Free Republic

Once again, government intrusion into the health-care sector has proved disastrous. While New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo blames the president and the federal government for the lack of beds and ventilators in his state, the power to determine the number of these critical medical supplies in New York hospitals falls squarely upon the shoulders of the governor.During a Tuesday press conference, Cuomo lashed out at the federal government for not sending enough ventilators as the Wuhan coronavirus continues to rattle the state. “Four hundred ventilators? I need 30,000 ventilators,” Cuomo said. “You want a pat on the back for sending...

LAS VEGAS (AP) — MGM Resorts International announced the sale Tuesday of two casinos that will significantly alter its portfolio of Las Vegas Strip properties and offer up cash. The Las Vegas-based company said it is selling the Circus Circus hotel-casino for $825 million to Treasure Island casino owner Phil Ruffin. The company also sold the Bellagio for $4.25 billion.

The United States Constitution needs to be amended so that state legislatures that have members who can be elected by illegal aliens, or are themselves illegal aliens, are prohibited from taking part in the constitutional amendment process and the Electoral College process.

"McGee said after his sister’s death, Emery approached Fish and Game about extending the life estate so he could stay on the property while he’s undergoing cancer treatments. “He was hoping Fish and Game would let him stay longer, maybe until he died,” McGee said. “They considered it, they said it’s not supposed to be residential, it’s supposed to be open, so unfortunately no. It’s clear they’re not going to give us more time.”

The right kind of tax reform can help people directly and indirectly. They benefit directly if reform reduces their tax burden and gives them more take-home income.They benefit indirectly if reform increases growth and leads to additional pre-tax income. For what it’s worth, I think the indirect impact is most important for family finances, and I discussed the potential benefits of faster growth in this recent interview on Fox Business. Dan Mitchell Explaining Why Uncompetitive States Should Lower Tax RatesBut for today’s column, I want to focus on the final portion of the interview, when I pontificated on how limiting...

I spent the weekend on T. Boone Pickens' ranch, Mesa Vista, with about two dozen really smart people talking about energy and transportation. As those of you who have ever sat in a meeting - or even had lunch - with me know, I have the attention span of a five-year-old, but I was mesmerized at the breadth and depth of thinking about how we will get from point A to point B in the near future. My job was to lead a discussion about the political situation. No engineering, geology, or business degree necessary. Degree in speech a definite...

4:44 minute video begins with scenes of the 4 month union siege on the Wisconsin state capitol. Walker was "at one time the most divisive politician in America." Occupy Wall Street was born in Wisconsin. "All hell broke lose" inside the Capital when he signed the bill. "He was compared to Hitler, Osama bin Laden - dead man walking." Then the interview begins: One point of note: Walker believes that the next president and vice president need to be current or former governors - "those who have done successful things in their states, who've taken on big reforms and are...

When Barack Obama was first elected president of the United States, it was hard to predict what the coming years had in store. That’s always the case to some degree, of course — that’s the nature of the future. But even stipulating that predictions about the future are especially difficult, the final months of 2008 were especially tumultuous and uncertain. Through all the chaos, though, at least one thing seemed certain: the Republican Party, which had just gotten blown out for the second election in a row, was in deep, deep trouble. Fast-forward about six years, and the picture is...

The people of North Dakota put more trust and confidence in their state government than people in any other state, while the people of Illinois put the least. In polling done in June through September 2013, Gallup asked at least 600 people in each state this question: “How much trust and confidence do you have in the government of the state where you live when it comes to handling state problems—a great deal, a fair amount, not very much or none at all?” …

Which of these new governors, since taking office, have reduced the size of their state bureaucracy? Less than half of them have, despite hard economic times that have hit state budgets. And you might also be surprised at which ones did...

One of the dumbest things a country can do in a recession is raise taxes. Yet, after pronouncing the end of austerity, Italy's "grand coalition" government, led by Enrico Letta, is going to hike the VAT. Why? It seems they need to hike the VAT to pay for a decrease in property taxes. Recall that Silvio Berlusconi was only willing to take part in Letta's grand coalition on condition property tax hikes were rolled back. Letta agreed to do that, but now Letta says Italy needs revenue hikes to make up for it. Grand Coalition Splintering Curiously, the International Business...

I received still more emails from French and Canadian readers on preserving culture. Since it's a slow news day, let's take a look at them. Olivier writes "Wouldn't a true conservative pay at least some respect to local cultural norms instead of trying to impose some economic diktat from on down?" Talk about getting things ass backwards. It is the social police attempting to impose cultural and economic diktats to preserve the local bookstore and the local farm to the point of absolute absurdity. Email From Canada Reader Mike from Canada writes ... Hi Mish, I totally agree with the...

Americans’ opinion of the federal government has fallen to a record low even as they continue to view local and state governments favorably, according to Pew Research Center survey released on Monday. … The March survey showed Democrats with a more favorable opinion than Republicans of the federal government, at 41 percent to 13 percent. … The poll shows that 63 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of their local government, virtually unchanged since 2007. Fifty-seven percent have a favorable view of their state governments, up 5 percentage points from 2012. …

In Washington, Americans have two-party government, with a Democratic president and Senate and a Republican House. We had it before November's election and will have it again for the next two years. Looking back from 2014, we will have had two-party government for most of the preceding two decades, for six years of Bill Clinton's presidency, three and a half years of George W. Bush's and four years of Barack Obama's. But in most of the 50 states, American voters seem to have opted for something very much like one-party government. Starting next month, Americans in 25 states will have...

Divided government still rules in the nation’s capital after last week’s Tuesday’s vote, but unity is increasingly the name of the game in cities such as Annapolis, Topeka, Concord and Little Rock. In a little-noticed footnote to last week’s election, state legislature elections this year have produced the highest number of states with one-party rule in 60 years. Democrats or Republicans now have sole control of the governorship and both legislative chambers in 37 state capitals around the country. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), which tracks party representation in the country’s 50 state governments, Democrats now...

In a little-noticed footnote to last week’s election, state legislature elections this year have produced the highest number of states with one-party rule in 60 years. Democrats or Republicans now have sole control of the governorship and both legislative chambers in 37 state capitals around the country. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), which tracks party representation in the country’s 50 state governments, Democrats now control all three bases of power – the governorship and both houses of the state legislature – in 14 states and Republicans in 23, with only 12 states sharing power. (Nebraska’s unicameral...

Gov. Jerry Brown has barely taken office, but he's already presented an audacious plan for the state budget. It's audacious to presume that the voters will agree to an extension of the state's current tax rates for another five years, for one thing, but the assumption is based on an even bolder idea. Brown wants to transfer enormous responsibility for major services to local governments. His gamble - and it's a big one - is that the voters will agree to pay the taxes as long as they can connect them with the services in their own communities. The fact...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/statement-president-national-broadband-plan Home • Briefing Room • Statements & Releases The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release March 16, 2010 Statement from the President on the National Broadband Plan America today is on the verge of a broadband-driven Internet era that will unleash innovation, create new jobs and industries, provide consumers with new powerful sources of information, enhance American safety and security, and connect communities in ways that strengthen our democracy. Just as past generations of Americans met the great infrastructure challenges of the day, such as building the Transcontinental...

BATON ROUGE -- Slumping tax collections have punched a $319 million hole in the state budget, a forecasting panel determined Wednesday, giving Gov. Bobby Jindal and the state Legislature less than 10 weeks to decide what mix of spending cuts and one-time revenue sources should be used to fill the gap. In addition to lowering the current-year forecast, the Revenue Estimating Conference, a four-member panel that decides how much the state can spend each year, also lowered the forecast for the 2010-11 fiscal year that begins July 1 by $245 million. State officials have been anticipating another round of midyear...

HOLD EVERYTHING! The New York Times Hammers Governor Paterson, Portraying Him As A Lazy, Out-Of-Touch, Party Boy Henry Blodget Feb. 18, 2010, 10:23 PM Two weeks ago, rumors swirled that the New York Times was working on a "bombshell" story about New York Governor David Paterson. One source told us the story was so devastating that it might lead to the Governor's resignation. For a week, as the media screamed, the New York Times remained silent, publishing nothing. Then, finally, a few days ago, the paper published a mildly interesting but largely irrelevant account of how one of Governor Paterson's...