Free Republic

Price-conscious smokers who thought they landed fantastic bargains on the Internet have been hit by the city with bills totaling nearly $1.4 million, officials said yesterday. A crackdown on tax-free cigarette sales on the Web hauled in $695,479 from 2,156 puffers out of the $1,354,880 demanded in the first round of bills sent out to 3,780 New York City residents through May. A second round in August took in another $169,990 out of $507,000 due. Now, officials say, they're ready to get really serious and impose a $100-a-carton penalty - plus the $1.50-a-pack tax. "We want voluntary compliance," said...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington on Friday condemned caricatures in European newspapers of Islam's Prophet Mohammad, siding with Muslims who are outraged that the publications put press freedom over respect for religion. "These cartoons are indeed offensive to the belief of Muslims," State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper said in answer to a question. "We all fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility. Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable."

JACKSON - The Mississippi House, by an overwhelming 88-34 margin Thursday, voted to increase the tax on small cigarettes manufacturers by 43 cents per pack. The tax, supporters said, would "even the playing field" between the small companies and the large cigarette manufacturers. States sued the large tobacco companies in the 1990s in an attempt to recoup government money spent on the treatment of tobacco-related illnesses. In settling the suit, the tobacco companies agreed to pay billions of dollars back to the states. House Ways and Means Chairman Percy Watson, D-Hattiesburg, said the small companies, many of which did not...

It appears the new seat belt bill will be signed into law. It would allow officers to pull you over and ticket you, simply for not being buckled up. Governor Haley Barbour announced today he will sign the bill. The penalty is a maximum fine of 25 dollars. It applies to both front seat passengers and children between 4 and 8 years old, sitting anywhere in the car. The bill was introduced in the house. The senate passed it on friday

A promising new black political figure is emerging in Ohio -- Ken Blackwell, a solid, pro-life conservative who has fought for lower taxes. He is seeking the Republican nomination for governor of Ohio and polls indicate that he has substantial support. Unfortunately, Ohio's Republicans are a lot like Ohio's Democrats -- both are for higher taxes. On this and other issues, Blackwell is described in the current issue of City Journal as "often at war with his own party as well as the Democrats." The Republican Party has not had much success attracting black votes in recent decades and conservative...

(Assembly needs 6 swing votes in order to override Doyle's veto) The state Senate Thursday overrode Gov. Jim Doyle's veto of a bill that would let Wisconsin residents pack pistols, clubs and knives in their pockets.The fate of the state's 133-year-old ban on concealed weapons now rests with the state Assembly, which plans its own override try on Tuesday. The vote likely will hinge on six Assembly Democrats who broke party lines and voted with Republicans to pass the bill in December."Our concentration is going to be focused on the Assembly," said Sen. Dave Zien, R-Eau Claire, the bill's main...

Though incumbent Governor Rick Perry is almost assured to win the Republican nomination for this year's gubernatorial election in Texas, he does face three longshot challengers. One of them, Corpus Christi rancher Star Locke, has proposed eliminating property taxes in the Lone Star State with revenue from taxing three things he finds undesirable. Specifically, Locke is proposing a $10,000 per-abortion tax on medical clinics that perform abortions and a 10 percent tax on all sodas containing sugar. However, gamers will be especially alarmed by the third part of Locke's property-tax-relief proposal--a 50 percent tax on "violent video games." "I take...

Governor Daniels says cost-cutting steps will have Indiana poised to eliminate a $600 million deficit by June. During his Wednesday night State of the State Address, Daniels said, "The first steps of any race are critical. Our first steps have been fast ones." Governor Daniels' first year in office brought dramatic change and this year is shaping up to be the same. As expected, Daniels sought support for his plan to raise money for highway construction by selling or leasing the Indiana Toll Road. “If big private firms are willing to offer Indiana a very large sum of money today,...

President Bush's proposal for a guest worker program as a way of addressing illegal immigration is gaining support from Gov. Mitch Daniels, but doubts from officials with agencies that work with northwestern Indiana's growing immigrant population. Bush's desire for a guest worker program has been stalled in Congress since he proposed it while running for re-election, although at least two competing bills would establish temporary worker visas. He made immigration the subject of his weekly radio address Saturday and addressed the issue during appearances in Arizona and Texas last week, saying it will top his legislative agenda next year. "These...

It is often overlooked that George Orwell’s Animal Farm predicted not only the horrors of communism but also the end of the Cold War. At the end of the fable, the farmer, who symbolizes the capitalist West, returns to the farm and plays cards with the pigs, who symbolize communism. The shivering creatures outside, symbolizing ordinary people, “looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” We normally think of the end of the Cold War as having marked the unambiguous victory of...

Dear xxxxxx We are pleased to tell you that the campaign to protect America from "50 Caliber Terror" is gaining momentum! This week the New York State Assembly passed a package of legislation to stem the tide of gun violence that included a ban on .50-caliber sniper rifles. And in Illinois, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley announced 4 pieces of gun violence prevention legislation that also included a bill to restrict anti-armor, .50-caliber sniper rifles. Your support of the Freedom States Alliance is helping to educate America about these weapons of terror. You can help us build our campaign by asking...

A piece of legislation recently signed by President Bush makes it illegal to send an e-mail or a message over the internet that will annoy someone without revealing your full name. The courts will get to decide what’s annoying and what isn’t, and the penalty, if you are found to have annoyed someone, is two years in jail and a stiff fine. I find it extremely creepy that our Congress believes they should regulate annoying behavior. We really need to clean house in ‘06. It’s no joke. Last Thursday, President Bush signed into law a prohibition on posting annoying Web...

Is a fee different than a tax? Technically, yes. But for many Republicans, they are one in the same. In fact, in recent years GOP lawmakers have made many an eloquent speech about how Democrats tack on a "fee"... which can often be approved on a simple majority vote... rather than assess a new "tax", which requires a two-thirds vote (and, therefore, GOP votes). Now, fast forward to today... where Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger traveled to Sacramento's Nimbus Dam on the American River to promote his new water safety and flood protection package. The $35 billion proposal is part of the...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A state senator wants to force Missouri stores to sell warm beer. Under a bill by Sen. Bill Alter, grocery and convenience stores would risk losing their liquor licenses if they sold beer colder than 60 degrees. The intent is to cut down on drunken driving by making it less tempting to pop open a beer after leaving the store. "The only reason why beer would need to be cold is so that it can be consumed right away," Alter, who has been a police offer for more than 20 years, said Thursday.

Only hours after Mayor Bloomberg vowed in his second inaugural address to launch a national campaign against "illegal guns," the gun rights lobby is mobilizing to respond, with the influential National Rifle Association accusing the mayor of "intimidating law abiding Americans." On Sunday, as Mr. Bloomberg was sworn in for his second term, he invoked the names of police officers shot and killed in the line of duty as he announced a new, central focus of his administration - protecting New Yorkers from what he called "the scourge of illegal guns" by taking a message for tougher gun laws to...

Routing the city's "scourge of illegal guns" will be the top priority in the next four years, Mayor Bloomberg pledged yesterday as he was sworn in for a second term. "Our most urgent challenge is ending the threat of guns and the violence they do," Bloomberg said during his inaugural address on the steps of City Hall — winning the loudest applause of the 19-minute speech. "Now we have a duty as well, one that rises above partisan politics, and one that we will pursue relentlessly: And that is to rid our streets of guns, and punish all of those...

ALBANY — Following up on the passage of the "heroes law," Gov. Pataki yesterday announced the state will hire 100 state troopers to crack down on illegal gun trafficking. Pataki said the specially trained troopers will work with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and local police to track down illegal guns that make their way into New York. "We will go after guns from the streets to the source and not just in New York, but outside of New York," Pataki said. The State Police investigators — who will be in addition to those already working...

NEW YORK (AP) - Hoping to save hundreds of lives, health officials made a regulatory change Wednesday that will allow the city to track thousands of people with diabetes and occasionally prod them to take better care of themselves. In doing so, New York will become the first American city to monitor diabetes in the same way health departments now commonly track people with HIV or tuberculosis. It will also be treading new ground, and potentially raising some privacy concerns, by collecting information about people who have a chronic disease that isn't contagious or caused by an environmental toxin. The...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Nov. 11) - Critics have dubbed it "Bald Ego," "Murky's Turkey" and "Incontinental Airlines," but Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski finally has the sleek executive jet he says he and other state officials need. The $2.6 million Westwind aircraft, equipped with a leather sofa, burgundy carpeting and a flush toilet, arrived this week in Anchorage and will replace a no-frills turboprop used by previous Alaska governors for official business. Critics say Murkowski's jet is unusable in much of rural Alaska, where runways are too short and made of gravel or nonexistent. Murkowski press secretary Becky Hultberg defended the purchase,...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court refused Monday to disturb New York's system of taxing the income of telecommuters who live elsewhere but are employed by companies in the Empire state. Justices passed up a chance to hear the appeal of a Tennessee computer programmer who claimed that New York's tax law is unconstitutional. Thomas Huckaby had been ordered to pay New York income tax for his full salary, not just the time he spent at the New York offices of the union for which he worked. He lived 900 miles away in Nashville.

An interim legislative committee is considering a bill that would prohibit gays, lesbians and single people in Indiana from using medical science to assist them in having a child. Sen. Patricia Miller, R-Indianapolis, said state law does not have regulations on assisted reproduction and should have similar requirements for adoption in Indiana. "If we're going to try to put Indiana on the map, I wouldn't go this route," said Betty Cockrum, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Indiana. "It feels pretty chilling. It is governmental intrusion into a very private part of our lives." Miller acknowledged that the legislation...

The Virginia Citizens Defense League is non-partisan. We are only asking all the candidates to take a position on specific issues of concern to Virginia's gun owners, so that gun owners might make an informed choice. We believe this to be a reasonable request, and remain perplexed by the hostility that this has generated from the Kilgore campaign. The emails on which I have been cc'ed from gun owners across the state run the gamut from *pleading* with Mr. Kilgore to answer the VCDL survey and take a stand on gun rights, to furious gun owners saying that they have...

hereby officially pronounce the conservative movement dead. May it rest in peace. It was killed by its faith in men, not principles – men like George W. Bush. The appointments of John Roberts as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and Harriet Miers as associate justice serve as the epitaphs for the political movement. But even before these betrayals, conservatism was on life support. It could not have survived the irresponsible spending by the Republican Congress, approved by the president during the last five years. The conservative movement, in the best of times, represented a defensive effort to slow...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 - The White House distanced itself today from the comments of a prominent Republican who said on a recent radio program that the nation's crime rate could potentially be reduced through aborting blacks. The White House called the comments, made by William J. Bennett, the former Republican secretary of education, off base. The White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, said that President George W. Bush "believes the comments were not appropriate." Mr. Bennett has said the remarks were taken out of context, noting that he immediately said such abortions would be "reprehensible." Mr. Bennett, who served as drug...

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) had the look of a hunted man as he walked from the Capitol to the Longworth House Office Building yesterday for a speech to young conservatives. Pence, chairman of a group of House conservatives called the Republican Study Committee, was complaining to his companions about a Robert Novak column in yesterday's Washington Post saying Pence was subjected to a "closed-door auto-da-fe" from Speaker Dennis Hastert and Majority Leader Tom DeLay for daring to suggest that the profligate House leadership should reconsider its big-spending ways. But Pence got the leadership's message, loud and clear. Pence's speech was...

washingtonpost.com GOP Leaders Try to Soothe Conservatives Drive Planned to Defuse Ire Over Spending By Jonathan Weisman Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, September 27, 2005; A04 Squeezed between a conservative clamor for spending cuts and the rising cost of hurricane relief, Republican congressional leaders will respond this week with a public relations offensive to win over angry conservatives -- but no substantive changes in budget policy. Republican lawmakers and leadership aides conceded that the wholesale budget cuts envisioned by House conservatives are not being contemplated; the Senate is moving toward approving a temporary expansion of Medicaid for hurricane survivors, estimated...

The Republican congressional leaders want Indiana’s Rep. Mike Pence to go away, or at least shut up. They say that he’s grandstanding by talking about cutting spending and that the effort of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), which he chairs, to force them to look for offsets as they prepare to spend as much as $200 billion on hurricane relief, on top of the spending that already has conservatives rolling their eyes, is “counterproductive.” Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), among others, took Pence to the woodshed last week and,...

My major complaints with the GOP are Bush's spending, and the stonewalling RINOs in Congress. And yet, what is the alternative? To vote Democrat? Or to not vote at all - which is just as helpful to Dems. Every time I think how disappointed I am with Bush, I try to remember how much worse it could be with a legitmate Bush-hater. The Democrats won't cut spending. They'll raise taxes. We'll see national health care. A Democratic President won't nominate moderate SCOTUS justices - unless you consider Ruth Bader Ginsberg a moderate. We'll cow tow to the UN, probably pull...

House conservatives called for broad spending cuts yesterday to offset emergency funding in response to Hurricane Katrina, a move that triggered heightened friction between leadership officials and the right wing of the GOP conference. The tensions illustrate a growing divide within the party about how to handle hurricane relief as another storm heads for the battered Gulf Coast region. Yesterday’s rally was an echo of the so-called Republican Revolution, when the current majority first swept into power behind their brash new Speaker, Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), after the 1994 elections. Conference conservatives pointed to a number of government programs, both big...

During the 2000 presidential campaign, George W. Bush was asked whether he had ever tried cocaine. His answer was that he hadn't used drugs for 25 years. I take that as a "Yes." That same year, Lincoln Chafee was running for the U.S. Senate from Rhode Island and was asked the same question. He gave a more forthright response, admitting that he had sniffed coke while a student at Brown University. Possession of cocaine, a felony, did not interfere with either politician's Ivy League education. Nor did it stop them from seeking and attaining high public office. Today, taxpayers cover...

Michigan is among a growing list of states and local governments moving toward a ban on machines that allow people to inhale alcohol, instead of drink it. The Michigan House voted 102-to-1 today to ban the machines known as Alcohol Without Liquid. The machines vaporize liquor 80-proof or higher and send alcohol quickly to the brain. They're popular on college campuses for getting drunk fast without drinking. The legislation was introduced by Republican Representative Rick Jones of Grand Ledge. The former county sheriff says the machines promote alcohol abuse and underage drinking. Republican Representative Leon Drolet of Clinton Township, was...

The vice chairman of the state Republican Party was charged Tuesday with money-laundering after he allegedly offered to "cleanse" drug proceeds for a legal client. Lawrence Novak, 54, an attorney from Brockton, was arrested at his home Tuesday after investigators said he allegedly offered to launder drug profits for Scott Holyoke, who is awaiting trial on federal drug trafficking charges and agreed to be a cooperating witness against Novak for the FBI. Novak was taken into custody after he allegedly deposited money in a Brockton bank, federal authorities said. Gov. Mitt Romney called for Novak to step down while the...

In my run for Congress (California's 48th District U.S. House Representative), I wish to support a women's right to "equal pay for equal work." This right was put into law with the "Equal Pay Act of 1963." Most women will tell you that they do not possess significant equality of equal pay compared to men doing the same job. I'd like to see the many corporate businesses of the 48th District set an example of gender equity for women.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Charged with ethics violations, Gov. Bob Taft was expected to enter a plea Thursday and apologize, wrapping up the case less than 24 hours after it was filed, two top state leaders said. Senate President Bill Harris and House Speaker Jon Husted, fellow Republicans, wouldn't be specific Thursday about whether Taft would plead guilty or no contest. But Husted said the plea would resolve the case, which would rule out a plea of innocent. Taft plans to apologize to Ohioans for his ethical lapse that led to him being the first Ohio governor charged with a...

Washington- Don't blame President Bush's trade ambassador. Yes, he urged Rep. Steve LaTourette to support the controversial Central American Free Trade Agreement. And LaTourette in the end did, voting with colleagues in the middle of the night and surprising scores of people who had believed him when he said he intended to vote no. But U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman apparently is touchy about how people see his role in a matter that has blown up in LaTourette's face. And as the week ended, he let people know it. A Plain Dealer examination last week showed that the Lake County...

A lifetime ago, when William Jefferson was just a plain old congressman, not the central figure in what's shaping up as a major investigation of his business dealings, I sat down to talk to him about one of his pet subjects, international trade. Jefferson kicked it off by asking whether I was familiar with the Central American Free Trade Agreement. Having skimmed a stack of newspaper clippings on the subject, I told him, with utter confidence, that I was. Big mistake. Before long he was off on a treatise about trade deals past, with a particular focus on provisions to...

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) complicated the already dizzying calculus about the future of the Supreme Court by speculating at length yesterday about the possibility that Justice Sandra Day O'Connor would stay if President Bush elevated her to chief justice. Most Republican officials interviewed this weekend said they expect Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist to announce his resignation soon, although they said they had no hard evidence of that. Specter said on CBS's "Face the Nation" that his "own analysis is that the chief does not intend to step down as long as his health holds up." But...

Federal authorities intensified their investigation into Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham's dealings with a defense contractor by simultaneously serving search warrants on both coasts - one for his California home and another for a yacht where he has stayed while in Washington, D.C. Cunningham's lawyer called the searches "an appalling abuse of government power." FBI agents Friday searched Cunningham's $2.55 million mansion outside San Diego and a 42-foot yacht named Duke Stir, according to a bureau spokeswoman, who said agents from the Department of Defense and Internal Revenue Service assisted. Authorities also searched the Washington, D.C., offices of defense firm MZM...

Senate passes "Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act" By Gretchen Randall Date: June 29, 2005 Issue: The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act (S. 260) passed the U.S. Senate Monday with unanimous approval. The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program is the primary program within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delivering habitat improvement projects on private land through voluntary agreements with private landowners. The bill authorizes the program for the next five years (2006-2011) and provides $75 million each year for this habitat conservation program. Noting that approximately 60 percent of fish and wildlife in the United States are...

www.gunowners.orgJun 2005 House Passes Extreme Penalties For Some Who Use Guns In Self-Defense -- Bill could also make your hunting party a "criminal street gang" Gun Owners of America 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102 Springfield, VA 22151 (703)321-8585 Tuesday, June 28, 2005 Let's assume that you and your family are on your way home from church. You have a gun in the glove compartment that is there for self-protection. After driving within 1,000 feet of a school (which is almost unavoidable), you stop by the grocery store to pick up a few items for lunch. As you are exiting your...

BRANDON, Fla. - Gov. Jeb Bush on Friday signed into law landmark legislation that overhauls the state's growth and development guidelines for the first time in two decades and calls for $1.5 billion in state money to be spent during the next year on new highways, classrooms and water facilities. Accompanied by key lawmakers, cabinet members and other officials in this Tampa bedroom community notorious for traffic snarls, Bush said the new "pay-as-you-go" laws will ensure there are adequate roads, schools and water resources in a state projected to grow by 5 million residents in the next 17 years. "It's...

Last week, the Supreme Court issued a ruling allowing the Federal government to prosecute people who possess marijuana for medical purposes as allowed by their state's laws. The administration and anti-drug forces are celebrating. This is a setback to the pro-drug crowd. Shouldn't this thrill us? If your primary concern is stopping people from using marijuana and stopping the drug culture in its tracts, the ruling is cause for celebration. If a limited federal government is a concern then you have to look at the Supreme Court's ruling in a different light. The Drug War v. The 10th Amendment When...

As Southwest Airlines has grown into the nation's dominant discount airline, overwhelming the competition at Baltimore-Washington International Airport and forcing other carriers to match its low-cost model, the one place it hasn't been able to expand is in its hometown. For 26 years, a federal law named after a former speaker of the House has limited where Southwest can fly from Dallas Love Field, a move made to protect Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport when it was new. Today, DFW is five times Love Field's size and is dominated by Fort Worth-based American Airlines. Southwest released a report this week contending...

Republicans accuse state Dems  of crafting 'disingenuous' list AUGUSTA - The mere utterance of the word "disingenuous" was about all it took to ignite a 20-minute, partisan firefight on the Legislature's Appropriations Committee where efforts to adopt potential budget cuts remained stalled Tuesday. Minority Republicans on the panel took exception to a list of proposed deep cutbacks offered by state department commissioners and legislative committees of jurisdiction that were requested last week by Democratic leaders. Republicans claimed the reductions had been crafted to obtain maximum shock value by Democrats whom they perceive as eager to retain a $450 million...

Senators on the Foreign Relations Committee heard yesterday that President Bush's choice to be ambassador to the United Nations was "arrogant" and "bullying." They heard that he "would have been fired had he worked for a major corporation." They heard that his confirmation "would send a contradictory and negative message to the world" and that "the United States can do better than John Bolton." It sounded like more of the partisan attacks on Bolton that Democrats have delivered for the past two months -- except this time, the accuser was a fellow Republican, Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Gov. Mitch Daniels visited Vigo County, where the production of methamphetamine has been prolific, to sign legislation Tuesday that will restrict the sale of cold medicines containing ingredients used to make the drug. The law is similar to a Vigo County ordinance that has been in effect since January. State police reported that authorities found 166 meth labs in the county last year, the most among Indiana's 92 counties. The county also topped the state list in 2002 and 2003. The new law, enacted unanimously by the General Assembly last month, places restrictions on the sale...

E-mail: dstuart@wsmv.com On Capitol Hill, the debate over guns in bars has turned into a raging battle that is not only political, but also personal. Jimmy Naifeh used to be a darling of gun supporters and used his clout as House Speaker to pass or kill legislation. But when Naifeh used questionable maneuvers to send the current gun bill back to a subcommittee, the gun lobby came out blazing. "Our legislation is about good guys. The bad guys are already carrying [guns] in bars and restaurants. This would put us on a level playing field,” said Darren LaSorte, National Rifle...

Well, they went and did it.The Republicans look like they will wimp out, not exercise the so-called Nuclear Option, and Harry Reid will PERMIT two judges to be approved and disapprove four others. Does anyone think for a second the Democrats won't "go nuclear" in a heartbeat if the roles were reversed?This seals the deal for me. I am a Republican no more. It seems it does not matter if I vote Republican anyways, all I get is more liberalism. I am a man without a political party. I am a conservative without a home.Between Bushes enthusiastic embrace of illegal...

House Republicans say they haven't opened and don't plan any new investigations of federal judges after Terri Schiavo's death despite Majority Leader Tom DeLay's promise to examine the judiciary's conduct. Some of the issues raised by DeLay were being examined by Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., before the embattled Texas Republican's recent barrage against federal judges over their handling of Schiavo's case. Sensenbrenner also has been looking for a long time at the idea of increasing Congress' oversight of judicial discipline. He told a judicial conference last year that Congress "will begin assessing whether the disciplinary authority delegated to...

SACRAMENTO — Got a neighbor bragging about using the Nevada address of his weekend ski condo to avoid paying California taxes? State tax authorities want you to rat him out. And soon they may be able to make it worth your while. The Franchise Tax Board, California's version of the IRS, is proposing to offer snitches cash rewards for stepping forward. Under the plan, which is part of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget, tax officials would give confidential informants as much as 10% of the unpaid taxes collected from their neighbors, bosses, spouses or any other scofflaws they report. It...