Free Republic

Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., hasn’t officially started her first term in office, but she’s already pushing a massive, far-left proposal that would fundamentally transform much of the economy and push the country closer than ever to socialism. For several weeks, you might have heard Ocasio-Cortez reference the creation of a “Green New Deal,” but until recently, few people knew what would be included in the plan. In a draft resolution to form a select committee in the House that would help develop legislation to put her plan in action, Ocasio-Cortez finally outlined numerous proposals that she says should be part...

In an interview Thursday evening, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) called for a top tax rate of 70 percent, pushing a "Green New Deal" that she admitted is "radical." "You're talking about zero carbon emissions, no use of fossil fuels within 12 years?" CBS correspondent Anderson Cooper asked Ocasio-Cortez in an interview for 60 Minutes. "That is the goal," the newly minted Congresswoman admitted, calling her plan "ambitious." Cooper asked how such a plan could be possible, and Ocasio-Cortez said, "It's going to require a lot of rapid change that we don't even conceive as possible right now." She admitted that...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic leaders believe they lost to President Donald Trump partly because voters don't know what the party stands for. So they're trying to rebrand themselves with a new slogan and a populist new agenda as they look ahead to the 2018 midterms. It's called "A Better Deal" and House and Senate Democratic leaders are rolling it out Monday afternoon in Berryville, Virginia. They're intentionally traveling outside the Beltway, and into the district of one of the GOP House members they hope to defeat next year, Barbara Comstock. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, House Minority...

EXCLUSIVE: Screenwriter mysteriously killed in 1997 after finishing script that revealed the 'real reason' for US invasion of Panama had been working for the CIA... and both his hands were missing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a shift some Republicans hope will strengthen their hand in the fight over the U.S. debt limit, some of the party's leaders in the House of Representatives are playing down demands to weaken "Obamacare" and focusing instead on calls to rein in deficits. The emphasis on tackling long-term debt and deficits was evident in opinion pieces published on Wednesday by two of the most prominent House Republicans, Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee and a former vice presidential candidate. Ryan's piece in the Wall Street Journal failed to...

It is hard to come up with gifts for people who already seem to have everything. But there are few -- if any -- people who can keep up with the flood of books coming off the presses. Books can be good gifts for such people. Among the books I read this year, the one that made the biggest impact on me was "New Deal or Raw Deal" ($10.20; 32% OFF) by Burton Folsom, Jr., a professor at Hillsdale College. It was that rare kind of book, one thoroughly researched by a scholar and yet written in plain language, readily...

On May 9, 1939, these words scolding the failure of FDR’s New Deal echoed the room of the House Ways and Means Committee: We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work. I want to see this country prosperous. I want to see people get a job. I want to see people get enough to eat. We have never made good on our promises. I say after eight years of this Administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started. … And an enormous debt to boot!...

Schwarzenegger defends tax rise, says GOP should work with Obama By Rob Hotakainen Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009. WASHINGTON - Likening California's budget troubles to an earthquake, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Sunday defended his decision to raise taxes and said his party's leaders in Washington should be "team players" with President Barack Obama. And if that means violating the GOP's principles, he said, so be it. "They should make an effort to work together and to find what is best for the people, because by derailing everything, it's not going to help anybody, and it creates instability and insecurity," Schwarzenegger...

NATO warns of a war in Kosovo Tuesday, August 14, 2007 7:31 AM NEBI QENA PRISTINA, Serbia-NATO's commander in Kosovo said Tuesday that patience is running out in the volatile province and he warned of further deterioration if international envoys fail to persuade ethnic Albanians and Serbia to agree on its future. German Lt. Gen. Roland Kather, who commands over 16,000 troops in Kosovo, urged Western and Russian envoys to broker a deal between the independence seeking ethnic-Albanians and Serbia's officials or risk facing a violent backlash if no agreement is reached. "Patience is not endless," Kather said. "They should...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is promoting his new discount drug plan as a "voluntary" agreement between pharmaceutical companies and the State of California. But it's more like a raw deal. The California Prescription Drug Initiative calls upon drug manufacturers to offer five million low-income Californians huge discounts on prescription medications--up to 40% on brand-name drugs and a whopping 60% on generics. Presumably, drug companies should offer these discounts out of the goodness in their hearts. But if they don't comply? Well, then they'll be coerced by the Terminator. Companies failing to sell drugs at the government-imposed discount prices within five years...

New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) has long been rumored as desperately seeking the democratic nomination for president in 2008. And while many political observers fully expect the power hungry former First Lady to hit the campaign trail within only a few months of being re-elected as a US Senator in 2006, US News & World report claims to have a confirmation of sorts. From USNews.Com's Washington Whispers: Hillary's in… You don't have to take it from us about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton 's desire to run for president. Her brothers, Hugh and Tony Rodham, say it's true. Friends...

Martha Stewart will revive her daily homemaking show next September, this time with a live audience, celebrity guests and the help of "The Apprentice" producer Mark Burnett, it was announced Wednesday. Stewart, in prison and not allowed to conduct business, was not involved in the deal with NBC Universal to syndicate the show but is "very pleased," said Susan Lyne, president of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. --snip-- Shortly before she went to prison, Stewart gave Burnett a cerrated ruler that could also be used as a fruit peeler. He said he thought she was giving him a file to bake...

Iraq war vet denied application Aaron Merrill has been having difficulty finding work as a firefighter in Gallup after returning from Iraq where he served with the Marines. (Photo by Nick Short/Independent) By Zsombor Peter Staff Writer GALLUP — Aaron Merrill didn't expect much trouble finding a job with the Gallup Fire Department. Merrill, 24, has been volunteering with the Pinehaven Fire Department, next to his grandfather, since 1994. He's cleared to drive a fire truck, is working toward a Level I firefighting certificate and will be taking his EMT test in December. His superiors also assured him his four...

"John Kerry said that a vote against funding for troops would be 'irresponsible' and that no Senator would 'abandon our troops' by voting against them. Unfortunately, that is exactly what John Kerry did, and what is worse, he voted against the troops for political gain. It is amazing that the Kerry campaign is running an ad claiming he will 'always support and honor those who serve' when he did just the opposite when given the chance during the primaries. If John Kerry can't make the right decisions in the face of political pressure from Howard Dean, how can he...

"John Kerry demonstrated today that he is not going to let the facts get in the way of his political attacks. He is a candidate who will say and do anything if he perceives there to be an opportunity for political gain. The fact is that John Kerry does not have a plan or vision to fight and win the War on Terror, and he is resorting to a series of baseless attacks and distortions that have been proven false." -Steve Schmidt, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman Kerry Repeated False Story From New York Times For Second Day In A Row:...

"John Kerry's efforts to spread false internet rumors on the draft undermine his own credibility. He has demonstrated for the second day in a row that he is a candidate willing to do or say anything to score political points. The American people saw John Kerry this week cast aside any attempt at decency and his fear mongering today confirms that." - Steve Schmidt, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman Kerry Is Continuing To Spread Rumors About The DraftKerry Says That If President Bush Wins Re-Election There Is "A Great Potential" For A Military Draft. "There is 'a great potential' for a...

"John Kerry today contradicted the conclusions of the 9/11 Commission, the Senate Intelligence Report and the Butler Report in denying that contacts existed between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. John Kerry has said in the past that Saddam Hussein supported terrorists and called him a 'grave danger.' Now, he is trying to claim that the removal of Saddam Hussein has left the world 'less secure.' John Kerry's incoherence on the security issues facing our country calls into question his ability to lead our nation in the War on Terror." - Steve Schmidt, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman The 9/11 Commission: Vice...

"John Kerry's attacks on health care costs ignore his opposition to the President's Medicare bill that will guarantee seniors affordable prescription drugs, his opposition to $25 billion in funding for rural health care and his opposition to medical liability reform that would curb the frivolous lawsuits costing Americans as much as $108 billion each year. It's not surprising voters are having so much trouble trusting a candidate whose government-run health care plan would shift costs to taxpayers while empowering Washington bureaucrats." -Steve Schmidt, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman Kerry Opposed Medicare Prescription Drug Bill, Skipped Nearly Every Vote Kerry Missed 36...

"John Kerry's own advisers say his tax plan won't stop outsourcing, and Kerry himself has disavowed his attacks on 'Benedict Arnold CEOs,' blaming them on 'overzealous speechwriters.' Kerry's own list of business supporters includes outsourcers and a sweatshop owner. He has even said he would 'support' companies taking jobs overseas 'in the normal course of business.' Kerry's shifting positions on outsourcing are another reason that he faces a credibility problem with the American people." -Steve Schmidt, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman Kerry's Outsourcing Proposal Is Disingenuous Kerry Campaign Officials Know Kerry's Plan Will Not Stop Outsourcing. "Campaign officials acknowledged that the...

"John Kerry ran out of credibility when he voted against funds to support the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan with critical supplies like body armor and ammunition. His indecision, vacillation and lack of leadership on the War on Terror are troubling to veterans and to all voters. It's no wonder the Democratic leader in the Senate is running ads showing him embracing the President's leadership in the War on Terror." Steve Schmidt, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman John Kerry's Own Party Is Criticizing His Approach To The War On Terror In An Effort To Distance Himself From John Kerry, Senate Minority...