Free Republic

Chinese millionaires on Tuesday pleaded for the Canadian government not to throw away the immigration applications of thousands of Chinese nationals as part of its plans to end a backlogged investor program. At a news conference, 10 investor applicants delivered their crestfallen message—that their faith in Canada as a “trustworthy country,” with its attractive rule of law, environment and welfare system, was wavering. Last month, Canada announced its intention to terminate its immigrant investor program and eliminate the longstanding backlog of applications—amounting to more than 65,000 people, most of whom are Chinese. It said immigrant investors pay less in taxes...

Full Title: Joel Osteen's $10.5 Million Mansion, Cross-Less Church and Other Surprising Facts About the Mega-Pastor Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, and the bestselling author of books like Your Best Life Now and I Declare: 31 Promises to Speak Over Your Life, has been dubbed "the smiling preacher" due to his toothy smile and upbeat attitude. Here are a few facts about Pastor Osteen and his ministry you might not know. 1. Joel Osteen Met Victoria Osteen in a Jewelry Store Pastor Osteen and his wife Victoria Osteen met in 1985 when he went to a...

“Now I want to tell you something – I was born and raised in New York,” Hannity said. “I want you to know that and I can’t wait to get out of here. I really can’t. I don’t want to pay their 10-percent state tax anymore. I live in the second-highest property taxed county in the entire country in Nassau County. I can’t wait to sell my house to somebody who wants it. I can’t wait to pay no state income tax down in Florida or Texas. I haven’t decided yet, but I’m leaning Florida because I like the water...

Despite his best efforts, the president who vowed to conquer Wall Street and revive opportunity for everyday Americans on Main Street has this to show for his first five years in office: U.S. stock markets are in record territory, posting 30 percent gains just last year, and Wall Street is home once again to the biggest concentration of billionaires on earth, while wages for the middle class have barely kept up with inflation. As President Obama prepares to lay out an economic agenda to address this disappointing state of affairs in his State of the Union address this month, his...

Complete Headline: Congress Is Now Mostly A Millionaires’ Club -- For the first time, more than half of congressional lawmakers are worth at least $1 million Congress is loaded, if you weren’t already aware. The Center for Responsive Politics analyzed the personal financial disclosure data from 2012 of the 534 current members of Congress and found that, for the first time, more than half had an average net worth of $1 million or more: 268 to be exact, up from 257 the year earlier. The median for congressional Democrats was $1.04 million and, for Republicans, $1 million even. To calculate...

It must be nice to a president who has overseen one of the worst recoveries in the modern era, who then moralizes those who think job creation is preferable to endlessly issuing government checks backed by paper money and nearly insurmountable debt. But such is the life of vacationing multi-millionaire Barack Obama, who gets to look down at us while he drives by in a golf cart as small businesses are imploding in the wake of his disastrous policies. Meanwhile, the poor keep getting poorer, and the rich keep getting richer. Dave Urbanski of The Blaze reported on the haughty...

The Minneapolis Star Tribune investigates independent political spending over the last few election cycles. The results are stark, but won’t surprise anyone who has been paying attention: A Star Tribune analysis of ­campaign finance records found that just three dozen individuals or entities have contributed more than $27 million to political action and independent expenditure committees over the past three election cycles. The analysis shows those donations heavily favored Democrats. Unless that trend is reversed, Republicans could find themselves at a disadvantage heading into the 2014 elections…. No kidding. One union — the powerful ­Education Minnesota teachers union — poured...

A renowned Wall Street tycoon gave away his entire $800 million fortune before falling to his death in a suicide jump this week.

Determining which restaurants in the nation offer the steepest prices is a tricky task. Most of the restaurants on this list serve the rarest, most premium, and freshest ingredients available, from kitchens run by chefs with expert levels of craftsmanship and artistry, in dining rooms with an exceptional quality of service provided by the front of house staff. But regardless of the justifications, the fact remains that the restaurants on this list are outrageously pricey. To arrive at the top 25 we compiled a list of restaurants commonly known for being outrageously expensive (such as Masa, which is known for...

More than 75 percent of Europe’s banking millionaires are based in the UK, according to a report by the EU’s bank watchdog. More than 2,700 UK-based bankers were paid more than €1 million in 2012, compared to a further 794 across the rest of the EU. Germany was a distant second with 212, followed by France with 177. Ten EU countries had no banking millionaires. The data, contained in the London-based European Banking Authority annual “High Earners” report, reveal the extent of the UK’s dominance of the banking rich-list. …

Day in and day out, the message from the media is the same. Your country is becoming a nightmare. However you can, get out—and do it now, before you’re trapped. From Saul Alinsky to Sarah Palin, the view of the problem is also the same. Society has been divided into Elites and Real People. But the situation now seems so dire that instead of achieving transformative change, many of us are simply opting to flee into dreams—of a post-revolutionary paradise, or of traditional times restored. As the promise of real life claustrophobically collapses around us, we turn our sights on...

Breitbart News has confirmed that much of the credit for Terry McAuliffe’s narrow 47.9 percent to 45.5 percent victory over Republican Ken Cuccinelli in Tuesday’s election is attributable to a $4 million donation the McAuliffe campaign gave to the Democratic Party of Virginia, which used those funds to run a highly effective ground game for the party’s full slate of candidates. Ashley Bauman, press secretary for the Democratic Party of Virginia, told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview on Wednesday that "[w]hile we used that money [the $4 million donated to the Democratic Party of Virginia from the McAuliffe campaign]...

Buried inside the budget deal brokered by Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid: a payout to the millionaire widow of the late Democratic senator Frank Lautenberg. There is appropriated for payment to Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg, widow of Frank R. Lautenberg, late a Senator from New Jersey, $174,000.” Agreed to by the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate. Lautenberg’s networth $56.8 million last year

What I find most interesting here is that McAuliffe and a bunch of important people and entities — including Flanders’ law firm, the former Cranston Chief of Police, a large-scale bookie once sentenced to prison, and a monsignor who was a top official for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence — all found their way into this same get-rich-quick scheme. It’s smells a lot like something designed for people who think they’re too important to follow the law. I’m not a lawyer, but I can tell you this — if anyone ever approaches you with a guarantee that he can...

How much money can a state Senator from Texas make for her campaign account by filibustering against a bill to ban late-term abortions? “Texas state Senator Wendy Davis has reaped nearly $1 million in political donations since she staged a nearly 11-hour filibuster that ultimately failed to stop the Texas legislature approving stringent new restrictions on abortion in the state, her office said on Monday,” according to Reuters. From the report: Davis, 50, who is running for re-election to the state Senate in 2014 and has been called upon by some fellow Democrats to run for Texas governor, raised $933,000...

<p>The creation myth of American wealth is almost always rooted in the entrepreneur.</p> <p>It's the two kids who start a computer company in their garage or dorm room. Or the former standup comic who creates form-shaping undergarments, or the South African immigrant who creates a new electric car and private space program.</p>

Gloria C. Mackenzie held the most lucrative winning lottery ticket in American history.

President Obama's approval numbers are starting to mimic Mitt Romney's. According to a new YouGov poll, it's the rich -- not the poor or middle class -- who back Obama more despite his 2012 campaign attacking the rich. The poll for the Economist found that fewer than half of those with incomes less than $100,000 per year approve of Obama's performance, while he enjoys a 54 percent approval rating among those with incomes higher than that. Those earning less than $40,000 a year disapprove of the president's performance, 51 percent to 45 percent. Those earning $40,000 to $100,000 disapprove by...

Taylor Swift is adding to her property portfolio after securing a $17.75 million deal for a new seaside home in Rhode Island. The I Knew You Were Trouble hitmaker recently went house hunting along the U.S. northeast coast with her mother Andrea, father Scott and younger brother Austin, and she appears to have settled on a lavish estate in the town of Westerly. The property, which boasts five bedrooms and sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean, had reportedly been on the market for $20 million - but Swift managed to use her charms to negotiate the lower price -- she...

Chelsea Clinton and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, are in contract to buy a $10.5 million apartment in The Whitman, at 21 East 26th St. Come June, NoMad residents will be keeping up with the Clintons. Chelsea Clinton and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, are buying a sleek, $10.5 million apartment overlooking Madison Square Park, sources said. The Whitman, first built in 1924, is near the couple's current place, a rented loft in Gramercy Park. The 5,000-square-foot pad, in The Whitman at 21 E. 26th St., is just a few blocks from the couple's rented Gramercy Park loft. Sources said staying nearby...