Free Republic

Politics: Democrats say Rush Limbaugh is running the Republican Party. Better Rush than George Soros, who is running the Democrats. At least Rush believes in freedom, capitalism and letting you keep what you earn.The cover of the March 7 issue of Newsweek shows a picture of conservative icon Limbaugh with a piece of tape covering his mouth and the word "Enough!" So much for disagreeing with what you say but defending to the death your right to say it. Voltaire could never be a contributor to Newsweek. But David Frum is, and his inside cover story, "Why Rush Is Wrong,"...

NCPA: Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Not Worth Cost and Trouble Report Says Government Should Not Force CFLs on Consumers DALLAS (Dec. 10, 2008) - Although touted by many as the smart energy choice, compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs are not suitable for many common uses and should not be required by the government, according to a new report by the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA). The Environmental Protection Agency states that CFLs will reduce energy use and will last longer than standard bulbs. However, NCPA Senior Fellow and report co-author Sterling Burnett argues: "For many uses, compact fluorescent bulbs...

Before Congress spends billions to build public schools that meet "green" environmental standards, it should review Washington state's experience, which shows that green buildings have higher than expected costs, and the energy savings and other projected benefits are either small or nonexistent, says Todd Myers, director of the Center for the Environment at the Washington Policy Center and an National Center for Policy Analysis E-Team adjunct scholar. Several pilot schools in the Olympia, Northshore and Spokane school districts were created to test the effectiveness of green building strategies. By the summer of 2007, all but one of these schools had...

Borrowing against a 401(k) may seem attractive, especially in today's economy. Yet most employees don't realize that borrowing just $30,000 from their 401(k) plans could cost them as much as $600,000 in retirement income. The National Center for Policy Analysis has developed a calculator that shows just how expensive 401(k) withdrawals can be. The NCPA 401(k) calculator shows, for example, that withdrawing funds from your 401(k) now is typically not worth the tremendous amount of money you forego for your future retirement security. The calculator clearly demonstrates the impact of borrowing from a 401(k) plan, and can help determine how...

Californians can save more than $1 billion each year by eliminating unnecessary medical treatments, using less-expensive but equally effective drugs and reducing other kinds of waste from the health care system, said a report released yesterday by the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG). CALPIRG researchers found that $700 million could be saved if doctors and hospitals followed "best practice" standards recommended by leading medical organizations. Extending those standards to all patients in the state would greatly increase the savings, says the report. Other major findings: U.S. health spending on a per-capita basis topped $7,000 in 2006, nearly twice as...

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is proposing the most radical overhaul of American health care policy in a decade and a half, says Michael Tanner, a senior fellow with the Cato Institute. McCain would move us away from a system of employer-based health insurance. He plans to provide all Americans with a $2,500 refundable tax credit for individuals and a $5,000 credit for families, regardless of how people obtain their insurance. Most notably, McCain would allow people to purchase health insurance across state lines, a practice now prohibited, says Tanner. Health insurance is largely regulated at the state level, and the...

Global warming alarmists, following the lead of Al Gore, constantly throw out the idea that the world’s scientists have formed a consensus that man is responsible for global warming, and therefore man’s activities must be curtailed. Skeptics have steadily disproved with facts most of the “evidence” that they present, but until now, the “consensus” has been unchallenged by facts. This has now all changed.

WASHINGTON -- Arnold Schwarzenegger's signing the first statewide, multi-industry greenhouse gas emission limits may be a calculated political move to burnish his green credentials in an attempt to get re-elected governor. Or it may symbolize his sincere belief that California should take a leadership role in reducing the threat of climate change. But whatever his motives, the results will be higher prices for California's consumers, higher unemployment for California's workers and little or no benefit for the environment. (snip) While California is an economic powerhouse and these cuts are substantial, their effect on future climate will be nil. The National...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 - In the latest sign of the deepening split among conservatives over how far to go in challenging President Bush, Bruce Bartlett, a Republican commentator who has been increasingly critical of the White House, was dismissed on Monday as a senior fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis, a conservative research group based in Dallas. In a statement, the organization said the decision was made after Mr. Bartlett supplied its president, John C. Goodman, with the manuscript of his forthcoming book, "The Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy." Mr. Bartlett,...

More Choices, Less Government ControlHealth Care: John Kerry's first significant speech since he lost to President Bush in November was about medical services. From all indications, he learned nothing from his defeat.Not that we'd expect him to. Politicians don't often make tectonic position shifts when they've reached a level of national prominence. So Massachusetts' junior senator is as good as stuck with being a proponent of a socialist health-care system.Kerry, who earlier proposed costly legislation that would supposely cover 11 million uncovered children, has lots of company.The political left has agitated for government-run national health care for decades. Canada and,...

(CNSNews.com) - Democrat John Kerry's attack on President Bush for the nation's dependence on foreign oil in the midst of rising gas prices raised the ire of a public policy group that says, "Kerry's rhetoric would be laughable if the consequences of its implementation weren't so serious." "Senator Kerry needs a reality check," said NCPA Senior Fellow H. Sterling Burnett. "The strategic petroleum reserve is supposed to be set aside for use in case of war or other national emergency, not to stave off temporary gas hikes. I guess he forgot about the war on terror." NCPA also admonished Kerry...

Not content with class action lawsuits, some California trial lawyers specialize in demanding cash settlements from thousands of businesses in exchange for not suing them. These shakedown suits don't require allegations of injury -- or even the inconvenience of clients: just the threat of a lawyer armed with California's bizarre consumer protection laws.

As we reported back in 1999 (issue #134), the political quote of the decade comes from former economics professor turned politician, House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R. TX): "I have identified three groups of people who have the privilege of taking and spending other people's money. They are children, thieves and politicians, and they all need more adult supervision." Four and a half years later, nothing has changed. "Public relations charades like 'Reinventing Government' cannot change the way Washington works," said Dick Armey (who, incidentally, has a Ph.D. in economics). And Armey was absolutely correct. Al Gore's "Reinventing Government" program...

The cost of the federal government is quickly getting way out of hand. More and more, Americans are starting to think that the government feels our money is their money and it is government that shall decide for us how much of it we may personally use. Fact is, if our tax burden continues to increase, government may be pricing itself right out of business. Already, it has become easy to work and trade "off the books" in many areas around the country. From time to time, Congress makes noises like it is lowering taxes. Overall, however, that is far...