Free Republic

The other day I was in a shopping center parking lot and saw two stickers in the rear window of a mini-van. The first, which was in the lower left area of the window, said "Veterans for Obama". Okay, I thought; I don't understand it, but there it is. The second sticker was a few inches to the right, and said this; "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin. I don't normally stop to ponder window stickers, but this pairing left me standing, slack jawed, and wondering,...

While Republicans seem to have at least temporarily backed off efforts to pass new and costly tax cuts, including a reduction in the capital gains tax, there is renewed talk about making permanent the Bush tax cut, which is slated to expire at the end of 2010. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) issued a statement outlining his priorities as the new chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the position he will reclaim from Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) in January when Republicans will be the Senate's majority party. Grassley, quoted in BNA, said that he intends to work to make last year’s...

Farmers Panic About a ‘Cow Tax’ By Kate Galbraith Should their greenhouse gases be taxed? (Photo: Steve Ruark for The New York Times) The comment period for the Environmental Protection Agency’s exploration of greenhouse gas regulation ended last Friday, with farmers lobbying furiously against the notion of a “cow tax” on methane, a potent greenhouse gas emitted by livestock. The New York Farm Bureau issued a statement last week (PDF) saying it feared that a tax could reach $175 per cow, $87.50 per head of beef cattle and upward of $20 for each hog. Such a tax would represent a...

VATICAN CITY Apr 20, 2005 — Pope Benedict XVI himself predicted a "short reign" in comments to cardinals just after his election, and his brother said Wednesday he was worried about the stress the job would put on the 78-year-old pontiff. While there are no indications that Benedict currently suffers from any serious or chronic medical problems, there have been ailments in the past including a 1991 hemorrhagic stroke that raise questions about how long his pontificate will last. The Vatican refused to comment Wednesday on Benedict's health, citing his privacy. The Vatican never officially confirmed Pope John Paul II...