Free Republic

Earlier this year, the American Legislative Exchange Council released a report titled The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Assault of State Sovereignty that documents the EPA’s ongoing attempts to seize more and more environmental regulatory authority from the states. One trend that the report highlights is the rise of so-called EPA “sue and settle” agreements. As it currently stands, the EPA has more mandates that it can handle due to limited resources and manpower. With sue and settle, the EPA has figured out a way to cut states out of the process and instead negotiate the agency’s priorities with environmental special...

When CNSNews.com asked Rep. John Fleming (R-La.) if he had read all of the 10,535 pages of final regulations published by the administration to implement Obamacare in the Federal Register, he said he had not and described them as “incomprehensible.” “Well, of course, I voted against [Obamacare], and I have not read all the rules and regulations,” Fleming told CNSNews.com earlier this month at the Capitol. “They’re extremely complex. An average person even with a law degree or a medical degree like me can’t understand them,” Fleming said. “They’re incomprehensible.” When asked if he was surprised by the large number...

Bureaucracies in the Obama Administration have thus far published approximately 11,588,500 words of final Obamacare regulations, while there are only 381,517 words in the Obamacare law itself. That means unelected federal officials have now written 30 words of regulations for each word in the law. …

I’ve taken a lot of flak from establishment media types and angry federal employees for my contention that the hullabaloo over the so-called government “shutdown” is excessive. The fact is most government activities have not stopped and most government employees continue to work. However, one activity that has stopped – and, man, this is personal – is the approval of new beer labels and recipes. From USA Today (tip of the hat to my dad): All new beers that get bottled or canned to be sold across state lines must be approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade...

<p>The city is launching a new offensive to monitor tanning salons and warn customers of the dangers of skin cancer from overexposure to UV radiation, The Post has learned.</p> <p>In what could be the Bloomberg’s Administration’s final health crusade, the anti-tanorexic plan will be submitted to the Board of Health on Tuesday,. The board — all appointees of Mayor Bloomberg — is expected to adopt the new rules, which would take effect in the spring following public hearings.</p>

Proposed South Dakota raw milk regulations will make it difficult for smaller operations to continue selling the substance in the state.  Department of Agriculture officials finished a third public hearing on the issue on Wednesday, saying the rules are necessary to ensure safety.  A legislative committee last August had rejected the rules until it had more information on their financial impact for farmers. The State of South Dakota currently allows the sale of raw milk, though not from retail stores.  Farms are allowed to sell the popular substance directly to consumers. Raw milk must also be clearly labeled as raw, but no...

When asked by CNSNews.com whether he has read all 10,535 pages of final Obamacare regulations published so far in the Federal Register, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) would not answer. … CNSNews.com later sent several emails to Reid’s communications director repeating the question of whether Reid had read the 10,535 pages of final Obamacare regulations that the administration has thus far published. He did not respond. According to the voice mail recording at Reid’s office, Reid’s staff is not checking voice mails or emails. …

Regulators should boost oversight of the largest real-estate investment trusts that use borrowed money to invest in mortgage-backed securities because rising interest rates may push the firms into asset sales that destabilize markets, the International Monetary Fund said. A version of that scenario occurred during the rise in rates that began in May, the IMF said. Repercussions might roil the REITs’ lenders, disrupt the $5.3 trillion market in which they invest and damage the broader U.S. economy, according to its Global Financial Stability Report released today. Here is the report. Mortgage REITs have suffered since the May 1 surge in...

When asked by CNSNews.com whether he had read all 10,535 pages of final Obamacare regulations that have so far been published in the Federal Register, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) asked in return whether it was “important” the he read them, dismissed the inquiry as a “propaganda question,” and ultimately did not answer. … Those regulations add up to 10,535 pages in the Federal Register. That is more than eight times as many pages as there are in the Gutenberg Bible, which has 642 two-sided leaves or 1,286 pages. …

When Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) was asked on Wednesday whether he has read all 10,535 pages of final Obamacare that the administration has so for published in the Federal Register, he first gave a response that did not address the question. When Warner was asked the question a second time, he walked away without answering. …

<p>Top U.S. law enforcement officials urged the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to promptly issue a promised set of rules governing the sale of e-cigarettes, adding to a growing body of legal and public health officials demanding action.</p> <p>In 2009, the FDA was given authority to regulate cigarettes, cigarette tobacco and roll-your-own tobacco, although not pipe tobacco, cigars or e-cigarettes. The law allows the FDA to expand its authority over all tobacco products, but it must first issue new regulations. The FDA has said they are in development.</p>

<p>Monday’s deadly shooting at the Washington Navy Yard has renewed interest in why most military personnel are forbidden from carrying firearms on military bases. In the aftermath, some have pointed fingers at former President Bill Clinton, but is he really to blame?</p> <p>Not according to what we found.</p>

Virtually every major project under the National Nuclear Security Administration’s oversight is behind schedule and over budget—the result, watchdogs and government auditors say, of years of lax accountability and nearly automatic annual budget increases for the agency responsible for maintaining the nation’s nuclear stockpile. The NNSA has racked up $16 billion in cost overruns on 10 major projects that are a combined 38 years behind schedule, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reports. Other projects have been canceled or suspended, despite hundreds of millions of dollars already spent, because they grew too bloated. …

Former TVA Vice President 58-year-old Masoud Bajestani plead guilty to conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Iranian Transactions Regulations, and two counts of filing false income tax returns. Bajestani sentencing is set for January 15, in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. Bajestani faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy to violate the IEEPA, and three years for each count of filing a false tax return. He also faces a maximum fine of $250,000 on each count. In February 2013, a federal grand jury charged Bajestani, with conspiracy, violations of the IEEPA...

When people hear the terms "capitalism" or "free markets," often their first thought is that these are systems mostly benefiting the wealthy. In fact, the evidence suggests that it is actually the poor who gain the most from economic freedom. It is abundantly clear that living in countries with lower taxes, fewer regulations, a rule of law and generally limited government makes all citizens better off. One interesting statistic: Those reading this article are likely among the wealthiest — earning $34,000 per year puts people among the top 1 percent in the world, and half of the world's "1 percenters"...

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama continues to tell us that the quality of our lives and our economy have improved when all the available evidence shows they have not. In fact, they've grown worse under his policies. Recent economic data, studies and government reports reveal a nation in persistent decline showing very little improvement in the lives of millions of Americans. Incomes have fallen, poverty and homeless rates have risen, full- time jobs are much harder to come by, as low-pay, part-time jobs are surging, even while the work force is shrinking. Workers are losing their health insurance under Obamacare, confidence...

President Obama has overseen a dramatic expansion of the regulatory state that will outlast his time in the White House. The reach of the executive branch has advanced steadily on his watch, further solidifying the power of bureaucrats who churn out regulations that touch nearly every aspect of American life and business. Experts debate whether federal rulemaking has accelerated under Obama, but few dispute that Washington — for better or worse — is reaching deeper than ever before into the workings of society. “It would be difficult for anyone to pretend that this isn’t a high water mark in terms...

The headline at CNN Money was, "Why America's Youth Aren't Finding Jobs." If you expected an analysis of how and why President Barack Obama's policies hurt the job market for the young, think again. Believe it or not, CNN wrote a piece, supposedly explaining the tight job market, without using the following words: Obama, Obama administration, taxes, regulations, "stimulus" program or, of course, ObamaCare. .... CNN's head-in-the-sand piece on youthful joblessness serves as the latest example of the pro-Obama media's failure, blindness and unwillingness to see and state the obvious. By historical standards, this recovery stinks. To understand why requires...

For the second time in less than a year, Minnesota authorities are prosecuting Alvin Schlangen for unauthorized delivery of farm produce. Schlangen offers members of the private buying club, Freedom Farms Co-op, the benefit of his volunteer delivery service. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) demands that the Stearns County District Attorney stop the deliveries by bringing charges against Schlagen. Schlagen's customers, many of whom have no other convenient means of getting food to their homes, are irate at the MDA. “A lot of those on Schlagen's route are house-bound or handicapped,” said Elisabeth Berry. “More to the point, though,...

Some rules are needed to keep order in a society, promote fair dealing, safety, etc.  But, regulation isn't free.  The cost of compliance is added to everything that is grown, mined, manufactured, processed, sold, and consumed.  Cost of regulatory compliance is a real cost of operation for businesses that effects market competitiveness of goods and services and thus can stifle job creation as well as salaries and wages. Taxation is tangible.  State, local, and federal tax obligations are paid directly.  They show up on a P & L in a line item, or at the bottom of a receipt at...