Free Republic

A watchdog group named Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday its “Porker of the Year” for 2019, citing her sponsorship of the costly “Green New Deal” proposal. Citizens Against Government Waste President Tom Schatz said the New York Democrat received 54% in the group’s online poll, easily beating out Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who garnered 25%, and four other candidates. “The results are not surprising, as Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s $93 trillion proposal exemplifies the Congress’s failure to protect the taxpayers’ hard-earned money,” Mr. Schatz said. “For pushing a radical plan that would destroy the American economy, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez deserves the distinction...

(Meredith) – The owner of a Chick-Fil-A in North Dakota has apologized after a mother claims the restaurant kicked her out for breastfeeding without a cover. Macy Hornung said she was nursing her child at a Fargo Chick-Fil-A when the franchise owner approached her Saturday evening. She said the owner asked her to cover up or leave the restaurant. “I was showing no more than the upper portion of my breast, barely more than what was visible in my shirt, and (she) asked me to cover,” Hornung wrote on Facebook. “I tried to explain that I couldn’t because my baby...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie conflated statistics when he claimed Sen. Rand Paul’s “pork-barrel spending” is the reason Kentucky receives more federal funds than New Jersey for every tax dollar it sends to Washington. The figures cited by Christie are affected very little by pork-barrel spending.Moreover, Senate Republicans have imposed a voluntary ban on earmarks — otherwise known as pork-barrel spending — since the Kentucky senator took office in 2011. So Paul hasn’t brought any of the traditional pork-barrel spending to Kentucky.Paul also added some confusion to the issue when he seemed to suggest that Kentucky’s ratio was the...

Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) bestowed upon Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) the March “Porker of the Month” Award for his absurd belief that a federally-funded Cowboy Poetry Festival in Elko, Nevada (pop. 17,000) constitutes essential government spending..

After asserting that she “led” the charge against Sarah Palin in 2008 the day before, Kathleen Parker revisited her comments and the greater media bias against Palin last night, adding a few revisions. For one, she didn’t really lead the charge against Palin– “the liberal media” did– and did treat Palin, in some instances, “cruelly, and partly because she’s a woman.” She and co-host Eliot Spitzer further explored the relationship between Palin and the media with Mediaite founder Dan Abrams. Parker modified her earlier statement about “leading” the assassination, toning it down to being the first on the right after...

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has announced the results of its online poll for the 2009 Porker of the Year. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, (D-Mass.) won with 49 percent of the vote. In second place was Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) with 26.3 percent. Third-place honors went to Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) with 6.6 percent. Honorable mentions go out to Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) with 5.9 percent and Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) with 5.5 percent. President Barack Obama was the overwhelming favorite in the write-in category, coming in just behind Rep. Abercrombie and ahead of last-place Secretary...

An online petition has garnered more than 800 signatures from around the world demanding prosecution for what activists are calling animal cruelty, according to the newspaper. Rhonda Roland Shearer, a New York City organizer seeking punishment for the hunting team, says it took three hours for the “monster pig” to die after the animal was shot 12 times with a pistol.

• 1968: US Senator Edward Kennedy’s car drove off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts killing his 28-year-old companion Mary Jo Kopechne. Kennedy fled the scene of the accident and received a suspended sentence of two months and one year's probation. Chappaquiddick now stands for political nemesis— a shady part of ones past that won't go away.

Washington, D.C. — Citizens Against Government Waste announced today the final results of its online poll for Porker of the Year for 2003. Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) finished first with a whopping 51 percent of the vote, outdistancing his “porky” competitors by a 2 to 1 margin. The other finalists, in order of votes received, were: Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) (25 percent), Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) (14 percent), Rep. Jim Gibbons (R-Nev.) (6 percent), and Rep. Terry Everett (R-Ala.) (4 percent). The five finalists were chosen by CAGW staff from among the 11 Porker of the Month winners throughout 2003,...

(Washington, D.C.) - Usually the congressional pork-barrel process is something of a mystery, with boondoggles only brought to light when they are faits accomplis. But occasionally, the mask slips and taxpayers get a glimpse of how spending decisions are really made. Earlier this year, according to Roll Call, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs/Housing & Urban Development (VA/HUD) Chair Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) bluntly approached Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.), who faces a tough November election: "Paul, let's talk pork." She added, "We like you and we want you back." Mikulski told Wellstone to get a better fix on projects that would...