Free Republic

The Senate on Tuesday passed the most sweeping conservation legislation in a decade, protecting millions of acres of land and hundreds of miles of wild rivers across the country and establishing four new national monuments honoring heroes including Civil War soldiers and a civil rights icon. The 662-page measure, which passed 92 to 8, represented an old-fashioned approach to dealmaking that has largely disappeared on Capitol Hill. Senators from across the ideological spectrum celebrated home-state gains and congratulated each other for bridging the partisan divide. “It touches every state, features the input of a wide coalition of our colleagues, and...

Subscribers to Classmates.com might be surprised to learn that they’ve agreed to an automatic renewal clause. It happened to me. I learned about it after finding a $39 renewal charge on my credit card. My credit card company subsequently gave me a $39 conditional credit based on my complaint; but that credit was revoked after Classmates disputed it. In their paperwork, Classmates writes that members may …“terminate Subscription Services at any time by contacting our Member Care Department via email or via our live chat representative.“ I'm now at an age where “who needs it?”; but I was late in...

WASHINGTON — Two weeks after President Barack Obama signed the big health care overhaul into law, Americans are struggling to understand how — and when — the sweeping measure will affect them. Questions reflecting confusion have flooded insurance companies, doctors' offices, human resources departments and business groups. "They're saying, 'Where do we get the free Obama care, and how do I sign up for that?' " said Carrie McLean, a licensed agent for eHealthInsurance.com. The California-based company sells coverage from 185 health insurance carriers in 50 states. McLean said the call center had been inundated by uninsured consumers who were...

WASHINGTON — Two weeks after President Barack Obama signed the big health care overhaul into law, Americans are struggling to understand how — and when — the sweeping measure will affect them. Questions reflecting confusion have flooded insurance companies, doctors' offices, human resources departments and business groups. "They're saying, 'Where do we get the free Obama care, and how do I sign up for that?' " said Carrie McLean, a licensed agent for eHealthInsurance.com. The California-based company sells coverage from 185 health insurance carriers in 50 states. McLean said the call center had been inundated by uninsured consumers who were...

Letters: California Representative Henry Waxman responds to It's Not An Option, IBD's recent editorial on the impact pending health care legislation would have on private medical coverage. Read IBD's follow up editorial, Still Not An Option.Your July 16 editorial, "It's Not an Option," was factually incorrect and highly misleading. The editorial incorrectly states that "those who currently have private individual coverage won't be able to change it. . . . Nor will those who leave a company to work for themselves be free to buy individual plans from private carriers." The editorial also falsely claims that the bill "will kill...

Is there anyone on this board with current information on armed forces policies and procedures for deployment and reenlistment in the Middle East? I found the following on Guardian Talk, and it sure sounds like a load of BS to me: My son is in the air-force in appropriations (warehouse). He has no real combat training. "I am going to Iraq with an Army Platoon in the center of Baghdad. Not for Airforce stuff but to protect convoys from terrorists which means for the first time I am going to actually be doing some fighting." ...Did you know many military...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- More than two dozen people, wearing yellow ribbons and pictures of relatives in the Army Reserves, took their discontent to the top Monday to protest their loved ones' extended deployments in the Iraq war zone. They said they were satisfied with results of the session, even though Lt. Gen. James Helmly, chief of the Army Reserves, gave them no assurances that the 94th Military Policy Company will be brought home by the Fourth of July. "They've been deployed for a very long time. They're tired, and they feel like they've done their part," said Bob Wennerstrand of...

I just recieved this from a friend and am passing it along: Subject: FW: a way around the "do not call" law! FYI- another let's-see-who-I-can-scam-today deal sent to me by a friend... Received this from a retired Judge friend of mine and it is shocking to see how creative that marketing folks can be. This is to all of you that signed up for the "do not call" law. This week I received a card in the mail that looked alright-- It said "vote for your favorite cola - Pepsi or Coke- and receive a complementary 12 pack" It didn't...

Anyone else have their keywords and topics font shrink overnight? And the spaces have disappeared. I checked my font size, but I have to go to mongo to get readable keyword text.