Free Republic

“The RTC’s cost for handling those failures was estimated at December 31, 1995, to be $87.5 billion, or about 22 percent of the assets at time of failure.” (page 25) “The $87.5 billion in costs was almost twice the initial $50.1 billion FIRREA appropriation, but it was substantially less than the high end of the range that the U.S. Treasury predicted at the peak of the cycle in June 1991 of close to $130 billion in 1989 present value costs or $160 billion in absolute dollars.” (page 25) “Another factor influencing the ultimate resolution costs for the RTC was inadequate...

Bush Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson just wrapped up his press conference announcing the Mother of All Bailouts. He said a “bold” approach was needed to achieve “stability” in the market. Let me translate that. “Bold” = Massively massive, taxpayer-funded rescue. “Stability” = Privatizing profits and socializing losses on a scale we have never seen before in our lifetimes. I have had it with Pollyanna conservatives who continue to parrot the “fundamentals of the market are great!” line. The fundamentals of the market suck. The fundamentals of capitalism have been sabotaged.

We are in the midst of the worst financial turmoil since the Great Depression. Absent bold action, matters could well get worse. Neither the markets nor the ordinary diet of regulatory orders, bank examinations, rating downgrades and investigations can do the job. Extraordinary emergency actions by the Federal Reserve and the Treasury to date, while necessary, are also insufficient to resolve the crisis. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the giants in the mortgage market, are overextended and now under new government protection. They are not in sufficiently robust shape to meet all the market's needs. The fact is that the...

The man who successfully challenged the D.C. handgun ban before the U.S. Supreme Court filed a second federal lawsuit yesterday, alleging that the District's new gun-registration system is burdensome and continues to unlawfully outlaw most semiautomatic pistols. Dick A. Heller, a 66-year-old security guard who lives on Capitol Hill, and two other plaintiffs allege in the lawsuit that the D.C. government violated the letter and the spirit of the landmark Supreme Court decision, issued June 26, that struck down the District's decades-old handgun ban. The 5 to 4 ruling concluded that the Second Amendment grants individuals the right to possess...

Three area women who took part in Million Mom Marches (MMM) against gun violence are putting their convictions to the test in this year's races for the state legislature. All of them have a respect for the Second Amendment, although they put the emphasis on "well-regulated" in the Constitutional wording. All are unhappy with the 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision in June, which they contend promotes the availability of weapons over the safety of people.These state candidates said they're confident voters also are unhappy — even angry – that the pendulum has swung too far in a direction of unregulated...

A new Ohio law signed into effect this week, not only gives property owners the right to shoot intruders, but it's also changing Ohio's concealed carry law.

American voters are evenly divided on the need for stricter gun control laws but don't think city government should have the right to prevent citizens from owning handguns in their city. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 44% say stricter gun control laws while another 44% disagree and 12% are not sure. Most African-American and Hispanic voters believe stricter gun control laws are needed while a plurality (47%) of White voters disagree. Sixty-two percent (62%) of Democrats say stricter gun control laws are needed and 63% of Republicans hold the opposite view. Among unaffiliated voters, 37% want...

Banning handguns is all the rage. Mayor David Miller's push for a national ban has been joined by other Canadian big-city mayors. Yet, dissatisfied with progress at the national level, Miller successfully asked city council this week to approve measures to further discourage gun ownership in Toronto, such as shutting down city-owned gun ranges. While it may seem obvious to many people that banning handguns will save lives and cut crime, the experience in the United States suggests differently. Two major U. S. cities -- Washington, D.C., and Chicago --have tried banning handguns. (The U. S. Supreme Court is soon...

I was away for an afternoon of lunch and shooting at a gun range with a friend. It was fun, and I hit the target exactly where I was supposed to. The only thing I didn't like: they make you wait a second or two between shots. In case you were wondering, I used a 9mm Glock 19 model. Read analysis of the Glock 19. Glock 19

Flanked by Atlanta business, law enforcement and transportation leaders, Mayor Shirley Franklin Thursday urged Gov. Sonny Perdue to veto legislation that would allow Georgians to carry concealed weapons into state parks, restaurants and onto trains and buses. "This is not about the right to bear arms," Franklin said during a news conference at City Hall. "This is about public safety ... of people who live in Atlanta, live around Atlanta, visit Atlanta or invest in Atlanta." The bill, passed by the General Assembly on the final day of this year's session, would let about 300,000 holders of concealed weapons permits...

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry promised to keep fighting for private toll roads and his other transportation priorities Tuesday during his first major speech on the subject since the death in December of transportation commission chairman Ric Williamson. "This is a place for big challenges, not big excuses," he told state Transportation Department employees and highway experts from around the country at the annual Transportation Forum. Next year's legislative session, he said, can't be anything like last year's. "The Legislature must understand that 'no' is not a solution," Mr. Perry said. "It is an abdication of responsibility." Before last year's...

Push for higher gas tax could follow chief's death The death of Ric Williamson, the fiery, whip-smart chairman of the state transportation commission, could upend the still-roiling debate over toll roads in Texas in the new year. Mr. Williamson died Saturday of a heart attack at age 55, sending shock waves through the nearly 15,000-employee department he led as well as the political and policy circles where his combative style and pro-toll-road agenda had engendered enormous change – and criticism. Always careful to credit Gov. Rick Perry, a close friend and former roommate, Mr. Williamson emerged as a lightning rod...

As American Christians find themselves threatened by such attacks today and in the future, it's time for them to begin thinking and praying about how they should prepare. Should the defense of the innocent be left to others? Is the defense of the faithful the sole responsibility of government? What does the Bible say about the right and duty of armed self-defense? Thank God for that young heroine in Colorado Springs. Thank God Charl Van Wyk was armed that day in South Africa. Thank God there are responsible Christians in the world who won't permit the slaughter of believers at...

Two holders of concealed-weapons permits surprised armed thugs in west Orlando this week. Both men opened fire rather than surrender... Amezaga said Tuesday. "If more people stood up for themselves, a lot of crime could be prevented. And the concealed-weapons permit, that's great." The men say they exercised their constitutional right to own guns, carried them legally and defended themselves within the state's deadly force law. Amezaga, 25, and Stephen Soto, 23, were...outside Soto's apartment when two strangers walked by them two or three times...when both strangers walked up to Amezaga's parked car, where the men were standing. "What time...

Allowing concealed guns a bad idea By ADAM A. MEYERS Racine, Wis. I am a police officer with the Racine Police Department and a part-time police officer for another community in Racine County. This is strictly my opinion and I am not speaking on behalf of the communities or law enforcement agencies that employ me. The Wisconsin law against carrying a concealed firearm has worked effectively for over 130 years. Deciding to pass a concealed carry law in Wisconsin that will allow almost every adult to carry a concealed firearm is a potentially dangerous decision. Carrying a concealed firearm and...

Few tragedies make their victims feel more helpless than multiple-victim shootings. Imagine the terror: Unable to escape, simply waiting for the killer. Virginia Tech’s just released report on how to stop future tragedies was pretty disappointing, and this coming week’s Virginia Governor’s task force report isn’t likely to be any better. The university proposes more counseling ... But one glaring omission remains: The report failed to ask whether there were any common features or similarities among the different multiple-victim public shooting tragedies. And what happens if these policies fail? Should there be some ultimate protection upon which the university can...

Earthtimes.org (Press Release) Zogby International / Associated Television News Poll finds 66% of Voters Say 'No' to New Gun Laws Posted on : 2007-08-21 | Author : Zogby International News Category : PressRelease LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent Zogby International poll question conducted for Associated Television News found that 66% of the American voting public in a recent poll of 1,020 Americans from August 8-11, 2007 (margin of error of +/- 3.1%) found that the American public rejects the notion that new gun control laws are needed.(LOGO: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030425/ATNLOGO)The poll asked: "Which of the following two statements...

The danger -- and one that extends beyond the sometimes mean streets of the nation's capital -- is that the high court will endorse not only the appeals court's decision but also its radical reinterpretation of the 2nd Amendment. That would threaten even reasonable gun-control laws. The 2nd Amendment reads in full: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." The dominant -- though not unanimous -- interpretation is that the first clause limits the second, making the right to bear...

For six months now, Nebraskans have been able to legally carry concealed weapons. It's a lengthy process to get a permit. But now that it's an option, how many people actually want a gun at their side? Gene Tyson of Norfolk not only fought to get the Concealed-Carry law passed during his eight years in the Nebraska Legislature, he's now one of the many with a permit to carry a concealed gun. Gene Tyson, Norfolk, NE says, "It's my belief that people are going to have to be ultimately responsible for their own safety." Although Tyson says the odds you'll...

If the number of concealed-handgun license holders is any indication, robbers may have to worry about getting more than stolen goods during a heist. With an increasing number of state residents legally packing heat, more robbers may be taking away some hot lead. More than 54,000 Oklahomans are licensed to carry concealed handguns under the Oklahoma Self-Defense Act, said Jessica Brown, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. That number is up from around 31,000 in 2000 and 15,081 in 1996, after the first year of licensing. Once approved, applicants are licensed to carry concealed weapons for five years....

t is just a simple click, but it gets my mind racing. That’s the sound that a Colt .380 pocket pistol makes when it is being cocked. I know that’s the sound it makes, but it is still an attention-getter when you hear it in person. It isn’t the only thing that gets my attention this late June morning. More so is the guy behind the pawn shop counter explaining to me how I could feel comfortable sticking this cocked pistol down the front of my pants. Welcome to the world of concealed carry. Yes, I’m in the gun-buying market....

Texas needs the Trans-Texas Corridor because of its surging population, a representative for Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday while speaking in Cleburne. Plans are to build the multi-lane highway and rail system parallel to Interstate 35, north-south through the center of the state. Kris Heckmann, deputy director of Perry’s Legislative Division spoke at the Cleburne Civic Center at the invitation of the Johnson County Republican Women for their monthly meeting. Every decade since World War II, Texas’ population has increased by at least 20 percent, Heckmann said. In 1990, the state’s population was 16.5 million, and today the population is...

The night started like many for John Lovell, a 71-year-old ex-Marine and helicopter pilot who served two presidents. Late dinner alone at a Plantation Subway shop -- veggie sub, soda, oatmeal cookie. Wednesday night, though, Lovell's meal was interrupted by an armed robbery. Two gunmen stormed into the sandwich shop at about 11 p.m., robbed the cashier and tried to shove Lovell -- the lone customer -- into the bathroom. Two bullets later, one gunman was dead, another was wounded and Lovell was being hailed as a hero. ''There's no such thing as an ex-Marine, and he typifies this,'' said...

It's not the least bit hard to describe the choice that Texas Transportation Commission members will face Thursday at their meeting in Austin: (1) Agree with the overwhelming preference of this region's elected officials and allow the North Texas Tollway Authority to build the Texas 121 toll road in Denton and Collin counties, or (2) award the lucrative project to the apparent favorite among state toll road devotees, the Spanish company Cintra.From here, it's an easy decision: Pick NTTA.But there is reason to worry that in the boiling pot of Austin politics, the commission may see things differently. Because of...

Cleveland's challenge of a state law that prevents Ohio cities from making their own gun laws faces a new opponent -- The National Rifle Association. The NRA reported Wednesday that it intervened in a lawsuit that Cleveland filed against the state in March in an attempt to overturn the law. "We have joined in this lawsuit as a defendant-intervenor to protect law-abiding gun owners in Ohio from harassment by an unreasonable and confusing patchwork of municipal gun laws," NRA chief lobbyist Chris W. Cox said in a statement. A new provision of the state's concealed-carry gun law voided local firearms...

Gannett newspapers do not allow posting articles or excerpts. View the article here: Massacre propels bill to OK guns in parks A bill was introduced before the VT massacre to allow people with handgun permits to carry guns in state parks. Lawmakers feel there will be a more favorable atmosphere for the bill's passage given the recent events.

DENTON - "Grandma" lost her argument for a contrived ballot nickname. But Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn of Austin might have found a plank on which to build a campaign against Gov. Rick Perry. It's a plank 600 miles long and a quarter-mile wide. It's a giant, privately owned, multilane tollway that would part the Texas countryside the way the governor parts his ample hair. Strayhorn, a Republican running as an independent candidate, has criticized the Trans-Texas Corridor tollway plan loudly for months. So have the other principal challengers in this traffic jam of a race, novelist Kinky Friedman of Medina...

Who's calling the shots? Who will have final say on where and how the Trans-Texas Corridor system is developed in the Dallas-Fort Worth area? Will it be the Texas Transportation Commission, working with North Central Texas elected officials and transportation planners who know the region and its long-term mobility needs better than anyone? Or will it be a Madrid-based company, Cintra, whose primary interest is making bucks by extracting tolls? The Star-Telegram Editorial Board strongly believes that state and regional officials and transportation planners should decide. The primary determinant should be what best meets the current and future transportation and...

In the next few decades, the ever-growing Dallas-Fort Worth area could experience striking changes in the way that people and goods move. North Central Texas' population has been ballooning faster than the transportation infrastructure -- a situation akin to that of a growing middle-schooler whose old jeans don't quite fit anymore. With the Metroplex expected to add about 4 million people by 2030, it's hard to imagine the hellish traffic jams that we'll face in the future unless we take giant steps to reverse course. New transportation projects and strategies are being hashed out now that might someday save us...

Borrowing a page from President Bush, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton told a Boston audience this week that prayer has always played a meaningful role in her life - though accounts from her days as a student radical suggest that's probably not true. "I've always been a praying person," Clinton told a crowd of more than 500, including many religious leaders, at Boston's Fairmont Copley Plaza. According to the Boston Globe, the newly religious former first lady "invoked God more than half a dozen times" as she urged society to accommodate religious people who "live out their faith in the...

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 tell us that the two are cheering Sis on and say she's making all the moves to get ready for the race--presuming she is re-elected by New Yorkers in 2006.

On the eve of President Bush's second inauguration, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton is blasting him as the "fear factor" president who tries to sell his irresponsible agenda by scaring the voters. "The fear factor has become the overriding strategic approach that this administration uses," Clinton complained to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. The likely 2008 presidential candidate told the paper that Bush has used scare tactics to rally public support on issues ranging from U.S. policy in Iraq to privatization of Social Security. On Iraq Clinton griped that Bush had even botched the election process, saying that regional balloting...

Hillary Clinton on Environment Supports oil reserve release & fund conservation Q: Do you support conserving energy?A: I’ve spoken about an energy policy that would include conservation tax credits that the Republicans have blocked. The administration has put forth an energy policy that we couldn’t get through that Republican leadership that my opponent is part of. We need a new Congress. I was pleased when the president did release some oil from the reserve. So we have work to do and it needs to be led by Democrats who understand that we shouldn’t be beholden to big oil. Source:...

WASHINGTON - Tomorrow night, with the nation's capital awash in inaugural events, Sen. Hillary Clinton will be delivering a high-profile speech in Boston about politics and youth. She is the keynote speaker at a fundraiser for a group headed by outspoken Boston minister, Rev. Eugene Rivers. Aides to Clinton, a possible Democratic presidential contender in 2008, said she agreed to give the speech a long time ago and said nothing should be read into the timing.

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...

NEW YORK, January 12, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Abortion crusader and New York Senator Hillary Clinton condemned US President George W. Bush Tuesday, claiming his withdrawal of funding from organizations that commit or promote abortions is harming women. Speaking at an International Women's Health Coalition-sponsored dinner, Clinton claimed that "reproductive health care and family planning service is a basic right," and said this was based on decisions reached at the 1994 U.N. Population Conference in Cairo, as well as the 1995 U.N. women's conference in Beijing, where Clinton gave a keynote address. She argued that the Bush administration has failed to...

The Rev. Jesse Jackson praised New York Sen. Hillary Clinton yesterday as "Sister Hillary," after Clinton cited his efforts to overturn the presidential election by challenging the Electoral College vote in Ohio. Speaking at his annual Wall Street Project fundraiser, Jackson said "Sister Hillary" had been an important ally in his fight for those "traumatized by what happened to us as a people and a nation in Ohio." He called Clinton "a light in dark places," who has "stood on the right side of history," according to quotes picked up by the New York Sun. The praise for Clinton came...

Amid speculation that she might forgo a run for re-election to the Senate in 2006 in favor of a presidential run in 2008, New York Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has sent an early fundraising appeal that, while directed toward reelection, reads like a trial run for a White House bid. "As the Republicans' number one target in 2006, I have to begin now building resources for the tough fight I face in my re-election campaign," Clinton writes in a letter to supporters. She says her task is made more difficult by "the Republican attack machine out to distract me...

George W. Bush Is Most Admired Man in 2004 Hillary Clinton tops list of most admired women; Oprah Winfrey a close second by Joseph Carroll GALLUP NEWS SERVICE PRINCETON, NJ -- President George W. Bush tops Gallup's annual survey of the "most admired man" for the fourth year in a row. Hillary Clinton leads the most admired woman list, with Oprah Winfrey close behind. Republicans and Democrats differ significantly in their views of this year's most admirable men and women. Republicans overwhelmingly say the president is the most admired man, and also name first lady Laura Bush and national security...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Assistant Attorney General Christopher A. Wray announced today the unsealing of a four-count indictment charging David Rosen, the former National Finance Director for a candidate for United States Senate in the 2000 campaign, with causing false campaign finance reports to be filed with the Federal Election Commission, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1001 and 2. The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in the Central District of California and unsealed today. The indictment alleges that Rosen, an experienced professional political fundraiser, was responsible for all fundrasing, planning and costs for an...

[snip]The affidavit said the true cost of the event "was deliberately understated in order to increase the amount of funds available to New York Senate 2000 for federal campaign activities." Mrs. Clinton was first lady at the time of the gala.     The indictment comes at a time when Mrs. Clinton is considered a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2008, and faces potential challenges in 2006 for her Senate seat from former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani or New York Gov. George E. Pataki. [snip]Two of the event's organizers were Hollywood producer Peter F. Paul and charity fund-raiser Aaron...

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's former finance director has been indicted on charges of causing false campaign finance reports to be filed with the Federal Election Commission, the Justice Department said Friday. The indictment of David Rosen, unsealed in Los Angeles, focuses on his fund-raising for an Aug. 12, 2000, gala for Clinton in Los Angeles. The New York Democrat was still first lady at the time. While the event allegedly cost more than $1.2 million, the indictment said, Rosen reported contributions of about $400,000, knowing the figure to be false. The indictment charged that Rosen provided some documents...

NewsMax.com http://www.newsmax.com/showinsidecover.shtml?a=2002/6/24/221543 Monday, June 24, 2002 11:15 p.m. EDT FBI Raids Hillary's Warehouse in Whitewater Déjà Vu Ten years ago, L. Jean Lewis, an investigator with the government's Resolution Trust Corporation, was able to piece together a complicated Arkansas bank fraud conspiracy from a treasure trove of documents she unearthed in an out-of-the-way Kansas City warehouse. The result was the Whitewater scandal, which, after six years' worth of twists and turns, ended in the first impeachment of an elected president in U.S. history. New York Sen. Hillary Clinton surely hopes that history isn't repeating itself with the raid conducted by...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (AP) - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's former finance director has been indicted on charges of filing fictitious reports that misstated contributions for a Hollywood fund-raising gala for the senator, the Justice Department said Friday. The indictment, rare for a political campaign, was unsealed in Los Angeles and charged David Rosen with four counts of filing false reports with the Federal Election Commission. The charges focus on a dinner and concert on Aug. 12, 2000, supported by more than $1.1 million in so-called in-kind contributions - goods and services provided free or below cost. The F.B.I. previously said...

Though Hillary Clinton's former finance chairman David Rosen was actually indicted in 2003, the Bush administration kept it secret till the indictment was unsealed late Friday, a move that spared the former first couple and the Democratic Party significant embarrassment during the height of the 2004 presidential campaign. "The indictment was handed down more than a year ago," the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday. Citing "sources familiar with the probe," the Times said the Bush Justice Department decided that any criminal charges would not be made public until after last fall's presidential election for fear they would be seen as...

WASHINGTON - A top aide in Sen. Hillary Clinton's 2000 Senate race was indicted yesterday on federal charges of filing false documents that allegedly lowballed costs and hid generous assistance in putting on a star-studded Hollywood gala. The Justice Department alleges that David Rosen, Clinton's former campaign finance director, misstated the cost of the fund-raiser to free up more cash for the Democrat's 2000 election. Campaign staffers have denied the books were cooked. Rosen was indicted on four counts of filing false Federal Election Commission reports stemming from an Aug. 12, 2000, fund-raising dinner and concert for Clinton's Senate campaign....

WASHINGTON – The indictment of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s former Senate campaign finance chairman, David Rosen, on campaign finance charges was made possible by the cooperation of Judicial Watch client Peter Paul, the public interest watchdog group said today. Paul, a former Hollywood Internet entrepreneur and partner of "Spiderman" creator Stan Lee, spent nearly $2 million to produce the August 2000 Hollywood tribute to honor President Clinton and to help raise funds for Hillary Clinton’s 2000 U.S. Senate campaign – the event at the center of the indictment. He was repeatedly assured that his expenses would be reported to the Federal...

"Is anyone really surprised that another Clinton confidante has been indicted?" said Stephen Minarik, referring to the indictment of David Rosen, who served as Hillary Clinton's finance director in her 2000 Senate race. The New York State Republican Party chairman added: "Hillary Clinton's public life reads like an instruction manual for breaking the rules. New Yorkers deserve better. The remarks by Minarik are but the opening salvo in a ramping up campaign to frustrate her reelection to the Senate and even nix a potential presidential bid by Clinton in 2008, says a report in the NY Daily News. Pundits are...

I anxiously awaited information about the indictment of my neighbor Hillary Clinton's Campaign finance director David Rosen. To my surprise, there was no mention of it in the local or national pages. I suggest to folks like me who want to hear the story, that they call or fax the Journal news here in Westchester County & ask them why they missed this huge story! Contact them at: Reader Services Editor The Journal News One Gannett Drive White Plains, NY 10604 Phone: (914) 694-3514 Fax: (914) 694-5018

The head of New York GOP blasted Hillary Clinton's ethics yesterday in the wake of the indictment of the junior senator's former finance director. "Is anyone really surprised that another Clinton confidant has been indicted?" said Stephen Minarik. "Hillary Clinton's public life reads like an instruction manual for breaking the rules. New Yorkers deserve better."