Free Republic

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) today said he was guaranteed seniority on committees by Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) in the final negotiations before his party switch last week, talks that, according to Specter, also included a pledge that he would become the next chairman of the Judiciary Committee in several years. Specter stood by his version of the one-on-one talks with Reid, despite the Senate leader's contradictory statements on the matter and the resolution that passed last night placing Specter in the most junior slot on most committees on which he serves. "When I talked to Senator Reid he...

Former Supervisor Ed Jew was sentenced Wednesday morning to one year in county jail for lying on election-related documents about where he lived when he ran for office. The sentencing caps an arduous legal journey for Jew that began when the former District 4 representative solicited cash bribes from owners of Quickly tapioca-drink shops in exchange for promising to help them obtain city permits to operate legally. Jew was under FBI surveillance when he accepted $40,000 in bills marked by federal agents, as a partial payment from the business owners. Jew pleaded guilty in October to soliciting cash bribes and...

In a relatively unnoticed State Department press briefing yesterday, Acting Department Spokesman Robert Wood announced a delegation of new media executives that left for Iraq on an official, government-paid trip on Sunday. According to Wood, the purpose would be to “explore new opportunities to support Iraqi Government and nongovernment stakeholders in Iraq’s emerging new media industry.” All in all, this is a well thought out trip, and yet another implicit admission by the President that another thing he inherited from his predecessor is a budding democracy in the Arab world, one with a civil society to support. Exactly two years...

Much has been written about the struggle of U.S. veterans to get the proper care from the military's V.A. hospitals, but another class of returnees from the battlefront is facing similar difficulties obtaining care for injuries sustained in the war zone: civilian contract employees who suffered wounds while supporting the military's war efforts. In an alarming article co-written by T. Christian Miller of ProPublica and Doug Smith of the Los Angeles Times, insurance companies responsible (under taxpayer-funded policies) for the treatment of civilian workers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan are reportedly routinely denying medical claims for basic care, as well...

U.S. President Barack Obama arrives to make remarks on a proposed high-speed rail system in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, April 16, 2009. President Obama outlined his plan for developing "long overdue" high-speed rail on Thursday that would rival air travel, create jobs and help curb the U.S. transportation system's appetite for oil. U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to audience members after delivering remarks on a proposed high-speed rail system in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, April 16, 2009. Vice President Joe Biden reacts to the audience after making remarks, with President Barack Obama, on expanding...

Goldman Sachs Group Inc., frustrated at federally mandated pay caps, has been plotting for months to get out from under the government's thumb. On Monday, Goldman took fresh steps to break free: It announced, as expected, that it plans to raise $5 billion by selling new common shares to investors, and that it would like to use the money to repay government bailout money received last year. The firm also reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter earnings of $1.81 billion. Goldman managers have a big incentive to escape the state's clutches. Last year, 953 Goldman employees -- nearly one in 30 --...

President Obama and congressional Democrats are avidly pursuing a sweeping agenda they claim is justified by the need for greater "fairness." This invites scrutiny of the various programs to verify if they do, in fact, promote fairness. "Free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice" is the standard meaning of fairness, which requires treating people similarly, perhaps not identically, but certainly not with purposeful difference. Apply this test to the tax changes proposed in President Obama's budget, and it seems clear he wants to punish higher-income earners for the benefit of others, namely lower and middle-income earners. Let's understand the pre-Obama tax...

Discussion Topic: Virginia Gun Shop Gets Sex-Shop Justice From The Washington Post: "To many in Old Town Alexandria, the sex shop that opened recently on King Street is nothing short of scandalous. . . . But to Michael Zarlenga, it's justice. Zarlenga spent $350,000 on plans to expand his hunting and fishing store, the Trophy Room. He worked with city officials for almost two years and thought he had their support -- until the architectural review board told him he couldn't alter the historic property. Furious and out of money, Zarlenga rented the space to its newest occupant, Le Tache....

Dear (Right to Work Supporter): This week, the CEOs of Costco, Whole Foods, and Starbucks plan to throw you and their employees "under the bus" to appease Big Labor, offering a so-called "compromise version" of Big Labor's top legislative priority: the "Card Check" Forced Unionism Bill. It's vital you act right now to help fight back against their scheme -- which will leave workers vulnerable to union-boss intimidation and make you pay the price in higher costs. With our economy already blasted with recession and nearly constant political agitation, attempts to "compromise" over forced unionism really could push our economy...

Senator Barack Obama received a $101,332 bonus from American International Group in the form of political contributions according to Opensecrets.org. The two biggest Congressional recipients of bonuses from the A.I.G. are - Senators Chris Dodd and Senator Barack Obama.

41 Senate Republicans Send Letter To President Obama Urging Consultation On Judicial Nominees March 2, 2009 President Barack H. Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C.  20500 Dear Mr. President: We look forward to working with you as you consider nominees for the federal judiciary.  Unfortunately, the judicial appointments process has become needlessly acrimonious.  We would very much like to improve this process, and we know you would as well.  It is in that spirit that we write early on to suggest two steps your Administration can take to achieve that shared goal.   First, in the beginning...

One of the things liberals love to do when making shrills against conservatives is to claim that they are backed by big business corporate capitalist elitists. Conservatives they say are interested in advancing the agenda of the rich against the poor. Conservatives are champions of the rich while they crap all over the poor. They only want to protect the privileged and elite. They give tax cuts to the super rich by cutting programs and putting our nation in debt. Also according to liberals, by electing Barack Obama, we would undo this and require that the rich pay their share....

Foundation VP Stefan Gleason appeared on CNN Wednesday with Lou Dobbs as part of a (piece) on the Obama Administration's new (Project Labor Agreement Executive Order), which discriminates against the vast majority of construction workers who have not chosen to unionize. The executive order is likely to result in hundreds of millions of dollars in new forced union dues, while jacking up the costs shouldered by taxpayers. Check it out:

Dear Rush On Wednesday you spoke about conservatives taking power and visiting a heavy payback on the left (Our Time Will Come, Liberals). I must agree that the right has been far, far too passive and accommodating and the desire for payback is fully understandable. I fully support going after the left using all the tools available to maximum effect within the bounds of what is moral, legal, ethical, and in harmony with conservative values. It sounded to me like what you called for was to go much further than that. That shocked me and made me fear for the...

Simmering labor legislation reached a boiling point on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, February 4. Hundreds of union workers and other supporters of a bill that would make it easier for employees to establish bargaining units gathered in a rally across the street from the Senate. The event marked the launch of an aggressive effort by organized labor to gain congressional approval—and a presidential signature—for the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that will be introduced soon. The measure would allow workers to form a union by signing cards and prevent companies from demanding a secret-ballot election supervised by the National...

GULFPORT — Jessica LeBlanc said she went to work Thursday with a butcher knife and wished she had had it with her the day before. LeBlanc, 22, said she is the victim of an alleged kidnapping Wednesday at a law firm on 21st Avenue. LeBlanc said she stabbed her assailant in the back with scissors and stabbed him under the left eye. “I threw the scissors at him as he ran out the door,” LeBlanc said. “If I hadn’t defended myself, I could be dead or raped.” Police said Paul William Boykin, a fugitive wanted in St. Paul, Minn.,...

Don't Blame Me. I voted forMcCainPALIN!

Saves money for the court system that's for sure.

Penny Pritzker is connected to the Hyatt family. She was head of Superior Bank in Chicago that went under and cost shareholders millions. She also helped develop sub prime bundling schemes. Oh, and she was one of Obama's campaign finance helpers. AND, NOW....she'll be running the COMMERCE DEPARTMENT!

Hispanics in swing states like Florida who boosted Barack Obama into the White House are now looking for a place at the table -- and within the Cabinet and federal agencies as well. As the president-elect's transition team plows through stacks of résumés to fill almost 10,000 federal jobs -- from the high-profile secretary of state to the less glitzy director of the Office of Personnel Management -- Hispanic groups are mobilizing to ensure that the nation's fastest-growing electorate is well represented in the new executive branch. ''We're calling for an administration that looks like America,'' said Peter Zamora, an...