Free Republic

Peggy Joseph speaking with NBC 6 about how she won't have to fill her gas tank once Obama is elected. As reported on the Schnitt Show.

$168 Billion Stimulus Plan Clears CongressNYTimes.com Friday February 8, 12:37 am ET By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and DAVID STOUT WASHINGTON — Congress overwhelmingly approved a $168 billion economic stimulus program on Thursday, sending it to President Bush for his signature so that millions of Americans can look forward to government checks in the mail. The House gave its final approval to the package on Thursday night by a vote of 380 to 34. The House was able to act because a stalemate in the Senate was broken a few hours earlier after Democrats agreed to add only payments for senior...

A day after the White House unveiled a program to salvage the mortgage market, people are already talking about how borrowers might game the system. To qualify for the fast-track program, borrowers must have a FICO score of less than 660 and it can't have increased by more than 10% since they took out their original subprime mortgage. Because income isn't checked, some experts worry that borrowers who might otherwise be able to afford higher payments will try to lower their FICO score to qualify for a rate freeze. "The message here is to get your FICO score down," Mark...

The Louisiana Ethics commission may be busy in a few weeks trying to unravel complaints of illegal activities in the October 20th elections statewide. Included among the complaints will be one expected to be filed by Representative Willie Hunter who claims that a Federally tax exempt organization in Lake Providence gave boxes of food and household supplies to voters and told them to vote for his opponent and a slate of candidates endorsed by the Louisiana Democratic Party. Hunter claims that hundreds of families were given boxes of food two days before the election then told that the food would...

Hillary says that she is tossing the idea of a $5,000 baby bonus. Golly, I wonder why that would be? Truth is, she drove that wreck into the electoral parking lot and it dented far too many fenders. So ... when one income redistribution plan fails, just roll in another. See if this one will do better. So ... here is Hillary Rodham's latest great idea for a new entitlement program. American Retirement Accounts. Hillary proposes that every citizen have a 401(k)-type retirement account. You can put up to $1,000 annually in the account and the government will match 100%...

When it comes to Hillary's baby bond scheme, she failed to mention that it would cost taxpayers $20 billion annually. But that's besides the point … A Rasmussen telephone poll found that 60% of likely voters oppose Hillary's plan to give every new born baby a $5,000 savings bond. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/voters_reject_clinton_baby_bond_proposal_by_2_to_1_margin Curiously, 65% of whites opposed the baby bond idea. 52% of minorities favored the baby bond idea. Well --- maybe that's not so curious – but I don't want to step on any ethnic toes here, do I? Now that this poll is out there, let's see if Hillary Rodham...

HILLARY'S INCOME TRANSFER SCHEME You've heard the latest, haven't you? This one came out last Friday afternoon. Hillary (please sit down) wants for the federal government to "give" every baby born in America a $5,000 account that can start growing and earning interest so that by the time this kid turns 18 they'll have money to go to college. No .. I'm not kidding. She actually came out with this idea at a speech before a Congressional Black Caucus forum. It's a brand new entitlement program, courtesy of Hillary Clinton. Just think about it! Download a baby, and presto!, the...

Panel kills immigrant tuition bill Measure aimed to prohibit Va. rate for illegals By Aaron Kessler akessler@dailyprogress.com | 964-5476 Thursday, February 15, 2007 RICHMOND - A bill to prohibit illegal immigrants from paying in-state tuition rates at Virginia’s public colleges and universities has been killed by a Senate subcommittee. The measure, sponsored by Del. Jack Reid, R-Henrico, would have barred anyone unlawfully residing in the state from being granted in-state tuition. Reid said the bill was an attempt to bring Virginia “in line with the federal law” on immigration, and that it would keep in-state slots available for “legal Virginia...

Kaine requested to rethink police authority By: Andrew Perkinson 01/23/2007 RICHMOND -- Attorney General Bob McDonnell urged Gov. Tim Kaine (D) to rethink his decision not to seek additional immigration authority for state police investigating violent crimes. Kaine previously had dismissed an increased authority option, saying it would cost the state too much money. "I am renewing my request to the governor in the interest of adhering to the rule of law and providing for additional public safety for our citizens of Virginia," McDonnell said in a press conference Jan. 17. In addition, Sen. Jay O'Brien (R-Clifton) and Del. Tom...

Authorities are conducting a criminal probe into allegations of vote buying by two people — including a county commissioner — in Union County. Eighth Judicial District Attorney General William Paul Phillips said Friday the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into the election activities of Union County Commissioner Charlie Cox and another person he wouldn’t identify. "We had allegations concerning Mr. Cox, the county commissioner, and the other allegations had to do with another individual," Phillips said. Phillips said the initial information had nothing to do with the contested 8th Judicial District public defender’s office race. Leif Jeffers, who lost...

TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico - Mexican police said Saturday they had broken up a vote-buying scheme in Chiapas on the eve of state elections, which will be closely watched in a country already straining under the turmoil of a disputed presidential election last month. Four supporters of Mexico's leading leftist party were arrested Friday after authorities said they were caught trying to give away 36 tons of construction material to Hurricane Stan victims who promised to support the party's gubernatorial candidate. advertisement The suspects were charged with violating electoral laws, said Jose Domingo Perez, spokesman for the state attorney general's office....

RADCLIFF — Congressional candidate Mike Weaver’s gas discount Wednesday was close to being a stunt heard ’round the world. An Associated Press article about his $1.20-a-gallon gas sale at Marathon Food Mart appeared on newspaper and television Web sites from the Los Angles Times to England’s Guardian Unlimited and ABC News. It also was the topic of blogs across the country. “It’s a lot more coverage than I thought I would ever get,” said Weaver, a Democrat running against Republican incumbent Ron Lewis for Kentucky’s 2nd District seat. “I think it gave me a lot more name recognition.” Political analyst...

Amid the current panic about gas prices many people are embracing ethanol. But that's not such a good idea During the comment period for the RFG (reformulated gas) program, supporters of ethanol had argued that the volatile organic compound (VOC) emission standards in the program -- 42 U. S. C. 7545 (k) (3) (B) (i) -- would preclude the use of ethanol in RFG because adding ethanol to gasoline increases its volatility and raises VOC emissions, especially in the summertime. Background The American Petroleum Institute v. the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [Docket #94-1502 (Heard by the U. S. Court of...

Party money bought backing in the past St. Clair County Democratic leadership has distributed election packets to countywide precinct committeemen, which include an affidavit stating that money from the party will not be used to buy votes. The unusual action follows the vote buying convictions in June of five East St. Louis politicians. They had helped distribute more than $70,000 received by city Democratic precinct committeemen two days before the 2004 election from the county Democratic organization. While St. Clair County Democratic Central Committee Chairman Robert Sprague could not be reached for comment, a fax received Monday from his Belleville...

A $400 million campaign by the Bush administration to enroll low-income seniors in prescription drug coverage that would cost them just a few dollars per prescription has signed up 1.4 million people, a fraction of the 8 million eligible for the new coverage. At this rate, by some calculations, the government is on track to spend about $250 for each person it enrolls, and even then it would have only 2 million poor senior citizens taking advantage of what is perhaps the most generous government benefit available today. "It's a very, very good benefit," said Deane Beebe, whose organization, the...

Just wondering if the MSM did its job: Has anyone heard a follow-up report on the woman affiliated with the NAACP who was trading crack cocaine for completed voter registration forms during the 2004 presidential elections? Was she charged with a crime?

December 30, 2005 Stowers admits guilt Clerk says he engaged in vote buying By Tom Searls Staff writer Admitting he paid for votes and even decided whose roads would get gravel for votes, Lincoln County Circuit Clerk Greg Stowers entered a guilty plea to a federal vote-buying charge Thursday. Stowers, 48, admitted to distributing $7,000 to be used to influence voters during the May 2004 primary election. If he receives any prison term, it will likely be a short one. In return, he agreed to cooperate with federal investigators in their continuing election fraud investigation and agreed to testify before...

Charleston, W.Va. -- Thomas Esposito's campaign for the Legislature seemed to be following the usual pattern. The longtime Democratic mayor issued press releases, raised money and bought newspaper ads. Signs bearing his name popped up in yards around rural Logan County. But less than a month before the May 2004 primary election, Esposito dropped out, saying he had to withdraw because of his ailing mother-in-law. The real reason surfaced only later: The FBI had planted Esposito among the field of candidates to help find evidence of vote-buying in southern West Virginia. Federal prosecutors say the gambit worked. They allege Esposito...

A subsidiary of the Venezuelan national oil company will ship 12 million gallons of discounted home-heating oil to local charities and 45,000 low-income families in Massachusetts next month under a deal arranged by US Representative William D. Delahunt, a local nonprofit energy corporation, and Venezuela's president, White House critic Hugo Chávez. The approximately $9 million deal will bring nine million gallons of oil to families and three million gallons to institutions that serve the poor, such as homeless shelters, said officials from Citizens Energy Corp., which is signing the contract. Families would pay about $276 for a 200-gallon shipment, a...

A SAD DAY IN AMERICAToday is the first day that Medicare recipients can enroll in the latest wealth transfer from the young to the old: Medicare prescription drug coverage. This is the largest expansion of government in decades...and it was all at the behest of a Republican president. Over the coming decades, the Medicare prescription drug benefit will cost trillions of dollars...the Gimme Generation will clean up and our children will be paying for it the rest of their lives. And what was the point? George W. Bush, the biggest spender in the history of the republic, pushed the prescription...

LIBERTY, Ky. (AP) - A Casey County man has been convicted of using cash and whiskey to buy votes in a school board election. Jurors deliberated 30 minutes Wednesday before finding Joe Ellis guilty on four felony charges of buying votes. They recommended Ellis serve only the minimum prison sentence of one year. He had faced up to 20 years in prison. Ellis gave pints of Ancient Age whiskey and $5 bills to Stella Johnson's son and daughter and a friend during a meeting the day before the November 2004 election, according to testimony during the trial. Police said Ellis...

Virginia Politicians and Highway Porkby Jacob G. Hornberger, August 17, 2005 For a good example of the moral perversity of the budget-busting, pork-barrel highway bill, consider what recently happened in Bristol, Virginia. While on his annual statewide “listening tour” across the state, Republican Sen. George Allen proudly told Bristol voters that their local officials were going to receive even more money from Congress than they had requested for the renovation of the local train station. Rep. Rick Boucher, a Democrat, had requested only $400,000 for the project. Not to be outdone, Sen. John Warner, a Republican, had requested $1 million...

Federal Prosecutor in West Virginia Leaves Office The Associated Press Published: Aug 1, 2005 CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The chief federal prosecutor for southern West Virginia abruptly left office Monday, and a Justice Department official would not comment on the departure. A call to U.S. Attorney Kasey Warner's home was not immediately returned. Warner, 53, was appointed four years ago by President Bush. His office prosecuted several vote-buying cases this past year in some Democratic counties, landing guilty pleas from a sheriff and a police chief, among others. Defense attorneys have complained that investigators looking to catch people buying and...

Prime Minister Bribes Quebec to Pass Budget and Same-Sex Marriage' Bill - Only One Chance Left To Stop C-38 OTTAWA, June 23, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Shameless bribery, using taxpayers' money or abuse of position, as revealed by the Gomery enquiry and the Grewal and Stronach affairs, continues to be the modus operandi for the Liberal Party's efforts to maintain power in Canada. Facing a possible defeat of its budget and thus a forced election (along with the elimination of the gay 'marriage' bill), the Liberals have just arranged for a hefty sum of $1.3 billion of unassigned funds in the...

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) Monday named New York Sens. Hillary Clinton (D) and Charles Schumer (D) the Co-Porkers of the Month for February for pledging to fight the President's reforms of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Sens. Clinton and Schumer lashed out at the President, with Sen. Clinton describing the federal grants as "a lifeline" for New Yorkers. President Bush's fiscal 2006 budget includes 154 program cuts or terminations, saving a total of $20 billion. The CDBG program, which is providing $4.7 billion to cities and towns nationally in fiscal 2005, is on that list. The budget...

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- Lebanon's finance minister on Sunday downplayed the Iraqi Defense Ministry's transfer of $500 million to a Beirut financial institution, saying he would expect such a transfer to be legal if it was made by the Iraqi government. In southern Iraq, the politician demanding a probe into Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan's decision to make the cash transfer said he would not flee his country. Ahmad Chalabi said he was staying despite Shaalan's threat to arrest him and turn him over to Interpol based on an old Jordanian bank fraud conviction.Finance Minister Elias Saba told the private...

The Louisiana Secretary of State's office is investigating a newly-elected New Iberia city councilman's allegations that his opponent bought votes with money and alcohol. Raymond "Shoe Do" Lewis claims people working for Georgianna Brown's campaign paid people $2 to $5 or gave them extra dry gin in exchange for their vote during the most recent absentee voting period in October. "I have recorded statements of people who were given money," he said. "The money was given to people with some sample ballots." Lewis denied The Daily Iberian access to the tape, saying he wanted to save it for the investigation....

The Tripp County auditor and her deputy have charged a Republican poll watcher with being disruptive at a satellite voting station on Rosebud Indian Reservation, a charge the man denies. In addition, Auditor Kathleen Flakus said in a signed statement sent to reporters Monday that she heard Republican poll watcher Paul Brenner of Burke, Va., tell voters coming to the station last week that they could be paid $10 to vote. Brenner presents a different version of the incident in his own affidavit, also sent Monday to the Journal. He claims to have found evidence of vote buying on the...

DID THE MAYOR OF PHILLY MEAN TO ADMIT THIS? [KJL] From Hardball: MATTHEWS: let's talk resources. how much money are you getting to run this city operation, this get out the vote campaign? a couple million bucks? how much money is being spread around by the campaign to win philadelphia? i heard you're aiming at higher an 350, but to get that, that's a lot of street money, to use a term we're all familiar with, isn't it? STREET: that's an awful lot of money. we will distribute -- we have distributed to our party workers probably between -- between...

SIOUX FALLS - A tribal judge has no authority to keep Republicans from watching Tuesday's voting on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney James McMahon said Saturday. McMahon said that anyone who tries to carry out the order would be subject to violating federal law. "It would be my interpretation of that order that it does not comply with the law, and I have let it be known to law enforcement that they should not be enforcing any order on the reservation which purports to keep the Republican Party away from the polls," he said. Also Saturday, a Republican poll...

PHILADELPHIA - Pssst! Want your vote to count? In Ohio? Or Florida? You can now arrange to trade votes with a voter in another state, under a plan created by activists who don't want Ralph Nader to siphon off votes from John Kerry in vital swing states. On Monday, a group called VotePair.org will start hooking up Kerry voters in "safe" Democratic or Republican states with third-party voters in hotly contested states. The goal: to get would-be third-party voters to vote for Kerry in swing states, in exchange for Kerry voters' voting for Nader or Green Party candidate David Cobb...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. A second Lincoln County resident has been indicted in the widening federal probe of election fraud in southern West Virginia. The grand jury alleges 35-year-old Jackie Adkins of Harts bribed four unidentified voters to influence the ballots they cast in May's primary election. The Division of Highways employee is the fifth person to be charged overall in a probe that has ensnared Logan County's sheriff, the city of Logan's police chief and a prominent Logan lawyer. A Lincoln County resident was indicted earlier in the probe. She was charged with falsely denying under oath that she and her...

Greetings all: I found it interesting that the democrats in Rochester are encouraging drinking over civic responsibility. If you sign up to vote you get free beers. I will not buy beer from High Falls Brewery I understand that their bottom line is not good but that is just ridiculous. If someone registers does that mean they will vote? They must have it within themselves to want to vote a beer will not instill civic responsibilities. Positive good debate will. http://www.democratandchronicle.com/news/0618SM4KQJ4_news.shtml Johnny

SAN BERNARDINO - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry pledged Thursday to channel $30 billion over 10 years to improve teacher pay as well as raise teaching standards, including bonuses of up to $5,000 for those who teach math and science or work in high-need schools. The program would tap a $200 billion education trust fund established with money from the repeal of President Bush’s tax breaks for those earning more than $200,000 a year, the Kerry campaign said. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4916452/

Inside his little Western wear store tucked in a corner on East Riverside Drive, Francisco Javier Aceves can't help but feel a kinship with the angular young men who come in to buy jeans, cowboy boots, phone cards and cell phones. As sure as a regular payday, they come in also to wire money to their families back home in Mexico, in places such as Veracruz, Tabasco, Chiapas and Oaxaca. "Sometimes they come three or four in a car," Aceves said about his customers. "Sometimes they just start lining up to wire money." The young men live and work in...

Judge conducts business from jail AWAITS SENTENCING ON VOTE-BUYING CONVICTION By John Cheves HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER HINDMAN - After a decade in Appalachian politics, Knott County Judge-Executive Donnie Newsome might be more popular behind bars than he ever was at the ballot box. Newsome, 52, is being held in the Fayette County jail, awaiting a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison for buying votes in his 1998 election. A jury convicted him last month. But Newsome continues to serve as county judge, meeting people and signing county papers during visiting hours. He still collects his $63,753 salary....

Barbara Simpson Tweedle Dem ... and Tweedle Dumber The rest of the country – maybe the world – can call it a circus, but for Californians, it's as serious as death. Whatever it's called, it is the recall of a governor who thought he was "Teflon." Wrong. Slippery, maybe. Thin-skinned, yes. Mercenary, yes. Focused and power-hungry, without doubt. All of those describe Gray Davis. But "Teflon"? Sorry, no. The reality of the recall and its momentum are the proof. Californians on both sides of the aisle are sick of the state's dismal financial situation. Under Democrat control, it has only...

Viva! Viva California!" With those words last week, Gov. Gray Davis launched operation "Please Don't Fire Me." His speech opening his anti-recall campaign was short, and its complete text has been available at a number of sites on the Internet, so you may have read it. However, it begs for translation and interpretation, which we happily provide below, in italics: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Viva! Viva California!" That ought to nail the Hispanic vote. "I came here tonight to take responsibility ..." ... and pass it on to the Republican Party. "My friends, last Friday, 50 million Americans lost power for 29 hours....

<p>BATON ROUGE - Former Legislative Auditor Dan Kyle, a Republican candidate for Louisiana governor, alleges that a political leader he declined to identify asked for $25,000 to "take care of the votes in this area."</p> <p>Kyle, kicking off a statewide tour Monday in Baton Rouge, said the money could be legally paid because it was for "voter canvassing" permitted under Louisiana campaign law. But once paid, Kyle said the money could be spent to buy votes.</p>

Everybody Gets Taxed So Boomers Can Live In Fat City June 17, 2003 On Tuesday, a caller named Irene rang me up to say that women choosing not to work are screwed out of 401(k) plans and Social Security if their husbands die. Irene lives in Rose City, Michigan, but I told her not to worry, because under this new Medicare bill she's going to be living in Fat City soon enough! You do get some of your spouse's Social Security if they pass away. They also specify you as recipients of retirement accounts, life insurance, etc. Besides, Irene said...

<p>CABO DE SANTO AGOSTINHO, Brazil -- During the last local election in this northeastern Brazilian town, Sarah da Silva and her sister accepted a curious favor in exchange for their votes. Instead of offering cash or medicine, a candidate paid for the two mothers to be sterilized.</p>

FREE DRUGS FOR WIZENED CITIZENS Step by step … here is how it’s going to work. Print this and safe it.  You can show it to your children or grandchildren to help explain why the government is taking 60% of everything they earn.  Democrats propose a grand new spending program.  Senior citizens are going to be able to use someone else’s money to buy their prescription drugs.  Senior citizens pledge their electoral support to Democrats as thanks.Republicans start chanting “me too!” and get on board with the free drugs for old folks plan, hoping that at least some of the...

Rep. Mike Turner of Tennessee, has introduced a bill into the General Assembly that would allow election day registration of voters. Two years ago, Mike Turner introduced a bill that was later passed that allowed illegal aliens to get driver's licenses in Tennessee. Critics at the time complained that the law would give illegal aliens the ability to get government services to which they are not entitled and to illegally register to vote. They were assured that this would not be the case as the Tennessee driver's licenses would not have a social security number on them. However, in an...

Warner, Kaine attend gay-rights reception Group supports bill on domestic-partner benefits BY TYLER WHITLEY TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jan 20, 2003 They are not numerous enough to be a potent political bloc, but members of Virginia's gay and lesbian community have gotten the attention of Virginia's Democratic governor and lieutenant governor. Gov. Mark R. Warner and Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine showed up at a legislative reception held Thursday night by "Equality Virginia," the new name of an umbrella advocacy organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Virginians. Republican Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore was invited but did not attend. Warner's...

The cleanup of Vieques will not be a New Year priority here for the Calderon administration, at least not until after May 1, when the Navy is supposed to end its exercises on the small island, Resident Commissioner Anibal Acevedo Vila has indicated. Congressional action on Vieques is now "closed" - as far as the Navy exiting the island is concerned, said the resident commissioner. He did not foresee trying to rally help for the cleanup in Congress for many months, if at all. "After May, we will have to sit down with federal agencies to talk about a cleanup,"...

Urban Train-related negotiations between Siemens Transportation Partnership and the Highway Authority have stretched out for a second day. Representatives from both parties have been meeting since Tuesday in the Urban Train's offices in Hato Rey to settle on how much money the government will pay the German company to have the first phase of the train fully operational by September 2003. The government is hoping that a 2003 completion date will help it secure $400 million in federal funds to add new routes to the electric train system. A source close to Siemens said both parties have agreed on $70...