Free Republic

A feature of the Trump Administration's proposed tax reform plan that has stirred fear among governors of high-tax states is the elimination of deductions for state income and property taxes. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) called it a "death blow" for his state. "New York has traditionally relied on high taxes to fund the services we provide for our population," the Governor pointed out. "Resistance to these tax high rates has been moderated by the fact that deductions from federal taxes has helped pass some of the burden onto to states that have lower taxes. If we lose that...

The host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" news and commentary show—Joe Scarborough—defended defeated presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's claim that a "hostile media" was a significant factor in her loss to Donald Trump last year. "As I recall, the media treatment of Secretary Clinton was pretty damn hostile," he remembered. "Take that whole email thing. It could've, and probably should've, been deep-sixed considering how the election turned out. But a misplaced concern for the facts—no matter how harmful they might've been to her chances—led to the unnecessary publication of news regarding her extraordinarily careless handling of classified documents." "Morning Joe" panelist and...

Despite being fellow GOP Sen. Lindsay Graham's BFF, Arizona Sen. John McCain announced his opposition to his pal's last ditch bid to replace Obamacare with a block grant to states so they each can craft a health care regime tailored to local conditions. McCain's key objection: "there is no assurance that Democrats will support it." "I think we need a lengthy deliberative process with extensive hearings, debate and, most of all, consensus between the two Parties before we move forward," the Senator explained. The fact that Obamacare was approved without a single GOP vote in its favor didn't daunt McCain's...

In California the poverty rate is 20.4%. In Texas it is 14.7%. California Governor Jerry Brown (D) claimed "the heads-up comparison is unfair. Our income tax rate is 13.3%. Texas has no income tax. So each person in our state has to contribute more of his or her income before they get to spend any of it on themselves." "We also have more regulations controlling where and how people can live and where and how businesses can operate," Brown added. "This makes housing less affordable and raises the prices businesses must charge in order to stay profitable. Naturally, that has...

North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-un blasted US President Donald Trump's UN speech as "the mutterings of a deranged dotard" and vowed that "the world will pay a high price for allowing this maniac to insult my country." The use of the unusual term "dotard" sent media outlets to consult dictionaries in search of its meaning. According to the dictionary, a dotard is a person, especially an old person, exhibiting a decline in mental faculties. To prove his point, Kim cited what he called "a logical contradiction in this gangster's speech where he called for all nations to respect the internal...

Vermont Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders' "Medicare for All Act" has been gaining support from a growing number of Democrats. His bill would establish a single-payer health care system and outlaw private medical practice. "The current system is too complicated and confusing," Sanders contends. "My bill would simplify everything by placing all the responsibility and control in the hands of the government. Disputes over what care is warranted would be eliminated. The decisions regarding who can be treated will be consolidated in a single authority. Everyone would get the care that best serves the collective needs of society. No individual would...

The Democratic Coalition filed a complaint with the Office of Government Ethics alleging that Presidential Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' suggestion that ESPN host Jemele Hill's tweet labeling the President "a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself with other white supremacists" might be a "fireable offense," broke the law. Democratic Coalition chairman Jon Cooper insisted that "we cannot ignore the sinister implications of what the Trump Administration has done here. Mrs. Sanders contends she is entitled to express her opinion about the outrageous comments of Ms. Hill, but clearly her statement was intended to intimidate ESPN into firing one...

Now that the influx of Muslim refugees into the country has catapulted Sweden to the top of the international heap when it comes to the crime of rape, government officials have determined it is time to take action. That action is the publication of a "sex guidebook" intended to convey a message to immigrants from Muslim countries that rape is wrong. Youth and Civil Affairs Authority Director General Lena Nyberg explained that "the issue seems to be one of culture shock for young Muslim males entering Swedish society. These refugees were raised in a culture that explicitly designates females as...

Former congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY) asked a Manhattan federal court to grant him leniency after his conviction for sending obscene emails and texts to an under-aged 15-year-old girl last year. Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 21 to 27 months for a charge that carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. Weiner's lawyers argued that "the girl was the instigator of the crime. She preyed upon the weaknesses of a man who was widely known as a sex pervert. Now she's written a book and will profit from the experience. So, to say that she was an innocent victim...

One of the more bizarre revelations in Hillary Clinton's campaign autopsy book—What Happened—was her admission that she tried Voodoo, "but it didn't work. I had dolls of all the key players—Trump, Bannon, Limbaugh. I stuck them with pins like you're supposed to, but none of them even got sick, much less died." The former presidential candidate speculated that "some sort of Russian radiation or hypersonic interference may have short-circuited the effectiveness of this time-tested technique. I mean, it's not like I haven't successfully used this tool before. We made a lot of problems disappear when Bill was governor of Arkansas...

Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md) says he will introduce a bill that would require universities and colleges to define “acceptable speech” on campus. “On too many college campuses fresh-mouthed youths hide behind the First Amendment claiming that they have a right to air their unfiltered political views regardless of whether others might find them hurtful or outside the bounds of respectable opinion,” Brown said. “They openly flout the ‘free speech zone’ restrictions that school officials have imposed in an effort to protect students from hearing offensive remarks. We’ve got to put a muzzle on these free-speech abusers.” Brown’s proposed legislation would...

Assistant Attorney General Kevin Boyd announced that the Trump Administration will not be pursuing charges against former IRS executive Lois Lerner for discriminating against conservative organizations seeking tax-free status from the Agency. While conceding that Lerner's refusal to testify on the grounds it would be self-incriminating was, in effect a "smoking gun," Boyd insisted that "the prosecution of a government functionary for carrying out the wishes of the president would be excessively punitive and set a dangerous precedent. A person entering the ranks of an administration shouldn't have to be second-guessing every decision—is it right, is it wrong, is it...

I wish I wasn’t the one to bring this tragedy to these vaulted pages amidst the litany of bad news we’ve huddled together against. I’m only the messenger of this giant’s downfall, who no doubt touched us all. Rapper Shawty Lo has died in a car accident in Atlanta. The 40-year-old rapper, born Carlos Walker, was ejected from his vehicle after he crashed into two trees on his way home from an Atlanta strip club. Walker leaves behind 11 children from 10 different mothers. He made headlines in 2013 when the television network Oxygen announced a special about the rapper...

On top of last week's revelation that former FBI Director James Comey drafted an exoneration memo for Hillary Clinton before more than a dozen witnesses had been interviewed, this week it was disclosed that the famous "30,000 missing emails" were in the possession of the National Security Agency (NSA). And, it turns out, Comey declined to accept the NSA's offer to provide him with copies. In defense of this refusal to receive evidence, Comey pointed out that "the decision not to prosecute Secretary Clinton was unanimous. As such, there was no reason to probe these emails. At best, we would...

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and his “campaign donor” Salomon Melgen are currently on trial for political corruption—the Senator for taking bribes and Melgren for paying them. Menendez argues that the “bribes” in exchange for pursuing legislation favorable to Melgren was “just ordinary politics—no worse than the actions of my many peers in Congress.” As a case in point, the Senator pointed out that “former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) was able to fatten his bank account through ‘sweetheart’ real estate deals with one of his donors. And he inserted language in the Affordable Care Act in exchange for money...

Democrat Attorney-Generals in 15 states plus the District of Columbia have filed suit against President Trump for his executive action overturning former President Obama's executive decree on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Trump justified his countering executive decree by pointing out that Obama lacked the authority to unilaterally modify US immigration law. Trump's decree goes into effect in six months—a time span giving Congress the opportunity to handle the issue in a legal and constitutional fashion. Nonetheless, the suing AGs described Trump's action as "illegal" and "unfair." New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman cast Trump's argument that only Congress...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Southern Poverty Law Center has announced it would include prominent American veterans’ organizations American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars in its listing of hate groups, sources confirmed today. In a written statement signed by SPLC President J. Richard Cohen, the organization said both the VFW and Legion were included since many of their members sympathize with radical, extreme-right-wing ideals such as freedom, safety, and family values. “I hate to criminalize a group of decorated war veterans,” Cohen said, from somewhere deep within a fog of pit sweat in his corporate think-tank steam room, where Sen....

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas rebuffed requests from Trump Administration envoy Jared Kushner that his government stop using the foreign aid money the US has been sending him to pay bounties to terrorists for killing Jews. "The agreement we negotiated with President Obama attached no conditions on how we can use this money," Abbas said. "It is an insult that Mr. Trump would send his Jew son-in-law to try to renege on this prior arrangement. As Muslims, it is our religious obligation to kill the Jews and retake the land they stole from Allah. The demand that we cease fulfilling this...

President Trump announced today that the Voice of America would be reinvigorated and expanded. The President noted that millions of people were living under oppressive governments and unaware of their God given rights. The program will use experts to present talks on Capitalism and the Constitution. Economists will explain how capitalism made our economy the best in the world. Supreme Court Justices, lawyers, historians, and other experts, that have read and understand the Constitution, will explain how the Constitution, with its checks and balances, separation of powers, bill of rights, etc. has allowed the US to be the most stable,...

The horde of black-clad and masked thugs that calls itself AntiFa has created a dilemma for the Democratic Party. On the one hand, the group's professed opposition to fascism is in line with typical Democratic Party rhetoric. On the other hand, their violent methods ironically mirror the methods used by Nazi Party goons in the streets of Germany in the years preceding Hitler's appointment as Chancellor in 1933. After a number of violent incidents in his city, Berkeley mayor Jesse Arreguin has argued that AntiFa be classified as a criminal gang and be prosecuted under the statutes applicable to the...