Free Republic

MADISON — While some see a wave of legislation aimed at weakening organized labor following Indiana’s new right-to-work law, Wisconsin is not expected to join it anytime soon. “No,” Cullen Werwie, spokesman for Gov. Scott Walker, told Wisconsin Reporter on Monday when asked if Walker thought the Republican-controlled Legislature would pursue legislation prohibiting labor organizations from requiring workers to join unions. Republicans on the record said they've heard of no proposals. Off the record, some in the GOP said no one is interested in waging another big battle over labor matters in this season of recalls. "Boy, I don't think...

WASHINGTON — Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Thursday that no one from the White House ever contacted him to make a political decision on a half-billion-dollar loan to a California solar company that later went bankrupt. Testifying under oath on a widening controversy, Chu said he was unaware of his staff predictions in 2009 that Solyndra was likely to face severe cash-flow problems. He said that market changes which led to a steep decline in the price of solar panels were "totally unexpected." Solyndra went belly-up after getting the $528 million loan from the government, and Chu told the House...

Rep. Michele Bachman officially threw her hat into the presidential ring on June 27. Since then, the Minnesota congresswoman has emerged as a Republican front-runner, riding on a wave of Tea Party support and national media appearances. New Yorker Washington correspondent Ryan Lizza spent four days with Bachmann and her staff aboard their campaign jet in mid-June. On Tuesday's Fresh Air, he talks about his unprecedented access to the congresswoman, whom he profiles in the Aug. 15, 2011, edition of The New Yorker. The piece looks at the writers, beliefs and books that Bachmann has specifically mentioned as major influences...

I’m writing this to encourage others to make the effort to amplify their influence like I do. Ever since I began contributing online, I’d made a conscious decision to establish free accounts at media websites from which original articles were sourced so I could cut and paste some of my more carefully constructed comments to many different sites. By doing this, I feel I can increase my own tiny influence just a little bit more. I would encourage everyone to consider doing the same. It takes just a couple of minutes to sign up on most media websites, and most...

Harold Macmillan, the prime minister who watched US power rise as the British empire crumbled, used to say that Britain would play ancient Greece to America’s Rome. These days it looks as if Rome is declining too. The US finds it increasingly hard to drive forward its vision of international trade and economics over the objections of big emerging-market countries.

Stop the presses! (Yeah, no one’s said that in any newsroom I’ve worked in four decades in the business.) A major surprise. (Yeah, more sarcasm.) The Los Angeles Times reports that “California lawmakers kill measure banning gifts to themselves” And the sun rose in the east . . .

Our editorial today (wide application to other states): It was a corrupt system that allowed back-room politicking to redraw every 10 years California's boundaries for congressional, legislative and other districts. Legislators redrew lines to ensure reelection and protect their political parties. There is word for it: Gerrymandering. . . . Unfortunately, Californians apparently have traded one form of special-interest pandering for another.

The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, or al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun, is more than a radical network, comparable to al Qaeda; more than an ideological phenomenon, like the followers of Khomeini in the 1979 Iranian Revolution; and more than a political insurgency, similar to Pakistani jihadism. It is an Egyptian Islamist subculture of great depth and influence. It is therefore also much more than a product of political decisions made by Hosni Mubarak. The Brotherhood was powerful before Mubarak, before his predecessor Anwar Sadat, and before their elder comrade, Gamal Abdel Nasser. But the Brotherhood today is not identical with the paramilitary Arabist-Islamist Ikhwan...

Given the contentious relationship between his followers and many in the conservative movement, it’s safe to say that Rep. Ron Paul’s address to CPAC this year was one of the more anticipated speeches of the political holiday weekend. And Rep. Paul delivered: railing against the “neo-Jacobins” that passed the PATRIOT Act, calling for drastic cuts in military spending, and a passionate repudiation of the Federal Reserve. Opening with a jubilant recognition of the results of last November’s midterms– and, especially, the election of his son Rand to the Senate– the tenor of Paul’s speech was mostly combative towards the more...

I'm posting this to encourage others to make the effort to amplify their influence like I do. Ever since I began contributing to Free Republic, I made a conscious decision to establish commenting accounts at media websites from which original articles were sourced to FR postings, and then cut and paste my comments written for Free Republic to those sites where it made sense to do so. In that way, I felt that I could increase my own tiny influence just a little bit more. I would encourage everyone here not already doing this to consider it for themselves. It...

The American people are becoming increasingly angry about the extraordinary amount of power and influence that corporations have in the United States today. A new Gallup poll found that 67 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the size and influence of major corporations in the United States today. Not only that, the most recent Chicago Booth/Kellogg School Financial Trust Index found that only 26 percent of Americans trust our financial system at this point. The mainstream media is acting as if this is a new phenomenon, but the truth is that a dislike of giant corporations goes all the way...

Apparently, America's next big scheduled argument is whether women soldiers should be allowed in combat *snip* As far as I'm concerned, we already have our first female combat soldier, a breathtakingly brave warrior who suffers the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune for the sake of our freedom, every day. Sarah Palin stands alone in America and the world. Name one other public figure anywhere on the globe today who symbolizes the uncompromising fight for liberty....Waiting...Waiting...

Dear FReepers, Many posts have begun to expose the empire built upon corruption, leftwing politics and destruction of liberal democracies by George Soros. Soros has apparently inspired a company of fellow travellers who's role model for untold wealth mimics the radical behavior of George Soros. Yes, Soros is merely the leading figure among a group of vile, evil fraudsters who work together to ruin and destabilize the political process and inspire violent revolutions. In short, Soros and his radical extremists love playing God with the lives of everyday Americans.

The incoming leadership of the new House Republican majority hardly had a chance to relish its dismantling of the Democrats before the Tea Party came calling in the form of Representative Michele Bachmann. Ms. Bachmann, the Minnesota Republican and Tea Party heroine often seen exhorting conservative activists at rallies and on cable television, announced that she intended to seek the No. 4 position among House Republicans. She said she could provide the viewpoint of a constitutional conservative, one she evidently sees lacking in Representatives John A. Boehner of Ohio, Eric Cantor of Virginia and Kevin McCarthy of California — the...

Today New Yorkers, like all Ameri cans, are observing Labor Day -- and many have the day off. Great. No doubt, they earned it. But the holiday -- once meant to extol an honorable movement, affirm worker solidarity and celebrate gains won through collective bargaining -- is an ideal time to look at what has become of the labor movement in recent years. Alas, that doesn't merit celebration. Take a few of the latest developments. In Congress, union giveaways -- like the ever-upward minimum wage -- have helped feed a painfully high jobless rate, now stuck near 10 percent. Union-driven...

Mrs Palin is not running for office, but her vice presidential candidacy in 2008 as an anti-abortion, mother-of-five from a conventional background has played a central role in persuading more women with similar outlooks to step into the limelight. Often controversial, outspoken and resolutely Right-wing, Republican women are beginning to overhaul the image of the party. After its heavy losses in 2008 to the Democrats, the Grand Old Party was written off as too male, too old and too out of touch. A record 140 women have competed in Republican primaries for the House of Representatives and the Senate this...

5 minutes ago Rush tops Stern as the "most important radio talk show host of all time" Rush Limbaugh To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Talkers Magazine, there’s an all-time list of the “Heaviest Hundred.” Calling him “The most important innovator in modern news/talk,” Rush Limbaugh took the top spot on the list. At #2, the talker called “the standard by which younger-demo talk is judged,” Sirius XM’s Howard Stern. Following Limbaugh and Stern to round out the top-10, in order, is Larry King, Sean Hannity, Don Imus, Arthur Godfrey (called the “pioneer of unscripted talk radio”), Dr. Laura Schlessinger,...

"JournoList e-mails reveal how the liberal media shaped the 2008 election" At the link is the first MSM article I have seen that makes the case for part of the role that the MSM played in the '08 Election.

There are some events that you will always remember where you were when they happened. The events of July 3, 2009 is one of those times. It was an average Friday, the day before our nation’s 233rd birthday. It would have been a slow news day, normally, and on this weekend, the 24 hour news channels had coverage of Michael Jackson’s death playing on an endless loop. What would happen that Friday afternoon would knock Michael Jackson right off the TV and send the political world reeling. We got word “something” was about to happen in Alaska. Now as a...

Michelle Obama unveiled the newly-expanded President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition to D.C. school children last week. For years the Council (formerly known merely as the President’s Council on Fitness and Sports) busied itself with pushing Americans to get outside and run around. But as with so many government initiatives under the Obama administration, its goals have expanded. The council now wants to influence your diet and while not a member, Michelle Obama will be working closely with the group to help guide its initiatives.