Free Republic

The power of the House of Representatives rests in the power of the purse and the Article I, Section 7 provision that "All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives." The budgeting process needs reform. Budgets should be crafted long in advance insomuch as possible. Haste does indeed make waste. Basic operating budgets by department that contain clearly needed constitutional funding acceptable by both the vast majority of Republicans and Democrats should be enacted into law several months in advance of the start of a fiscal year. The federal government should never face a widespread shutdown...

Socialist Left Police State S--t (if any one knows more polite legal terminology to adequately replace this expression, please tell me what it is) has ruined Australia's reputation as a free nation. If this tyranny becomes entrenched, Australia will grow weak and collapse, as threatens now in Jo Biden's America. (I know this phrase is offensive to many, but, legally or illegally, the guy does hold the White House as we speak.) The solution is truth. The solution is freedom. God bless beautiful Di, a former police woman in Australia's biggest state of New South Wales, who is now quite...

Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), two members of the Jan. 6 House panel, introduced a bill Monday to reform the Electoral College Act, offering a number of provisions to protect elections from interference by state and federal lawmakers. The Presidential Election Reform Act (PERA) would make clear that the role of the vice president in presiding over the counting of electoral votes is purely “ministerial.” It also takes aim at potential action from the lawmakers’ colleagues to object to states’ electoral slates, requiring that a third of the members from both chambers must object to the certification,...

At the 4th Study Day of the "New Beginning" initiative last Sunday, Cardinal Walter Kasper was extremely critical of the Synodal Process and its procedure. He pulled out all the stops and left no doubt: The Synodal Way has nothing to do with reforms, because Church reform does not make "the Church a mass that can be kneaded and shaped according to the situation", said the Cardinal. The Holy Spirit must be the yardstick, Kasper reminded the audience several times.

As they busy themselves creating the conditions for one - Cathcon comment Knop: "Historically, the church has changed permanently". Currently, the Church in Germany is in the middle of a reform process, the Synodal Path. Theologian Julia Knop is a member of the Synodal Assembly and demands: The Church must not fall behind the standards of its time. Between demands for reform on the one hand and their rejection on the other: the Church in Germany is debating its future. Before the next plenary meeting of the Synodal Path reform project, the Erfurt dogmatist Julia Knop talks in an interview...

Dare more synodality - and no discrimination against women, divorcees and queer people: This is the message the Swiss Church is sending to Rome. Anyone expecting tough demands is likely to be disappointed when reading the Swiss final report. The tone is matter-of-fact, the wishes are well measured. This suits the Swiss tone, where people communicate less briskly than in the large canton of Germany. Lay people may lead congregations, baptise children, marry couples In the run-up to the conference, Felix Gmür, President of the Swiss Bishops' Conference, had already asked that the word "demands" be avoided - because Rome...

Texas Sen. John Cornyn (R) on Tuesday told a group of reporters he “sensed a lot of chin-stroking” when he briefed his Republican colleagues on the discussions of a bipartisan group of senators working on gun reform. Cornyn is one of nine senators currently working to reach a bipartisan agreement on gun legislation in the aftermath of multiple mass shootings that have occurred throughout the country, including one at a Texas elementary school that killed 19 students and two teachers.

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that if gun reform measures were not passed, “the consequences of failure for our entire democracy are more significant than ever.” Anchor Jake Tapper said, “Does it have to happen this week? Is this do or die week? And would President Biden getting involved in negotiations help?

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Tuesday lamented the lack of Senate support for tougher gun laws following a mass shooting in Texas hours earlier but rejected the notion of eliminating the filibuster for the purpose of passing such a bill. Manchin noted that he has three grandchildren similar in age to the victims at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where at least 14 kids and one teacher were shot and killed.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) declared Tuesday on MSNBC’s “José Díaz-Balart Reports” that to mark the upcoming anniversary of George Floyd’s death, President Joe Biden will issue an executive order aimed at policing practices. Díaz-Balart said, “Congressman, tomorrow, as you know, will mark two years since George Floyd died after a Minneapolis police officer put his knee on Floyd’s neck. His death led to calls for police reform. But Bipartisan talks have fallen apart. Is there any hope of anything coming out of this soon?”

New Hampshire is getting close to passing a reform of current carry restrictions. The current law restricts the carry of loaded handguns on off-road vehicles, including snowmobiles, to those with a carry permit. The law is a relic of the days before New Hampshire passed Constitutional Carry in February of 2017, five years ago. On March 10, 2022, the New Hampshire House passed the bill easily, 204 to 134, with 54 not voting. HB 1636 reforms the law to remove the carry permit requirement for carry of loaded firearms on off-road vehicles. On April 20, 2022, the bill passed the...

WORLD—According to sources, an eccentric immigrant entrepreneur from South Africa just accomplished more for free speech than Republicans have in decades of controlling the government, wielding Federal power, and spending trillions of dollars. "Wow! Who is this guy? He's really making us look bad here," said one Republican Senator. "This Twitter deal is such a huge step forward for freedom of expression! Wow! Imagine if other conservative wealthy people did stuff like that instead of funding our reelection campaigns? Um, wait—I didn't mean that. Scratch that. Are you recording this?" Experts concur that Twitter being purchased by a private entity...

MSNBC anchor Nicolle Wallace said Tuesday on her show “Deadline” that the shooting on the Brooklyn subway train, which injured more than a dozen people, showed “how urgent gun reform” was needed in this country. At a press conference, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) said, “The entire state of New York stands with the people of the city, this community, and we say no more. No more mass shootings. No more disrupting lives. No more creating heartbreak for people just trying to live their lives as normal New Yorkers. It has to end. It ends now.”

ALBANY, N.Y. (WENY) – The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision will end parole supervision for 8-thousand parolees at the end of this week. This is under a good faith measure of the ‘Less is More’ legislation signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul last fall to improve justice and safety in city jails. Also, it ensures that DOCCS focuses its resources on helping people complete community supervision. “When the Governor signed Less Is More into law she transformed the parole system in New York State. In the spirit of the law, DOCCS staff immediately went to...

Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor and gun control activist David Hogg on Monday voiced his disappointment in President Joe Biden’s handling of gun reform. On the campaign trail, Biden promised he would go after gun manufacturers and the National Rifle Association.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) called on lawmakers in Washington, D.C., to pass gun reform after the city announced that one officer had been fatally shot and another remained in critical condition during a shooting in Harlem on Friday evening. “We don't make guns here. How are we removing thousands of guns off the street, and they still find their way into New York City? In the hands of people who are killers, constantly carbon highways of death, destroying our communities,” Adams said on Friday night. “We need Washington to join us and act now to stop the...

Six months ago, this correspondent wrote an essay on Incrementalism v. “all or nothing”. It was well-received: Roland T. Gunner ~ “Mr. Weingarten, I take my hat off to you. This article is the best thing I have read in modern memory. Now, tell me, how do we get incremental movememt on reppealing the NFA? And for all you naysayers, sit down, shut up, or help us get it done.”Incremental movement is happening to dismantle the National Firearms Act (NFA), bit by bit. The ultimate goal is repeal.Here is how it is being done, and what needs to be done...

Quell this commie scum.

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Thursday night ruled in favor of allowing an amendment to remain on the ballot that would replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a “Department of Public Safety.” The decision by the state’s highest court, which overturned a lower-court ruling, came the night before early and absentee voting is set to begin in the Minneapolis municipal elections. On Tuesday, a district judge rejected the language of the ballot question that would replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a new Department of Public Safety. The measure would remove Minneapolis’ charter’s requirement for minimum police staffing levels in...

Americans are learning and relearning many lessons from the coronavirus pandemic. One is the importance of allowing drug companies to innovate. In the United States, where the federal government encouraged pharmaceutical innovation, three companies came up with effective vaccines within a few months. Contrast that with China, where the government controls everything (especially prices). China also produced vaccines; but they don’t work very well. If you doubt me, just ask people in Thailand and Indonesia, which stopped using Chinese vaccines this summer. It’s not simply COVID-19 at issue, though. It’s prescription drugs in general. Lawmakers in the House and Senate...