Free Republic

The House passage of the American Health Care Act, the GOP's alternative to Obamacare, was labeled a "death sentence for millions" by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), "people will die." Warren's view was bolstered by the lamentations of individuals who now fear for their lives if the AHCA becomes law. Mega-celebrity Cher expressed her dismay that the AHCA may not cover her asthma therapy. "How will I get my medicine without Obamacare?" she demanded to know. She dismissed the suggestion that as a millionaire many times over she could easily afford to pay out-of-pocket as "unfair. It is the government's obligation...

Voters in New Mexico’s capital city rejected a tax increase on sweetened beverages Tuesday, handing a rare victory to the soft-drink industry after a string of recent defeats. The tax failed with 11,533 votes against and only 8,382 votes in favor, the Santa Fe City Clerk’s Office announced. The special election came after similar taxes were adopted last year in cities from Philadelphia to San Francisco. Outside groups and political committees spent more than $3 million on the special election in Santa Fe, with opponents led by the soft-drink industry and supporters by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, a staunch supporter of...

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday that cigarette prices in the city would go up $2.50 to $13 which, de Blasio bragged, would be "the highest price in the country." . . . Council Member Fernando Cabrera, who introduced the bill to create the licensing requirement for e-cigarette retailers, described the proposal as "a major step to limit the use of e-cigarettes, which are dangerous nicotine delivery systems that can lead to nicotine and potentially drug addiction."

However, another rule is set to take effect soon that might just take the cake. Or pizza, in this case: The nation’s franchise restaurants are about one month away from the imposition of new nutritional-labeling rules dreamed up by the Obama administration, another gift of the grievously misnamed Affordable Care Act. For outlets of brands with 20 or more locations, that means posting signs in the shop with calorie counts for every item on the menu and for every variation on that item. That’s probably not such a big deal if you are, say, Raising Cane’s, and your menu ranges...

A supervisor at the Energy Department’s international climate office told staff this week not to use the phrases “climate change,” “emissions reduction” or “Paris Agreement” in written memos, briefings or other written communication........News of the DOE office’s word ban drew criticism from one green group.

Lunch menus at schools across Orange County will soon be revamped, and those changes will be based on choices by the district’s toughest critics—students. Students at Dream Elementary School in Apopka casts their votes via iPads during a tasting Thursday. The process showed the important need to continue free or reduced meal programs. The goal of the taste test was to get all of the students on the same page when it comes to what they eat for breakfast and lunch at school. “We don’t want the food to end up in the trash can, so we do our homework...

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A bill that has already passed the Maryland House of Delegates would fine drivers up to $250 for lingering in the left lane of a highway after passing another vehicle.House Bill 1451 was sponsored by Frederick County Republican Delegate William G. Folden and is now pending in the Senate.Folden says the aim of the bill is to prevent traffic congestion.When it passed in the House last week, he posted the following statement on his Facebook page: “By the slimmest of margins and probably the most bi-partisan voting sheet I’ve seen, my bill for “Left Lane Passing Only”...

Seattle city leaders are considering a plan to expand paid family leave for private-sector employees. Councilmember Lorena González unveiled the proposal Tuesday after several working sessions with the business community. The plan would: Require all employers in Seattle to offer employees up to 26 weeks of paid family leave in the event of birth, adoption, or caring for a sick family member. Require that employees would get 100 percent of their wages up to $1,000 a week. Mandate up to 12 weeks of paid sick leave for workers. The plan would be paid for by contributions from the employer and...

Electric vehicle owners in Minnesota would have to pay a $75 to $85 annual "surcharge" under proposed legislation since they do not pay the state's gasoline tax. State governments across the country are increasingly seeking to slap such fees on electric vehicles, some exceeding $150 per year. The Minnesota fee would cover vehicles that are all-electric and plug-in hybrids based on electric motors, but exclude gasoline-electric hybrids. The fee is aimed at making electric vehicle drivers pay their fair share of road maintenance costs, which are partly funded by gasoline taxes, said Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, the author of the...

Despite calendars or tracking apps, sometimes mother nature has other plans in mind. Students can get their period and be without necessary products. Instead of just texting friends for tampons, one JMU student is fighting for accessibility. Just like the majority of JMU’s female students who experience this situation, Magi Linscott must endure a week of unpleasantness every month — her period. As a member of the female community at JMU, Linscott understands how it feels when there’s an urgent need for menstrual supplies, but they aren’t always readily available. “Every girl has ruined a chair at least once in...

In an effort to promote affordable living on campus, Associated Students of Madison unanimously voted to approve changes to University Housing and Dining and Culinary Services at a Wednesday meeting. Jeff Novak, director of University Housing, discussed upcoming changes around campus, including a student-led initiative to make campus dining food-stamp accessible. SNAP will be the university’s first attempt to bring food stamps into the dining halls and convenience stores. At the moment, Oregon State University is one of only a few universities to institute a program similar to this, but it has only been implemented in grocery stores on campus....

Pepsi says slumping sales from Philadelphia’s new sweetened-beverage tax are prompting layoffs of 80 to 100 workers at three distribution plants that serve the city. The company sent out notices Wednesday saying layoffs will occur at plants in north and south Philadelphia and in Wilmington, Delaware, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Dave DeCecco, spokesman for the Purchase, New York-based company that employs 423 people in the city, said the tax has cut sales by 40 percent there. …

Congress has written some laudable policies into the Pet and Women Safety Act of 2017 (H.R.909) that are designed to protect domestic violence victims from “trauma caused by acts of violence or threats of violence against their pets.”There is one provision of the bill, however, that takes a familiar step too far: It would create a federal crime to harass or intimidate any person’s pet in a way that causes “substantial emotional distress.”Given the threats from cyberattacks, interstate and international crime cartels, terrorist groups, drug trafficking, and the criminal aspects of immigration issues, the resource-constrained federal law enforcement community does...

Some Philadelphia supermarkets and beverage distributors say they’re gearing up for layoffs because the city’s new soda tax has cut beverage sales by 30 percent to 50 percent, worse than the city predicted. An owner of six supermarkets tells The Philadelphia Inquirer he expects to cut 300 jobs, and a soft drink distributor predicts a 20 percent workforce reduction. City officials expect business to rebound once customers get over sticker shock. …

A UVA student recently published a column in the student newspaper in which he insisted upon the eradication of the American family to establish a more equal society. “A society without the typical household structure may decrease inequality,” wrote Ryan Gorman in a column titled “Phase out the American family” in the The Cavalier Daily, an independent student paper at UVA. . . . Gorman argues that allowing “an expansive bureaucracy” to raise America’s children will have more pros than cons. Benefits, in his opinion, would include striking “disproportionate costs” of childrearing on middle and lower class individuals, as well...

It could be a busy legislative session for transportation issues in Florida. Already, several bills have been filed addressing controversial topics ahead of the session’s March 7 opening. Here’s a quick look at a few you’ll hear about in the coming weeks. Express lanes A bill proposed in the Florida Senate would prevent the creation of more express lanes on the state’s highways while also setting rules for how express lane toll money must be spent. The measure, SB 250, was filed by state Sen. Frank Artiles, R-Miami. If the bill is made law during the upcoming session, it would...

Cats would keep their claws under a bill that would make New Jersey the first state to prohibit declawing. The measure, which cleared the lower house of the Legislature last month, bans onychectomies and flexor tendonectomies on a cat or any animal unless a veterinarian deems them medically necessary. A vote on the measure was delayed in a state Senate committee Monday, and it’s not clear when it will move forward. The practice, often undertaken to prevent cats from shredding furniture or injuring humans or other pets, is already banned in several California cities and in nearly 20 countries. …

From Friday restaurants in France will be breaking the law if they offer unlimited fizzy drinks to customers, as the government takes another step to fight the problem of obesity. The new law was published in the government’s Journal Officiel website on Thursday and will come into effect on Friday. It specifically states that it’s illegal to sell soft drinks at a fixed price for an unlimited amount of drink, and illegal to offer unlimited amounts for free. The ban applies to all soft drinks or soda “fountains” in places open to the public, including fast food-chains and restaurants. It...

While President Barack Obama is leaving office claiming victory on the economy, millennials are financially worse off than their baby boomer parents were at the same age. A new report looking at the economic situation of young people ages 25-34 found that millennials own and earn significantly less than their parents’ generation did as young people in the late 1980s. ...more...

The contentious soda tax secured passage in June but consumers in Philadelphia are still flabbergasted by the price increases the tax is sparking. In some cases, shoppers found that they were paying more for the soda tax than the actual product they were purchasing. The 1.5 cents per ounce tax on sugary drinks is implemented at the distribution level, meaning retailers must choose how much of the cost to pass onto consumers at the shelves. A 12-pack of Lipton Diet Green Tea at a Save-A-Lot in the city is now priced at $8.03, instead the $4.99 it costed in December,...