Free Republic

Actor Rob Lowe identified himself as an “independent moderate” this weekend in an interview with the New York Times. Lowe, a former Democrat, spoke about his views on government, saying: “My thing is personal freedoms, freedoms for the individual to love whom they want, do with what they want. In fact, I want the government out of almost everything.” The former teen heartthrob and current Parks and Recreation actor spoke negatively of political party loyalty as well: “Belonging to one party is acceptable. But my days of just ticking the party box are long over. I judge the candidates for...

Add Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) to the list of Senate Democrats who have benefitted from Koch money. In fact, he might as well pay one of his grandchildren to stitch Koch insignias onto his suit to denote their sponsorship: According to campaign finance records, former Koch Industries lobbyist Robert P. Hall III donated $500 to Reid’s campaign in 2003. Hall worked for Koch Industries from 1998 to 2004, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. He was previously a lobbyist for INVISTA, the Koch Industries subsidiary that Democrats are targeting in their latest campaign to “other” the...

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Bitcoin is making news again. Angry investors in the virtual currency are joining a class action to recover nearly US$500 million “lost” when Mt. Gox, a Tokyo-based Bitcoin exchange, crashed at the end of February 2014. The collapse of the exchange is reported to be the result of theft by hackers. In another recent story, US magazine Newsweek claims to have tracked down the mysterious founder of the “crypto-currency”, a Mr Nakamoto in California. Bitcoin’s website names “Satoshi Nakamoto” as the currency’s founder but many believe that is a pseudonym. Bitcoin is associated with some high profile criminal investigations, including...

The state of Michigan is expected to pay $860 million for economic development credits and programs in fiscal year 2014 and most of that money is slated for politically favored business such as Hollywood's movie industry, according to the Michigan Department of Treasury. "The spending we are doing on economic development is large," said James Hohman, assistant director of fiscal policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. "And the majority of these expenses are for decisions made years ago. The state shouldn't be in the business of awarding tax money to favored industries." Michigan could certainly use that money....

On Wednesday evening, President Obama was being kept up to date on the developments from the mass shooting at Fort Hood while reportedly attending fundraisers for the 2014 election cycle. According to White House spokesman Josh Earnest, Obama is in the loop while at the fundraisers. Obama will be in Chicago for four and a half hours, and the events have largely been closed to the media, with radio and TV reporters banned from attendance. Only one print reporter will be allowed to provide press pool notes

Shepherd Smith on Fox News Channel ... NOW

Nearly Half Of Us Couldn't Live A Month On Our Savings Trae Bodge , RetailMeNot's The Real Deal Apr. 1, 2014, 5:56 PM April is Financial Literacy Month (and dreaded tax time), so let’s talk about your financial know-how. Are you financially prepared if you need to stop working for a few months due to a layoff or illness? Do you know how much money you have lying around? What about your kids? Are you setting them on a path to financial health? RetailMeNot recently polled more than 1,000 Americans and found that overall consumers are doing pretty well on...

New York State officials have filed a $79,000 judgment against Tina Fey, alleging that the comedian has failed to carry required workers' compensation insurance, according to court filings. The Workers’ Compensation Board lodged the judgment against Fey last week in State Supreme Court in Manhattan. State records indicate that the 43-year-old entertainer is being dunned for “Failure to Carry Workers’ Comp Ins” from late-2012 through last month.

Did you see the photo? It's all over the Internet -- a snapshot of billionaire CEO Richard Branson, in board shorts, in the Caribbean, kiteboarding with a naked woman on his back. If you ask me, that's the kind of person you want to give you advice. I mean, there are lots of billionaires out there, but how many of them have naked women on their backs? No more than a handful, I imagine. That's why I was so excited to find "Richard Branson's top 10 tips for success" on the BBC News Entertainment & Arts website. (No, I...

College football players should not be paid. Plain and simple. But there is no reason why any player should not be given carte blanche to capitalize on his chosen sport. Capitalism 101 rides to the rescue once again. In addition to the free education players get, any player, on scholarship or not, should be allowed to sell and hawk his personal merchandise from t-shirt to jockstrap. He or she should be allowed to put his name and school name/logo on his jersey or helmet or whatever - just like the pros do. A player could sell and trade cards with...

The City Council has proposed a bill that would require grocery and other retail shops to charge customers ten cents for the privilege of bringing their purchases home in a new paper or plastic bag. (Proceeds from the fee would go back to the store owners.) The plan, which is currently endorsed by 19 council members (it needs 26 votes to pass), is intended to encourage people to bring their own reusable bags....

Expect a messy afternoon rush in the Miami area on Thursday. President Barack Obama will be in South Florida to raise money for the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The White House and Secret Service don't release timing or route details, but it's a safe bet that traffic could be difficult....

Lili Estefan net worth: Lili Estefan is a Cuban-American model and host with a net worth of $10 million dollars. Born in Havana, Cuba, Lili Estefan began her professional on-camera career in the mid-80s.

...President Obama headlines a fundraising event for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the organization that raises money for Democratic candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives... Ted Deutch, who represents Broward and Palm Beach counties, is on the invite list for the Miami event, as is U.S. Rep. Steve Israel of New York, chairman of the DCCC, according to a copy of the invitation posted online by the Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit group that tracks government information. Deutch and Israel aren't really the draw. The hosts are Tracy and Alonzo Mourning. He's the former Miami Heat center and a major...

America may have recovered handily from the Great Recession, and the bull market may now be five years old, but in no way should America think that it is remotely immune or even insulated from the next economic shock. It remains a fact that Americans just have too small a nest egg in savings — many with little or no savings and investments whatsoever. A report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), which is collected on employees who participate or have the option to participate in retirement plans, says they just are not doing enough. Many metrics of the...

Bitcoin is coming soon to a town near you. Or, more likely, it's already there. The five-year-old digital currency is increasingly being adopted by brick-and mortar businesses, including dentists, pet boutiques -- even a small honey business in Utah. In 2012, about 1,000 businesses used BitPay, the largest processor of Bitcoin payments. Today, more than 26,000 businesses worldwide use BitPay, said Tony Gallippi, its cofounder and CEO. The majority of those firms are small businesses -- about half are in the U.S. and the rest are international. And while a majority are online sellers, Gallippi said 20% are merchants with...

One of our favorite japes is about the group of scientists who figure out the secret to life — a way to make a human being from nothing but dirt. When they’ve worked it all out, they are so excited they go directly to God to announce their discovery that He is no longer necessary. He appears a bit surprised, but they offer to demonstrate. He nods. One of the scientists bends down and scoops up a fistful of dirt. “Oh, no,” God exclaims. “You’ve got to make your own dirt.” This is how we feel about bitcoins. The idea...

If you had "under one month" in your "When Will Michael Sam Cash in on His Newfound Fame" office pool, then congrats ... YOU'RE A WINNER!!! Sam, who is about to be drafted into the NFL and thus become the first openly gay man to play in the league, has launched his own line of merchandise, which is now for sale on his website.

Lakewood Church is dealing with a violation of the Ten Commandments after the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars. “Thou shalt not steal.” But someone did. Lakewood Church has sent out a notice that donations collected at services Saturday and Sunday, the 8th and 9th, were stolen. And, they advise anyone who gave by check or credit card to watch their bank accounts very carefully and report any suspicious activity.