Free Republic

Last week, Sen. Byron Dorgan spoke to a room full of Internet regulation supporters at the Free Press Summit and said that the free-market community's argument that Net Neutrality is a government takeover is a lie. He also felt compelled to say that ATR and others were spreading falsehoods by calling it such. I shot back today with a piece in the Daily Caller explaining why I believe Net Neutrality is certainly a government takeover. From the op-ed: Sen. Dorgan dismissed the argument by the free-market community that this is a government takeover, claiming “nothing could be further from the...

Check this out - who knew about the utilization of monopoly? I wonder what one of these versions would bring at auction today! This is a very interesting little tidbit I've never heard about before concerning WWII. Read and enjoy just one more example of American/British ingenuity. Starting in 1941, an increasing number of British Airmen found themselves as the involuntary guests of the Third Reich, and the Crown was casting about for ways and means to facilitate their escape... Now obviously, one of the most helpful aids to that end is a useful and accurate map, one showing not...

Jacksonville-based rail carrier CSX Transportation has poured millions into lobbying against a bill that would end railroad industry antitrust exemptions, and another - seen as a watered-down compromise - that would bolster the federal agency that regulates the industry. The fight against tougher regulations comes at a time when Tampa-based Seminole Electric Cooperative Inc. is challenging what it calls an unfair increase in CSX freight rates affecting shipments of coal to its Palatka generating station. The rate increases upped the companies' costs by $80 million in 2009, a Seminole spokesman said. Overall, the company had $1.2 billion in operating expenses...

Prison industries maintain monopoly even in tough times By Jim Sanders Published: Tuesday, Apr. 13, 2010 - 12:00 am California prisoners, unlike law-abiding citizens, have a guaranteed market for the products they make behind bars: State agencies are required by law to buy them even if private workers can make them cheaper or better. That monopoly is coming under fire as the state's shaky economy sparks widespread layoffs. The sale of prison goods and services has grown into a $234 million annual industry. Many small-business owners say they can beat the Prison Industry Authority, potentially saving millions, and that taxpayers...

WICHITA, Kan., March 9 (UPI) -- Kansas authorities said an injured man pulled over during a traffic stop told officers he was beaten for using Monopoly money to purchase drugs. The Wichita Police Department said the 33-year-old man, whose name was not released, was bleeding from the head when he was pulled over Thursday and told officers he had recently used Monopoly money to purchase several hundred dollars worth of crack cocaine, KSDK-TV, St. Louis, Mo., reported Tuesday. "The man from whom he had bought the drugs was upset and invited him over to his house and upon arrival struck...

(Summary: Parents need help defending their children against the ideology and incompetence so common in public schools. But US newspapers hardly bother to explain education to their readers. When kids aren't learning, you can bet there is a scandal to investigate. Where's investigative journalism when we need it?) The big question: "When are you people going to start covering education?" My local newspaper hardly seems aware that there is this very exciting, controversial and dramatic topic crying out for smart, helpful coverage. I bet it''s the same way in most American cities. How about yours?? Every education story in my...

For its 75th anniversary, Monopoly's getting a massive update, pitting brazen and new against proven and old: Circular board or quadrilateral? Cash currency or fake credit cards? This is the stuff of ruined relationships. In the monopoly wars, I'm imagining there will be two camps, not four. there will be people who are OK with the circular board and the switch to digital currency, and people who are fine with neither—the purists and the pragmatists. There will be a middle ground in this fight, but it will be drenched in blood. I think I might be one of the purists....

...The merger, which was the first major review for Obama administration antitrust regulators, will create a goliath with hands in every pocket of the music business. The newly formed Live Nation Entertainment would have the ability to book concerts, sell tickets and merchandise, and manage artists all under one roof... Under the agreement, Ticketmaster will give Anschutz Entertainment Group access to its technology so that AEG -- which owns and manages nearly 100 venues including Staples Center -- can create its own ticketing service... Ticketmaster would also be required to divest a subsidiary that provides software for venue operators to...

In a fight as fierce as any seen in the Super Bowl, lawyers on Wednesday tussled with Supreme Court justices in a case examining the fundamental operations of the 32-team National Football League. The NFL asserts that as a legal joint venture it operates as a single entity in making key decisions that impact all of its member teams. But a lawyer representing a small apparel company that sued the league for supposedly violating the Sherman Antitrust Act argued the teams are independent actors free to enter into business contracts as they see fit. Labor unions, including the one representing...

This year will host numerous events that could well change the course of the music industry. From the future of music giant EMI to the impact of the Performance Rights Act, many events that will occur in 2010 could have deep, long-term consequences. In no particular order, they are: 1. The Ticketmaster-Live Nation Merger If the Department of Justice gives the merger a greenlight it would instantly create less competition in ticketing in the near term as Live Nation’s fledgling ticketing division ceases to be a competitor to Ticketmaster. In the long term, a combined Ticketmaster-Live Nation will be able...

Why does it seem that American society is in decline, that fairness and decorum are receding, that that socialism and tyranny are becoming malignant despite the majority of the public being averse to such philosophies, yet the true root cause seems elusive? What if everything from unsustainable health care and social security costs, to stagnant home prices and wage stagnation, to crumbling infrastructure and metastasizing socialism, to the utter decimation of major US cities like Detroit, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh, could all be traced to a common origin that is extremely pervasive yet is all but absent from the national dialog,...

Apple can be copied, but can it be beat? By Jim Dalrymple DECEMBER 8, 2009, 8:15 AM PT Apple has some of the best selling computers in the market, it’s the No. 1 music distributor, it sells movies, TV shows, iPods and it’s changing the mobile space with the iPhone and App Store. It’s also one of the most copied companies in the world, but can anyone beat them? It’s almost funny to watch companies line up to put out products that mimic Apple’s look and functionality. Apple puts out a new iPod and all of a sudden there are...

In Obamanopoly, players start out with money, a house, health insurance, a retirement plan and savings accounts. Some have small businesses; others have farms and work for themselves. Many are working at their career of choice. Unfortunately, instead of watching their wealth grow, players watch it disappear. Obamanopoly is a game of luck. It’s also a game of war as players from the private sector fight to hold onto their assets while racing to reach the vault that contains Obama’s long-form birth certificate. During play, Obama, Congress and the Department of Justice – a government of endless dishonesty and lacking...

When you buy an Apple device, you're often locked in to buying other Apple products that are compatible with it. Here are five examples, and some advice on what to do. Oh, wait--there's nothing you can do.Once you enter the Big Tent of Apple, it's exceedingly hard to find the exit. Over its 33-year history, Apple has consistently elected to limit consumer choice, creating a situation known as "lock in." As soon as you start buying stuff from Apple, you'll find it difficult to move to products made by someone else without losing everything you've already paid for. Of course,...

"Let’s Play Monopoly"Jim Longworth October 30th / November 1st, 2009 If you want proof that Congress is collegially corrupted and gratuitously gridlocked, look no further than Sen. Harry Reid’s recent power play in which he used the McCarran-Ferguson Act as his weapon of mass distraction. McCarran-Ferguson (which I will affectionately refer to as “MF”) was passed in 1945, ostensibly to protect the “business of insurance”. In effect, the Act established that Federal anti trust laws would not necessarily apply to companies like our modern day Blue Cross Blue Shield. But MF included a loophole. It also empowered Congress to pass...

The Federal Communications Commission has unveiled the topics it is looking to discuss as it considers revising its media ownership rules, and one area it is looking to explore could have ramifications for future mergers between broadcast and cable companies and newspaper companies. Specifically, the FCC said it will probe whether it could continue to enforce regulations regarding media concentration by industry or should it find an "alternative structure to determine an ownership limit for all media within a relevant market." Cutting through the bureaucratic speak, what the FCC is saying is that currently it regulates broadcast, radio and cable...

It promises to be the biggest game of Monopoly the world has ever seen. In a 21st century twist on the popular board game, toymaker Hasbro and tech giant Google have made the game available online, allowing players to compete in a worldwide, real-time version of the game. Launched today, Monopoly City Streets uses the Google Maps platform to let users "buy" any street in the world. Once players create an online profile, they receive a handsome -- albeit make-believe -- $3 million to purchase, build and trade in neighborhoods close to home or the farthest-flung cities. The site went...

Everybody needs a break from time to time from our daily lives filled with the stress of the economy, politics and an onslaught of negative news. As a result and as an effort to rebuild brand loyalty, Hasbro has teamed up with Google maps to launch the worlds largest online monopoly game. Monopoly City Streets will incorporate google map technology to allow you to compete against your friends and a worldwide community in order to become the richest property owner in the world. Although the companies have released limited information about the game, what little has leaked out is creating...

TOP SECRET ADVANCE COPY. Someone we know from Chicago, who works in the White House now, just leaked us this advance copy of the upcoming address Dr. Utopia’s going to make to school children on September 8th. Personally, we’re surprised it’s so subtle and understated, considering the egomaniac, cult-of-personality, Kim Il Jong-wannabe who’s delivering it: ****** Transcript of President Barack Obama’s Indoctrination Day Address to the nation’s youth, September 8th 2009 ****** President Obama addresses the nation's children, September 8th 2009 President Obama: Good morning children, my youngest, most precious, and most devoted followers. You can see me here in...

By Edward Hudgins President Obama stumbled onto the analogy which perfectly points out the dangers of the very government-run health care system that he advocates. In a recent public appearance Obama tried to assure concerned citizens that a government-option health insurer would not drive private insurers out of business. He said, “UPS and FedEx are doing just fine. It’s the post office that’s always having problems.” Indeed, today the U.S. Postal Service faces a $6 billion deficit and possibly will need to cut services as well as secure a taxpayer bailout. Monopoly Mail Let’s run with Obama’s postal example. To...