Free Republic

MADISON, Wis. -- State unions were dealt a setback Friday when a federal judge said they would have to get their members to opt in, rather than opt out, to having the state deduct union dues from their paychecks. What's more, the judge did not rule on dues deductions for unions that he earlier found the state improperly decertified. The state's largest unions were decertified, and the ruling -- at least for now -- will make it harder for them to get money from dues. But U.S. District Court Judge William Conley gave unions one beneficial ruling by saying that...

November 22, 2011MINITER & MINITER: Optional government Innovative idea has sprung to life this presidential season By Brendan Miniter and Paulette Miniter Given the opportunity, what many Americans seem to want from Washington right now is an opt-out clause. From the prospect of coming tax increases to pay for a profligate federal government to a mandate to buy health insurance, we can see in approval ratings and the sustained support for the Tea Party movement that policies rolling off of Capitol Hill have been roiling voters who would rather just be left alone. So it’s interesting that a key idea...

A Central Illinois state legislator has filed a bill in the House of Representatives that would allow the issue of concealed carry of a firearm to be decided on a county-by-county basis. Rep. Bill Mitchell, a Republican from Decatur, filed House Bill 3794, on June 22. The bill is based on a statewide measure that is stalled in the House.

Proving once again that foolish ideas don't die or fade away -- they walk the earth eternally, preying on the brains of the living -- scientists at a UK think tank have determined that the greatest threat to the planet is more human beings. "The effect on the planet of having one child less is an order of magnitude greater than all these other things we might do, such as switching off lights," explains Professor John Guillebaud, co-chairman of the Optimum Population Trust (OPT). "The greatest thing anyone in Britain could do to help the future of the planet would...

Rather than embrace the opportunity to decide California's future on Election Day, voters appear poised to make the record books by staying home. --snip-- When the Public Policy Institute of California Statewide Survey was released a few weeks ago, political observers seized on the news of a 13 percentage-point lead for Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger over the Democratic challenger, State Treasurer Phil Angelides, and that the four multibillion-dollar state bonds for infrastructure projects enjoyed only narrow majority support. But this focus missed a more important story -- a surprisingly high level of voter indifference in the upcoming election. Based on...

Easy commute for delegates: Local pols opt for posh downtown digs By David R. Guarino Friday, June 25, 2004 As commuters sweat through convention gridlock, area pols and delegates - many who live within a few miles of the FleetCenter - will be living it up in posh, traffic-free serenity at their own downtown hotel. Nearly 140 delegates, led by the state's top pols, reserved rooms at the Fairmont Copley Plaza by today's deadline - including several congressmen, state constitutional officers and dozens of state lawmakers, the Herald has learned. Two-thirds of the delegates live within 30 miles of the...

Blair has 10 days to opt for war By Michael Smith and David Rennie (Filed: 14/12/2002) Defence chiefs have told the Prime Minister that he must decide within 10 days whether British forces should be sent to the Gulf if they are to be a credible threat to Iraq. Despite publicly stating that he will stand alongside America in any action against Iraq, Mr Blair has delayed ordering troops to the Gulf to give diplomacy a chance. But defence chiefs have said that, whether the troops are to go to war or to be used only as a threat to...