Free Republic

Texas Senator Ted Cruz announced his 2016 presidential campaign last month, making him the only current official Republican candidate — for now. All of that is expected to change next week as Marco Rubio and Rand Paul make their own announcements, and likely push Cruz into the presidential background. But it’s not just me who believes that Ted Cruz has no shot of being the party nominee, much less the eventual President in 2016. Here are four pretty persuasive groups who also say that President Cruz is never going to happen. 1. His fellow Texas politicians It’s pretty hard to...

Are data centers for our digital lifestyle the equivalent of slaughterhouses for the meat industry, both huge facilities where the dirty work we’d rather not think about gets done? Every time we upload photos to Facebook, livestream a movie from Netflix, send an email with a PDF attached, we’re sending data through mega-sized data centers packed with rows on rows on rows of air-conditioned servers, each a “sort of bulked-up desktop computer, minus a screen and keyboard, that contains chips to process data,” says the New York Times. Here are five reasons your email is not as green and clean...

Hi , Our cars and trucks account for 20 percent of our country's greenhouse gas emissions. The Obama administration knows this -- that's why they fought for better fuel economy standards. But the rules that would go into effect don't go far enough. In fact, loopholes for SUVs mean that, even with higher standards, our greenhouse gas emissions will still continue to rise. The European Union, Japan and even China are far ahead of the United States when it comes to fuel efficiency. By carving out loopholes for big, gas-guzzling vehicles, we're giving automakers an out to keep the status...

Dear , Cancer research is underway all over the country, but it can take 20 years for actual effective treatments to come from research. It's time we embrace modern technology and invest in cures for cancer today, not 20 years from now. » Every day 1500 people die of cancer. Is this not dire enough for us to demand cures today? The Gateway for Cancer Research is demanding cures today. They are working to speed research from the lab to the bedside and funding innovative research that is focused on discovering lifesaving treatments for today's cancer patients. This constitutes a...

Dear , The mayor and city council of Austin, Texas have pledged to make the city coal-free. This is an incredible step toward sustainability in a very coal-heavy state. Please send a note to Austin's mayor, telling him you support his no coal pledge. Mayor Leffingwell recently pledged to phase out Austin's dirty Fayette coal plant and begin moving the city toward a clean energy future. Shortly thereafter, the entire city council joined the pledge, setting a huge precedent for cities all over the country. In the coming months, we'll need to convince Austin Energy to support Mayor Leffingwell's pledge....

Every year, coal-fired power plants produce more than 386,000 tons of hazardous air pollutants -- including mercury, arsenic, lead and acid gases. Mercury, a potent neurotoxin, is a particular threat to pregnant women and young children. The Environmental Protection Agency has announced plans to issue strong, sensible protections from power plant pollution on December 16th of this year. Unfortunately, industry special interests are trying to block this critical safeguard. Tell President Obama to strongly support the EPA's efforts to clean up mercury pollution and protect the health of mothers, children and families. This is an email that I received from...

Every day, Care2 members are my inspiration to tackle challenges. You have shown that when we all band together to create change, we can accomplish amazing things. Over the years I've asked you to take on huge issues, and today I am asking you to take on one of the world's biggest problems -- dirty coal energy that poisons the environment, and us. My children are healthy, which I am grateful for every day. But those of us who live near coal plants or down-stream from a waste site may not be so fortunate. Just because of the food we...

Aren't you tired of hidden fees on your checking account? Demand an end to the hidden fees and deceptive practices Checking accounts are the most widely used financial services with 9 out of 10 Americans having one. Unfortunately, the terms and conditions on those accounts are so complicated that most people never read them, and as a result, they're constantly dinged by hidden fees and unfair practices. Congress created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to make consumer financial services, like checking accounts, credit cards, and mortgages, safe from unfair or deceptive practices. They have the power to simplify disclosures...

Hi name, Remember what it was like when the Republicans controlled every part of our government? Preemptive war. Waterboarding. Letting oil execs determine climate change policy. These last 3 years with President Obama in office have been a breath of fresh air. Keep Obama in the White House -- Join his 2012 campaign » President Obama got elected in 2008 because of people like you who wanted better for America than what we'd lived through under Bush for 8 years. But Republicans, and the corporations and special interests they pander to, are resurgent and want Obama out. Senate Minority Leader...

Recent statements by the CIA suggest that President Bush knowingly used unreliable information about Iraq during his 2003 State of the Union address to increase public and congressional support for war. And just recently, the President stated that he took responsibility for his comments, but it is still unclear exactly how much he knew. How has this affected your opinions of the President? Do you think the President provided Americans with accurate information about the threat posed by Iraq before the U.S. invasion? No, he tried to mislead people into thinking Iraq posed a greater threat than the available evidence...