Free Republic

In the battle against litter in the Garden State, plastic bags have been public enemy number one. Several municipalities, mostly along the Shore, have acted on their own to limit plastic bag use either through fees or bans. But for years, efforts for statewide regulation of the bags has failed to gain traction. Now, state lawmakers have decided that it is time to move forward. A new fee on plastic and paper shopping bags is being pushed through the state legislature: The bill cleared budget committees in both the Assembly and Senate on Tuesday and could be passed as early...

Maryland's stepped-up efforts to collect unpaid tolls are raking in millions of dollars for the state - outpacing the growth in toll revenue itself. State lawmakers and consumer protection groups say the crackdown - which includes referring thousands of delinquent accounts to collections - is punitive and predatory and is pushing Marylanders into debt - and in some cases bankruptcy. Transportation officials say they are only enforcing tolls motorists should be paying anyway - a major shift from years past when the state allowed scofflaws to run up hefty amounts in unpaid tolls and fines without consequences. "Certainly, we want...

  Liberal media darling and porn star Stormy Daniels admitted in a tweet this past week that she is not paying for her attorney fees. If she’s not, then who is? The porn star who the MSM will not stop talking about due to her statements that she slept with President Trump a dozen years ago admitted this past week that she is not paying for her attorney fees. Daniels reportedly signed a document stating she did not have sex with citizen Donald Trump a dozen years ago.  Then Daniels came out and said that she did have sex...

Elder Patriot – Attorney General Jeff Sessions has finally announced an investigation into the use of federal money to fund radical leftwing advocacy groups. In making the announcement Sessions cited that at least six billion dollars was funneled into what was essentially a slush fund for Obama’s army of street activists. It’s almost a certainty that that amount is going grow significantly. The groups receiving the money included La Raza (now UnidosUS), NeighborWorks America, National Community Reinvestment Coalition, Operation Hope, Black Lives Matter, and a spin-off of Acorn The Mutual Housing Association of New York, among numerous other extremist groups....

Cashless payment systems like E-ZPass have helped make highway driving a less irksome experience by speeding up lines. Rental car companies even offer this option so you don’t have to worry about an embarrassing last-minute scrounge for change at the tollbooth, but rental car customers are now realizing that this convenience can come at a huge price.We’ve previously told you about some of the steep fees involved in using a rental company’s toll-paying device, but those fees could be small change compared to penalties for drivers who use the car’s device without even realizing it.The Pew’s Stateline recently took a...

LAKE MEAD (FOX5) - A section of Interstate 11 opened Wednesday between the 95 and Railroad Pass Casino. But some drivers said they are having a hard time navigating it, thanks to a glitch from GPS technology. When a 2.5 mile stretch of I-11 opened, Apple and Google maps didn't register it. Instead, it caused a major glitch, and instead of routing people down the 95 toward Boulder City and Arizona, drivers were being redirected all the way through Lake Mead National Park. The route takes more time and also comes with a $20 toll. "I pulled over with all...

The right to speak on Cornell’s campus is a “paramount value,” one upon which the University has an “essential dependence,” according to the Campus Code of Conduct... But some groups that have hosted conservative speakers on campus are not buying the administration’s rhetoric, citing the thousands of dollars they have been asked to pay the University for security at their events. And they say it is a cost that hosts of conservative speakers disproportionately have to bear. “The University, through its current policy — intentional or not — imposes additional financial and administrative costs on groups wishing to host conservative...

Excessive penalties and poor customer service at the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system have put some Marylanders on the path to “toll bankruptcy,” Sen. Roger Manno told the Senate Finance Committee last week.“Folks [are] exasperated because they’ve been caught in a system that is not working,” Manno said.Broad enforcement powers enacted in 2013 to address toll violations have led to wage attachments, financial hardship and non-renewal of vehicle registrations at MVA, witnesses testified. Sen. Roger Manno “The penalty structure that we set several years ago in the General Assembly was not intended to be punitive,” Manno said. “It was not...

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) - The coveted carry-on bag. Not checking your bag has its perks--avoid waiting around at baggage claim at the end of your flight, or worrying about losing it, and it's cheaper. Or, at least, it used to be. United Airlines just announced a new ticket option called "Basic Economy," banning the use of overhead bins for luggage. So now you're stuck with either paying for a checked bag, or paying for a more expensive ticket to bring it on the flight with you. According to a release from U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer's office, United expects the plan...

In hopes of promoting the narrative of a US housing recovery, one recurring thesis has been that as Millennials get older and start families, they will eventually leave their parents' basement and buy a house or shift from renting to owning. So far the facts have refused to corroborate this, and according to the latest "Housing Vacancies and Homeownership" report released on Thursday, the dream of owning a home just became even more distant. The reason: after staging a feeble rebound in late 2015, the US homeownership rate just tumbled from 63.5% to 62.9%, tied for the lowest print going...

Are the rest of you as disgusted as I am with the current political process? This began over a year ago and has cost millions of dollars while no end is in sight. In fact we are no closer to having even a nominee for President. Wouldn't it be possible to host the debates on CSPAN as table discussions that could be run without the attacks and disputes that are fostered on the Media television channels? Wouldn't this be a more sensible way to present the candidates and their opinions? It could also eliminate the millions of dollars of fundraising....

Was talking to a recently-retired computer-science professor today; he said in the last few years he's been seeing students showing up in college who have literally Never. Used. A. Screwdriver. He has been teaching a higher-level class in automating control of a train setup. Part of the project is to assemble a train car from a kit. These kids have no idea how to do it.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Take a drive on Florida's toll road. It's not how far you go that determines what you pay. We found it may be the car you drive. "I was mad going on vacation with my wife," explained Steve Pasek. For Pasek, the memories of his Florida vacation are as fresh as the snow back in Ohio. He declined the rental car company's toll service. With the rental car company's automated billing services, you are billed weeks after you return the car. A third party company is used to send you the bill. While Pasek declined...

Hillary Clinton on Wednesday night defended accepting huge speaking fees from Goldman Sachs, arguing that it won't influence the way she treats the banking industry. Speaking at CNN's Democratic presidential forum, anchor Anderson Cooper pressed Clinton on whether it had been a mistake for her to reel in more than $200,000 per speech for three speeches to the Wall Street giant. "Look, I made speeches to lots of groups. I told them what I thought. I answered questions," Clinton said. "But did you have to be paid $675,000?," Cooper asked. "Well I don't know," Clinton responded. "That's what they offered."...

**SNIP** Sanders has made Wall Street a top issue, and says bankers are "destroying the very fabric of our nation." It's helping him remain competitive in key states like Iowa and, especially New Hampshire. A decade ago, about half of America trusted banks. Now that trust has fallen to a historic low of just 20%, according to Gallup. "Greed, fraud, dishonesty and arrogance. These are some of the words that best describe the reality of Wall Street today," Sanders said. Bernie wants to break up the banks.

TALLAHASSEE Visitors to Florida who rent cars are being shocked by toll charges long after they get home, and enough are complaining that legislators say it could damage the state’s tourist-friendly image. In Florida, a tourist climbs behind the wheel of a rental car and enters a world of 600 miles of toll roads, more than any other state. As cash toll booths are steadily giving way to cashless, all-electronic tolling, car renters are being hit with service fees of $4 to $15 a day on top of unpaid toll charges. The rental car industry calls it a convenience as...

For Florida taxpayers, the move by the administration of then-Gov. Jeb Bush to forge a relationship with Lehman Brothers would ultimately prove disastrous. Transactions in 2005 and 2006 put the Wall Street investment bank in charge of some $250 million worth of pension funds for Florida cops, teachers and firefighters. Lehman would capture more than $5 million in fees on these deals, while gaining additional contracts to manage another $1.2 billion of Florida’s money. Then, in the fall of 2008, Lehman collapsed into bankruptcy, leaving Florida facing up to $1 billion in losses. But for Jeb Bush personally, his enduring...

We've got a secret the rental car companies would prefer you didn't know. people camping in RV More The Cheapest Way to Roadtrip Might Surprise You 3 Ways to Avoid Costly Rental Car Insurance These Are the Most Hated Fees in America This won’t come as news to commuters and frequent road trippers, but drivers are encountering more and more toll roads, as well as higher and higher tolls on the existing ones. The latest example is I-10 in Texas, where plans called for the maximum toll during peak travel hours to shoot from $7 to $10 as of May...

Bill Clinton collected $2.5 MILLION in speaking fees from companies that lobbied Hillary's State Department Former president Bill Clinton reaped more than $2.5 million in speaking fees from 13 companies that lobbied the State Department while his wife was secretary of state. Ten of those companies paid him within the same 3-month reporting period covered by the government documents that disclosed the lobbying activity. Most of the influence-peddling accusations swirling around Hillary Clinton in the past ten days have focused on claims that she traded the power of her office in exchange for foreign contributions to the Clinton Foundation, her...

The Federal Communications Commission recently adopted a plan to regulate the Internet like the phone companies of the 1930s. The decision is wrong for countless reasons, including an imminent reduction in investment and innovation. To undo these burdensome regulations, Congress should work together in the coming months to pass a law that both ensures the desired consumer protections everyone favors but forgoes the antiquated 1930s-style public-utility regulations. Let's take a step back. The FCC initially proposed last year to adopt a simpler set of rules guaranteeing that the Internet remains open and available to all users. This type of regulation...