer Dionne Warwick, comedian Sinbad and O.J. Simpson. As of Tuesday, those three remained on the list -- and into the state for at least $1.4 million each. But for dozens of others, the threat of public humiliation has already had the desired effect. In the weeks before the site went live, 26 offenders who were warned about their upcoming Internet debuts set up payment plans to keep their names off the...

Have you ever wanted to say "thank you," but didn't? Next time, say it... Spread it around!

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The fate of Barry Bonds' record-breaking home run ball is now in the public's hands after its buyer announced Monday he was taking votes on whether to give the ball to the Hall of Fame, brand it with an asterisk or blast it into space. Fashion designer Marc Ecko revealed himself as Saturday's winning bidder in the online auction for the ball that Bonds hit last month to break Hank Aaron's record of 755 home runs. The final selling price for No. 756 was $752,467, well above most predictions. Ecko had not even taken possession of...

Statement says chancellor, Erwin Chemerinsky pledge to adhere to 'principle of academic freedom' in founding law school. IRVINE – UCI has rehired law professor Erwin Chemerinsky as the dean of its fledgling law school, after UCI Chancellor Michael Drake flew to North Carolina to meet with him over the weekend. Both men pledged in a statement that "Our new law school will be founded on the bedrock principle of academic freedom," in a Monday morning announcement about the hiring.

HUNTINGTON BEACH - The City Council voted Tuesday to make Huntington Beach the first city in the state to adopt a program forcing pet owners to spay or neuter and to have microchips inserted into their cats and dogs. (snip) Once the law is enforced, owners would have a 30-day grace period to show proof of sterilization and the inserted microchip. A fine of $150 could be levied; the penalty would be increased by $50 every 30 days up to a maximum of $500.

But deal still must be sold to caucuses, Assembly leaders and governor. SACRAMENTO – Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman’s office is reporting that he and Senate Democrat Leader Don Perata have reached a tentative deal on the state budget. According to the Irvine senator’s office, the two leaders have reached a tentative agreement that they will now share with members of their respective caucuses. Republicans are meeting now to discuss the plan, details of which are unknown. *snip* The deal – whatever it is – has to be agreed to by the two caucuses as well as members of the...

Hyperbole in Sacramento is distorting an entirely reasonable argument. Sen. Bob Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga, believes the government shouldn't be allowed to sue to force compliance with rules that don't yet exist. After all, how can anyone comply with rules that don't exist? How would anyone know whether he or she is breaking the law? Nevertheless, Attorney General Jerry Brown is on a Kafkaesque mission. He already has sued the county of San Bernardino, hinted at doing the same to several other local government agencies and has succeeded in inhibiting two Northern California refineries from moving ahead with expansion plans. Brown's...

Man caught peeping through 12-year-old boy's window and flashing a mother in Lake Forest, authorities say. LAKE FOREST - A career criminal who returned to Orange County less than a month after he was deported was arrested Monday after authorities say he peeked through a window to watch a 12-year-old boy get out of the shower and then dropped his pants in front of a woman. Juan Gutierrez Bahena, 28, was deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on May 26 after serving time in state prison for drug possession, Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino said. Bahena also has several convictions...

The National Review has posted the "Clay Pigeon" amendment(s). Happy reading.

CASPER — An open application process. A televised debate. Two rounds of speeches. Two more rounds of question-and-answer. All to select three nominees for the U.S. Senate seat that was vacated by the death of the late Craig Thomas. All of it controlled by a single political party. And all of it conducted in the open. Cynthia Lummis, a former state treasurer and one of the three nominees selected Tuesday by the Wyoming Republican Party State Central Committee, called it “a marvelous exercise in the great American republic.” On Wednesday, the GOP will forward three names to Democratic Gov. Dave...

In the middle of December 1620 the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, leaving behind the sinfulness of the “old world” to make a “new Jerusalem” in America. Three years later, in November 1623, they had a great feast thanking God for getting them through an earlier famine, and now for a bountiful crop. What had created the earlier famine and then the bountiful crops? The story is told in the diary of Governor Bradford, who was one of the elders of that early Puritan colony. At first, they decided to turn their back on all the institutions of the England...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The economy grew at a faster clip in the second quarter and inflation was slower than originally reported, a government report said on Wednesday, suggesting the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates steady. The U.S. economy grew at a 2.9 percent annual pace in the second quarter, faster than the 2.5 percent rate initially reported but marginally below what analysts were expecting, as higher business investment offset a drop in residential construction, a Commerce Department report showed. At the same time, an inflation gauge favored by the Federal Reserve -- which measures personal consumption expenditure prices minus...