Free Republic

Food stamp recipients face a massive benefit cut set to kick in when stimulus funds expire Friday. The nationwide cut “is equivalent to about 16 meals a month for a family of three,” according to a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analysis using the USDA’s “Thrifty Food Plan.” CBPP called the roughly $5 billion annual cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program “unprecedented” in “depth and breadth.” “If you look across the world, riots always begin typically the same way: when people cannot afford to eat food,” Margarette Purvis, the president and CEO of the Food Bank..

Hillary Clinton continued her post-retirement speaking tour in Buffalo last night, but it didn’t go undisturbed. A heckler began yelling in the middle of her speech, shouting “Benghazi! Benghazi! You let them die!” Clinton responded by insisting that issues need calm discussion, not yelling: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was heckled about Benghazi Wednesday night during a speech at the University of Buffalo while discussing the need for members of Congress to work together more.According to CBS affiliate WIVB-TV, a man in the audience stood up and yelled, “Benghazi, Benghazi, you let them die,” a reference to the attack...

Federal health officials are warning pet owners to be cautious about feeding their dogs jerky treats as they continue to investigate a treat-related illnesses that has left nearly 600 dogs dead and sickened more than 3,000 others. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued an alert to consumers about the illnesses and deaths tied to jerky treats from China. Officials say the exact cause of the illnesses remains unknown. "This is one of the most elusive and mysterious outbreaks we've encountered," Bernadette Dunham, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said in a statement. "Our beloved four-legged companions...

MRCTV's Dan Joseph had a question on his mind that he couldn't shake: who bears the brunt of the blame for the government shutdown? Who really is responsible for the mess we're in right now? Is it President Obama or former President George W. Bush? He decided to take these questions to the heart of our misery: Washington D.C. http://cnsnews.com/mrctv-blog/matt-vespa/shutdown-bushs-fault

(CNSNews.com) – National Park Service (NPS) rangers removed the handles from some 40 public water pumps and closed restrooms in the 184.5 mile- C&O Canal National Historical Park, but they haven’t been able to keep hikers and bikers off the popular trail known as a “cyclist’s dream.” “It’s full every day,” said Gail Hall, who runs Mountain Side Bikes at the trailhead in Cumberland, Md. “They’re bringing in their own water and utilizing the tree-lined areas [of the park] for restrooms. Some towns like Harper’s Ferry even brought in potties to accommodate them. As long as they can pedal, they...

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said on Tuesday the frantic stop-and-go effort in Congress to avoid a debt default and end a government shutdown is "a mess" as a gloomy mood descended over the White House with time running out to a Thursday deadline. Obama, who is to meet Treasury Secretary Jack Lew on Wednesday, and his Democratic backers stressed there is still time to avoid a historic default even as efforts to reach a deal in Congress floundered on Capitol Hill. "My expectation is that it does get solved, but we don´t have a lot of time," Obama told...

Will the Floridians who have enrolled for Obamacare please stand up? Nearly two weeks after the federal government launched the online Health Insurance Marketplace at healthcare.gov, individuals who have successfully used the choked-up website to enroll for a subsidized health insurance plan have reached a status akin to urban legend: Everyone has heard of them, but very few people have actually met one. The Miami Herald searched high and low for individuals who completed enrollment for a subsidized health plan through the marketplace. As of Friday, however, only a smattering of success stories had emerged in news reports.

EXCLUSIVE: Just 51,000 people completed Obamacare applications during the website's first week, out of tens of millions of Americans in 36 states Obamacare's main signup engine attracted just 6,200 new customers on its launch day and 51,000 after the first week At the same rate, the 6-month open enrollment period would sign up just 2 million Americans, including 14 states and D.C., which have their own insurance exchanges The Congressional Budget Office says Obamacare needs at least 7 million customers to stay afloat financially Numerous Obama administration officials have denied seeing any enrollment figures at all MailOnline's sources are two...

Most business owners regret that time of year when taxes are due. But how would you feel if the government was still requesting money more than a decade after the company had closed? That's what has been happening to a couple of former Detroit residents. Rose Bogaert and her husband operated a metal straightening company, Detroit Straightening Services Inc., for 28 years. They said high taxes and low services from Detroit eventually forced them to close. The couple no longer owns the building. Rose said she thinks the city took it over and demolished it. The latest tax bill sent...

Glenn Beck told his viewers tonight that in August of last year Matt Kibbe was fired from Freedom Works because of a RINO COUP in the organization. He explains below:

Cindy Vinson and Tom Waschura are big believers in the Affordable Care Act. They vote independent and are proud to say they helped elect and re-elect President Barack Obama.Yet, like many other Bay Area residents who pay for their own medical insurance, they were floored last week when they opened their bills: Their policies were being replaced with pricier plans that conform to all the requirements of the new health care law. Vinson, of San Jose, will pay $1,800 more a year for an individual policy, while Waschura, of Portola Valley, will cough up almost $10,000 more for insurance for...

Like an estimated 22 million other Americans, I am a self-employed small-business owner who buys health insurance for my family directly on the individual market. We have a high-deductible PPO plan that allows us to choose from a wide range of doctors. Or rather, we had such a plan. Thanks to Obama, access is down. Premiums and health care spending are up. Research and development on lifesaving drugs and medical devices are down. Hours and benefits have been cut because of Obamacare costs and regulatory burdens by at least 300 American companies, according to Investor's Business Daily. And the Obamacare...

Former President Bill Clinton thinks his daughter, Chelsea Clinton, would make a great president -- someday. But when it came to saying whether his wife, Hillary Clinton, or his daughter would be a better fit for the job, Bill Clinton couldn't quite choose. "Day after tomorrow? My wife, because she's had more experience," Bill Clinton told CNN Wednesday. "Over the long run? Chelsea. She knows more than we do about everything." "There was a time in her childhood when she thought she did, when she didn't. Now, it's highly embarrassing, because she in fact does," Bill Clinton added with a...

Secretary of State John Kerry plans to sign a controversial U.N. treaty on arms regulation on Wednesday, a senior State Department official told Fox News, despite warnings from lawmakers that the Senate will not ratify the agreement. (Snip) The treaty would require countries that ratify it to establish national regulations to control the transfer of conventional arms and components and to regulate arms brokers, but it will not explicitly control the domestic use of weapons in any country. Still, gun-rights supporters on Capitol Hill warn the treaty could be used as the basis for additional gun regulations inside the U.S.

That's the provocative thesis of Jeffrey Lord, writing at The American Spectator. He's the one we've been waiting for, to borrow an expression. Here is some of the case Lord makes: ...terrified Republicans have turned on Ted Cruz like they once went after... Ronald Reagan. Yes, Ronald Reagan. While no Republican Senator will ever breathe anything but the highest of laudatory tributes to Reagan these days, in fact once upon a time Reagan himself was treated in exactly the same way that Senator Cruz (not to mention Governor Palin) is treated today. Why? For doing exactly what Senator Cruz is...

(CNSNews.com) – Pope Francis is “starting to sound like a nun,” said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a Catholic, when asked about some of the Pope’s recent remarks concerning issues such as abortion and homosexuality. In a Sept. 22 interview on CNN’s Situation Room, host Candy Crolwey asked Pelosi, “Before we go, Pope Francis is calling for a new balance between the chruch’s spiritual and political missions. He says the Catholic Church should not interfere spiritually in the lives of gays. He also called for a larger decision-making role for Catholic women. We ask Nancy Pelosi , one of...

Fox News announces its prime-time lineup, starting Mon., Oct. 7: Greta Van Susteren moves to 7 p.m., Bill O'Reilly stays at 8, Megyn Kelly's "The Kelly File" is at 9 and Sean Hannity moves to 10 p.m. Here is the release: FOX News Channel (FNC) will unveil its new prime time lineup on Monday, October 7th, marking the 17th anniversary of the network, announced Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO, FOX News. Greta Van Susteren will officially kick-off the new line-up with her signature On the Record with Greta Van Susteren at 7PM/ET. From there, Bill O’Reilly will continue hosting the...

Miss Kansas is not in Kansas anymore. And the Miss America pageant has never seen anyone like her. First off, Miss Kansas Theresa Vail is a sergeant in the U.S. Army, only the second contestant ever to be on active duty. ... Sgt. Vail is also an M16 marksman, a bow hunter, and a mechanic. Only recently did she add beauty queen to her resume, when she entered her first pageant just nine months ago on the advice of her commanding officer. When she was told she wouldn’t be able to use archery as her talent, she had to pick...

Reid: 'Anarchists have taken over' in Congress (Video) By Ramsey Cox - 09/12/13 09:49 AM ET Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday said “anarchists” have taken over Congress. Reid (D-Nev.) said Tea Party Republicans are preventing progress on an energy efficiency bill by offering amendments on ObamaCare and other unrelated issues. “We’re diverted totally from what this bill is about. Why? Because the anarchists have taken over,” Reid said on the Senate floor. “They’ve taken over the House and now they’ve taken over the Senate. “People who don’t believe in government — and that’s what the Tea Party is...

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