Free Republic

Has anyone else tired of all the ridiculous propaganda that is being thrown at us in the guise of commercials? We are all in it together, seems to be the theme. I seriously doubt that the people in these commercials are suffering and can truly empathize with the blue collar types who are really hurting. I am also tired of all the special interest stories on the news about what people are doing to cope or the crap that they are making. They are little more than propaganda too. No coverage on all the crime that is occurring. Of course,...

For the past two weeks now, we’ve been talking about hydroxychloroquine as the wonder drug in the fight against the deadly coronavirus. Two anti-malaria drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are shown to be effective in treating COVID-19 patients after controlled clinical study conducted by doctors ​in France shows that a combo of Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin (Z-Pak) cures 100% of coronavirus patients within 6 days of treatment. However, according to doctors treating coronovirus patients in Italy, Tolicizumab, a drug used to treat moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, has been shown to be more effective than hydroxychloroquine. Tolicizumab is so effective that the...

OLYMPIA, Wash — Several lawmakers, including Spokane Rep. Marcus Riccelli, want the state to declare a “climate emergency” and give the governor the power to declare an energy emergency and limit greenhouse gas emissions. House Bill 2829 was read for the first time in Olympia Friday. It states that a climate emergency “threatens our state, region, nation, civilization, humanity, and the natural world.” The lawmakers state that the effects are already being felt and that they “will only intensify without swift intervention.” Those impacts include more intense and frequent wildfires; glacier loss; flooding; drought; dwindling fish runs; insect die-off; Orca...

I am perennially asked whether I do or do not “believe” in autism. I suspect that on most occasions, it’s a test. Nonetheless, it’s a fair question that usually takes this form: “I know you don’t believe in ADHD; but do you believe in autism?” To be clear, it would be absurd of me to deny that there are children – plenty of them, relatively speaking – who frequently exhibit behaviors associated with the bogus diagnosis of ADHD (attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder). Those kids are problematic, for sure. But no one has ever proven that they “have” something. Childhood behavior disorders...

I recently had the privilege of representing residents in eastern Connecticut that were opposed to the construction of the proposed state police gun range immediately adjacent to Pachaug State Forest. I personally thanked Gov. Ned Lamont for keeping his word in opposing this project. In politics, you are only as good as your word. That is why Lamont must also keep his word and not institute tolling on cars in Connecticut. Leaders in Hartford are missing the mark when it comes to tolling. They always seek to find alternate revenue sources through taxes or fees before first examining priorities, spending...

Miami-Dade’s mayor flies to Tallahassee this week to fight a state takeover of local toll roads, and he says an early victim of the proposed legislation would likely be a planned extension of the 836 expressway into West Kendall. “One of the major issues I have with that bill is the fact that it may stall that project for some time,” said Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who also serves as the appointed chairman of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority. The toll board of state and county appointees, best known as the MDX, collects tolls on the 836 and four other expressways. “The...

Wellness advocate Belle Gibson, who translated her high profile as a cancer survivor into publishing success, has admitted her cancer diagnosis was not real.Ms Gibson, 23, who claimed to have healed terminal brain cancer by eating wholefoods, made the admission in an interview with the Australian Women's Weekly.The success of Gibson's book, The Whole Pantry, and her smartphone application, which advocates natural therapies, has been largely dependent on her high-profile as a cancer survivor.Asked if she had ever had cancer, Ms Gibson told the magazine: "No. None of it's true."I don't want forgiveness. I just think [speaking out] was the...

Amazon.com Inc. will begin collecting sales taxes from Minnesota customers next week, ending a cost advantage it’s enjoyed over brick-and-mortar retailers in the state. The news also triggered a mystery. Online-only retailers don’t need to charge sales tax in Minnesota unless they have physical presence or affiliated business here. Monday’s revelation led to speculation that Amazon may open a warehouse, data center or some other operation in the state or buy an existing firm. The company was vague about what prompted the change, though it said it “will be required” to do so starting Oct. 1. “We’re considering various opportunities...

WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The Obama administration is scheduled on Wednesday to launch a retirement savings vehicle called "myRA," aimed at enrolling more Americans in a government-backed investment option. In details provided by the White House on Wednesday, the retirement savings proposal would be similar to a Roth Individual Retirement Account, but with holdings backed by the U.S. government like savings bonds. "MyRA guarantees a decent return with no risk of losing what you put in," President Barack Obama said in introducing the program on Tuesday night in his State of the Union Speech.

Budget deal cuts oil and gas royalties to states The budget deal in Congress will cost Wyoming, New Mexico and other states $415 million in lost oil and gas royalties over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Legislation implementing the agreement makes permanent an effective 51-49 percent split that favors the federal government in dividing the 12.5 percent royalty collected from energy companies on oil and gas production on federal land. Until 2008 when the Interior Department began setting aside 2 percent of the royalties as an administrative fee, the split between the federal and state government...

The United States government is preparing to charge SAC Capital, the multi-billion dollar hedge fund operated by the reclusive Wall Street trading legend Steven A. Cohen, with criminal charges, according to multiple reports. Manhattan-based federal prosecutors, working in conjunction with the FBI, are poised to move against the massive hedge fund as early as this week. On Wall Street, this type of criminal charge amounts to a death sentence, because few major clients would be willing to invest money with a firm under federal indictment. It’s possible that lawyers for Cohen, a secretive 57-year-old billionaire with lavish tastes in art...

New State Law Gets Tough on Illegal Speeders NEW ‘SUPER SPEEDER LAW’ STARTS NEW YEAR WITH NEW FINES (JANUARY 1, 2010) Georgia drivers should mark that date on their calendars and put a sticky note next to their keys.. January 1st, 2010. It’s the day the new state ‘Super Speeder Law’ goes into effect in Georgia. And any high-risk drivers who make a habit of ignoring posted speed limits will be the first to feel the pinch of higher state fines (called fees) on their wallets. How much higher? The new law titled HB160 tacks-on another two-hundred-dollar state-fee for any...

Sen. Marco Rubio introduced a bill Wednesday to eliminate the federal government’s tax on Olympic medals, saying the levy amounted to yet another way the government tries to punish those who succeed. Athletes who win a gold medal also earn a $25,000 honorarium — and with it an $8,986 tax bill to the IRS, according to Americans for Tax Reform, which crunched the numbers. That covers both the honorarium and the tax on the value of the gold in the medal itself. The silver medal tax comes to $5,385, and the bronze medal tax is $3,502 — including $2 for...

Because conservatives are scrooges, the good folks at Americans for Tax Reform have gone through the fine print to find out what our Olympians will have to cough up to the IRS should they be lucky enough to win any medals in London. Even by the standards of our government, the numbers are insane.For instance: Americans who win bronze will pay a $2 tax on the medal itself. But the bronze comes with a modest prize—$10,000 as an honorarium for devoting your entire life to being the third best athlete on the planet in your chosen discipline. And the IRS will...

Since 1 January, smaller diesel vans have had to be compliant with the LEZ (Low Emission Zone). The scheme aims to make the "polluter pay". So if you have a van over 10 years old you can pay £100 to enter London or you will receive a hefty fine. Vans join lorries and other diesel vehicles that have had to be compliant for a number of years. I wrote about the LEZ here. Since January, there has been an "amnesty" and if the owners of the vans which are not compliant drove them into London they received a warning letter...

A little off the top, some spirited sports commentary, neighborhood gossip and a bit of man-to-man advice on domestic affairs: it’s all there at the barbershop, an institution that plays a beloved and central role in the African American community. Increasingly, in recent years, the black barbershop owner has become an influential source of health advice too. Public health officials and researchers have been actively enlisting his help in an effort to narrow gaping disparities in healthcare access and uptake that put black men at a deep disadvantage compared with whites. And deputizing the barber—an already respected figure in many...

Honestly, I don’t even know what to say about this. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa is threatening 401(k) plans — insisting Democrats can use the lame duck, post-defeat session of Congress to ram through a measure that would seize your personal 401(k) plans and use them to prop up the union pension plans that are imploding.

<p>DES MOINES, Iowa – More than 200,000 small nonprofits across the nation are days away from losing their tax-exempt status because they haven't filed a new form with the Internal Revenue Service.</p> <p>Many of these groups already operate on razor-thin budgets and some worry an unexpected tax bill could force organizations to close.</p>

Attention, workers: A battle is brewing over your 401(k). A number of people who are changing jobs, being laid off or retiring are finding themselves in a tug-of-war between their former employers and investment firms eager to win their business. At stake: almost $400 billion of assets in 401(k)s and similar retirement plans that are eligible to be rolled over into other vehicles this year, according to Allianz SE's Pacific Investment Management Co., or Pimco. View Full Image David Walter Banks for The Wall Street Journal Chris Green, formerly of the Miami Dolphins (below), at his home office. The National...

One of the nation's largest labor unions, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), is promoting a plan that will centralize all retirement plans for American workers, including private 401(k) plans, under one new "retirement system" for the United States. In effect, government pensions for everyone, not unlike the European system and regardless of personal choice. The SEIU, which was integral to the election of Barack Obama as president, is working with the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute (EPI), and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, on SEIU's plan, called "the Retirement USA Initiative." Claiming that the retirement system...