Free Republic

Voters prioritize protecting citizens from gun violence over protecting the rights of gun owners. And while majorities support a variety of gun control proposals, the latest Fox News poll also finds doubt Congress will act -- or that it would make any difference if it does. By a 13-point margin, voters consider protecting against gun violence more important than protecting gun rights (53-40 percent). In addition, there’s substantial support for specific measures to reduce gun violence, including: requiring criminal background checks on all gun buyers (91 percent), requiring mental health checks on all gun buyers (84 percent), raising the age...

Congressional Republicans threw fiscal sanity out the window last week, so it comes as no surprise that the immigration bill introduced in the Senate Wednesday comes with an eye-popping price tag of nearly $100 billion. But what may surprise conservatives who believe in President Trump’s America First campaign message is that this bill spends twice as much on foreign aid as it does on border security. The Trump-endorsed plan proposed by Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, includes $25 billion for a “Border Security Enforcement Fund,” $18 billion of which is appropriated for “tactical infrastructure.” But in a section titled “Foreign Migration...

Dec 13 (Reuters) - Minnesota's Democratic Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith was appointed as U.S. senator on Wednesday to replace Al Franken, who resigned after being accused of sexual harassment, the state's governor said at a news conference. Governor Mark Dayton said that Smith will serve a one-year term in the Senate, concluding in January 2019. Smith, 59, will run in a special election for the seat next year. Smith became lieutenant governor in January 2015. The Star Tribune said she previously worked as Dayton's chief of staff and held positions at General Mills and Planned Parenthood. Last week Franken, 66,...

America doesn’t have a worker shortage; it has a work shortage. The unemployment rate is at a 15-year low, but only 55% of Americans adults 18 to 64 have full-time jobs. Nearly 95 million people have removed themselves entirely from the job market. According to demographer Nicholas Eberstadt, the labor-force participation rate for men 25 to 54 is lower now than it was at the end of the Great Depression. The welfare state is largely to blame. More than a fifth of American men of prime working age are on Medicaid. According to the Census Bureau, nearly three-fifths of nonworking...

<p>When Seth Rich’s Gmail account received an alert this week from Mega.com, attempting to start a new account on a website created by the New Zealand-based Internet businessman and convicted hacker Kim Dotcom, his family knew that something was off.</p>

Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds will succeed Gov. Terry Branstad when he leaves office, but she won't have the power to appoint her own replacement, Attorney General Tom Miller said Monday. The attorney general's 23-page opinion drew immediate criticism from Republicans, as Branstad prepares to leave office and become the ambassador to China. Reynolds has been preparing to take Branstad's place for months, and a simmering question has been whether she would become the governor or simply assume the powers of the office. In addition, questions were raised what powers she would have. State Sen. David Johnson, an independent from...

WATERLOO, Iowa — Mayor Quentin Hart has accused Councilman Tom Lind of “racist, derogatory, partisan” threats in a testy email exchange over his decision to appoint a communications director. The emails provided anonymously to The Courier but confirmed by both parties relate to Hart’s decision to hire Wendy Bowman to work 10 to 15 hours a week promoting the city’s image. “Not appropriate without council approval,” Lind said in a Jan. 22 email. “You work for us. Obama (yesterday) is gone.” Hart responded Lind’s “racist, derogatory, partisan threats have no impact on me and never will.” “I have not done...

As a 43-year-old lifelong Red Sox fan, I understand heartbreak. I know exactly what it’s like to be a Cubs fan as they hurtle toward another potential devastating post-season loss. That’s why I should be excited and rooting right along with Cubs Nation as they set their sights on their first World Series title since 1908. But I just can’t get into it. Why? Because their owner, the Ricketts family, has done more to kill constitutional conservative campaigns this election cycle than just about any group in America. Who are the Ricketts and how are they protecting Big Government RINOs...

The former House Speaker brings experience and still terrifies DemocratsEven nearly 20 years since he departed Congress, Newt Gingrich is still the most feared Republican in America. ... The current Republican leadership is an unimpressive lot. They seem to be placeholders waiting for principled leaders like the former Speaker of the House to emerge. President Obama's hijacking of the constitutional power of the legislative branch—without cost or pain—would never have happened under a Gingrich-led Congress. ... Republicans across the spectrum agree that Newt would be Donald Trump's best asset on the campaign trail this fall and a seasoned point-man in...

The sudden appearance of Donald Trump on the political horizon last year may have been surprising, but not nearly as surprising as seeing some conservatives supporting him. Does Trump have conservative principles? Does he have any principles at all, other than promoting Donald Trump? A smorgasbord of political positions — none of them indicating any serious thought about complicated issues — is not a principle. Nor is cheering for himself and boasting about all the great things he is going to do as President. Haven't we seen this movie before? Wasn't Barack Obama going to heal the racial divide, end...

Three days. Five categorically different statements about abortion. Donald Trump officially has more flip-flops than Old Navy, and yet his supporters stand by him because they feel the economy is more important. More important to trust a man who has bankrupted several of his businesses because he borrowed too much money at too high of rates because bankers didn’t have enough faith in his business plans to give him normal lending rates. More important to trust a man who “stands” against illegal immigration despite being fined for hiring illegal immigrants to work on his projects and having hired illegal immigrants...

Quick analysis of the debate. One word: Finally. Cruz and Rubio surrounded Trump and absolutely decimated him. They attacked his record, his integrity, his character. They interrupted him and talked over him. Rubio in particular was vicious. At a few points he laughed in Trump's face. He made Trump look ridiculous and treated him like a clown. And that's exactly what they both needed to do, and it's exactly what Trump deserves. The great mystery is why they waited 7 months to do it. Think about it: There have been approximately 87 debates, and all of the candidates have been...

Are they no longer allowed? None since 2007??? http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/fridaysilliness/index?tab=articles

On the surface, there's not much in common between New Hampshire GOP primary winner Donald Trump and Democratic primary winner Bernie Sanders. Trump is a billionaire businessman; Sanders is a career politician. Trump's personal favorability is the lowest of all candidates on either side; Sanders' is the highest. But the impulse that drove New Hampshire voters to the polls for Sanders is the same as the impulse that drove them to the polls for Trump: the desire for a powerful authority figure to fix everything using the power of government. In fact, before the New Hampshire primary, CNN reported, "Because...

New York billionaire Donald Trump promises "forward motion" on so called gay rights if elected president. While speaking with Bay Windows publisher Sue O'Connell Friday, Trump spoke about his wishes to unite the country on gay and lesbian issues. According to a report by Bay Windows: O'Connell, who is also Bay Windows' Publisher, identified herself as a lesbian in a question that noted the progress the LGBT community has made in the last two decades and asked Trump if voters can expect him to continue that momentum if elected "When President Trump is in office can we look for more...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Let's go to the audio sound bites. As you know, on yesterday's program, it was either a caller here or something I was reading in the news, something that happened on the program, I just reacted in a semi-visceral way to the idea that all of a sudden Marco Rubio has become this establishment candidate, which to me means that he's a RINO, a moderate Republican tending toward even maybe a liberal Republican and all that. And that's just not who Marco Rubio is, to me. I think I made the point analyzing the results in Iowa...

World-famous theoretical physicist and Cambridge University professor Stephen Hawking has a history of speaking out about his fears for the future of humanity. For years, Stephen Hawking has been warning the world about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence, expressing his concerns that the technology could spell doom for the human race if it's allowed to run amok or developed without an abundance of caution. Now, the Washington Post reports that 74-year-old Stephen Hawking is publicly expanding his list of the disasters he believes mankind might face in the future. Professor Hawking believes that many of the biggest threats to...

<p>Donald Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, has done a lot of things no other GOP candidate this year would dare try: pick a fight with Fox News. Bad-mouth prisoners of war. Wear Palm Beach casual-wear to the Iowa State Fair. Tell small children he is Batman.</p>

The Republican presidential frontrunner's vow to get Apple to "build their damn computers and things in this country" would lead to unrealistically high costs for you. ____________ Donald Trump's plan to "make America great again" may include getting you to fork over a whole lot more money for your next iPhone. After all, that would be the logical progression from the Republican presidential frontrunner's latest bold (crazy?) promise: Getting Apple to start manufacturing its products in the US instead of China. "We're going to get Apple to build their damn computers and things in this country instead of in other...

Bernie Sanders' campaign on Friday threatened to sue the Democratic National Committee for suspending its access to the national voter database, saying the move threatens to undermine the Vermont senator's presidential run. Even as the campaign admitted its staffers had inappropriately reviewed Hillary Clinton campaign data made available as a result of a software error, it emphatically accused the DNC of sabotage. "We are announcing today that if the DNC continues to hold our data hostage, and continues to try to attack the heart and soul of our campaign, we will be in federal court this afternoon seeking an immediate...