Free Republic

On Wall Street and Main Street they call William Jefferson Clinton the "Comeback Kid," but it's not because of some Election Day surprise. It's because almost everything he did regarding financial-services regulation has come back to haunt us. If it wasn't apparent before, the former president's handiwork became clear when President Barack Obama announced his plans for sweeping financial-services reforms. Obama's efforts to bring fair dealing to the mortgage markets, rules to the derivatives marketplace and restraint to big financial companies underscore the missteps of Clinton's second term. We had weakly regulated markets when Clinton took office, but by the...

A horde of union members gathered on Capitol Hill on Thursday demanding that a government-backed insurance program be included in healthcare reform legislation. At a rally fronted by former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, representatives from liberal groups and organized labor said a bill that does not include a public insurance plan would not be true reform... Success on healthcare reform is a must for Democrats, Dean told The Hill. “I think it’s going to be a catastrophic problem for the Democratic Party if they can’t get this bill out.”

A trio of regulatory changes and missteps on the former president's watch let the banks run wild and encouraged the housing bubble. But he had help, of course. On Wall Street and Main Street they call William Jefferson Clinton the "Comeback Kid," but it's not because of some Election Day surprise. It's because almost everything he did regarding financial-services regulation has come back to haunt us. If it wasn't apparent before, the former president's handiwork became clear when President Barack Obama announced his plans for sweeping financial-services reforms. Obama's efforts to bring fair dealing to the mortgage markets, rules to...

Russian forces have begun their biggest military exercise in the Caucasus since the war with Georgia last year. More than 8,000 troops are taking part in the manoeuvres near the Georgian border, which Georgia has called "a pure provocation from Russia". Military sources are also quoted as saying the exercises would help to "cool down the fantasies of some warmongers", in a clear reference to Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, whom Moscow blames for starting last year's war, says our correspondent. People frightened Tensions in the region are still high: Russia maintains heavy military presences in Georgia's two breakaway regions of...

AND NOW . . . amidst billowing clouds of fragrant, aromatic first- and second-hand premium cigar smoke. . . it is time for . . . that harmless, lovable little fuzz ball, the highly-trained broadcast specialist, having more fun than a human being should be allowed to have, from behind the golden EIB microphone, firmly ensconced in the prestigious Attila-the-Hun chair at the Limbaugh Institute of Advanced Conservative Studies, serving humanity simply by showing up, and he’s not retiring until every American agrees with him, do NOT doubt him, with shrieks of joy at the mere mention of his name...

About a decade ago, moved by a convergence of my longstanding fascination with religion and a time of great personal loss, I embarked on a search for a church and wound up a born-again Catholic. It was not a straight or untroubled path, guided as it was by both my attraction to and enmity for the Roman Catholic Church into which I was born and baptized.

I oppose affirmative action in all its forms but why is it given to non-african american minority groups? I understand the general idea for why the Left supports it is allegedly diversity (although they hate ideological diversity) but how can they claim that, for instance, with hispanic groups who comprise such a large population in the US now? Arguably you could support it (although I disagree with this) for African Americans as a form of reparations of sorts but how does that apply to any other group? I don't remember Hispanics being enslaved and it was the Irish, not Hispanics...

About a decade ago, moved by a convergence of my longstanding fascination with religion and a time of great personal loss, I embarked on a search for a church and wound up a born-again Catholic. It was not a straight or untroubled path, guided as it was by both my attraction to and enmity for the Roman Catholic Church into which I was born and baptized.

Court rules for white firefighters over promotions WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled Monday that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge. New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision. The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities. The ruling could alter employment practices...

Inhofe just interviewed live on Fox. Fox is running with the suppressed EPA report challanging manmade global warming as a major story. Inhofe says the Cap and Trade bill is "DOA" in the Senate. There will be an investigation into the EPA suppressing valid science. He said "I'm kind of rejoicing", and that he's finally vindicated after years of pointing out the poor science. The Fox anchor: "This is huge!" Victory!!!

 Gay Duke University Official Molested Black Adopted Son, Pimped son to Cop

Democratic legislators trotted out a stick-and-carrot approach to closing the state's budget gap Sunday night, negotiating with the governor on one floor of the Capitol while voting for a package of cuts and taxes on another. Majority Democrats in the Assembly were voting late Sunday on a $23.4 billion package of spending cuts, tax and fee increases, and accounting tricks designed to close a gaping hole in the budget for the fiscal year that starts Wednesday. Unlike last week's efforts, when at least some Republican votes were needed to pass the bills so they could take effect immediately, Sunday's package...

All-Obama Network to be Introduced in 2010 by Edna Mode Dahhhling Get Ready for the the 24-Hour Barack Obama Channel. Set to Debut in January 2010, the "Barack Obama Channel" will feature the following programs: 1. A Day in the Life of Barack Obama 2. My Girls: A reality show featuring Obama's wife and daughters. 3, Obama Jeopardy: An all-Obama version of the popular quiz show, hosted by Jon Stewart 4. The Daily Press Conference 5. Q&A With Barack Obama 6, TOTUS: An instructional guide to successfully program a teleprompter 7, White House Tour: Hosted by Keith Olbermann 8, Obama...

Former Vice President Dick Cheney told The Washington Times' America's Morning News radio show that he is a strong believer in Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, and that the general is doing what needs to be done. "But what he says concerns me: That there is still a continuing problem. One might speculate that insurgents are waiting as soon as they get an opportunity to launch more attacks.

About this time every year, as the Legislature and governor wrestle over how to pass the state budget, somewhere, somebody blames Sacramento's stalemate - and the state of the California's mediocre schools and crumbling roads - on Proposition 13. The wail usually echoes unanswered for a simple reason: Thirty-one years after California voters overwhelmingly passed the law that fixed the rate of property tax increases and required a two-thirds majority of the Legislature to raise taxes and approve state budgets, polls show that Prop. 13 is as popular as ever.But this year, with California and the nation in the throes...

An economic war has broken out between Switzerland and the rest of the world after the crackdown on Swiss banking secrecy,according to one of Geneva's leading private bankers. Yves Mirabaud, a managing partner at Swiss private bank Mirabaud, told the Financial Times that nothing was easier than dodging tax in the US and UK. In rare public comments, Mr Mirabaud said: "There is a feeling in the banking community, and also in the population . . that we are in an economic war.There is nothing easier than doing tax evasion in the US. Look at Delaware companies or trusts in...

Navy Drops US Warship for Made-in-Israel Option by Yehudah Lev Kay (IsraelNN.com) The Israeli navy has dropped plans to purchase U.S. made warships and instead is exploring the possibility of a home-grown military shipbuilding industry, according to the website of Defense News. The Ministry of Defense had originally planned on purchasing either the small Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) from Lockheed Martin or similar corvettes built by Northrop Grumman. However, costs for the LCS ships skyrocketed to $637 million, and costs for the corvettes were estimated at $450 million, both deemed prohibitive to the navy. “As much as we sought commonality...

FAST FACTS: * Cameras show couple feasting on filet, bottles of win, then skipping out on tab * Couple told server they were 'going out to smoke' * Restaurant emails couple's pics to listserve of more than 8-thousand people (Memphis 6/26/09) In this tough economy, the dine-and-dash has taken on a whole new twist. Now, businesses are fighting back. When two diners at Buckely's restaurant walked out last night without paying their tab, the owner took matters into his own hands. He wasn't going to say goodbye to $100 worth of food without a fight. Apparently, the restaurant has seen...

In a controversial simple-majority vote Sunday night, the state Assembly approved raising taxes on oil production and tobacco products as part of a Democratic budget proposal that closes most of the $24.3 billion budget shortfall through June 2010. But the plan met immediate resistance when a spokesman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vowed that the Republican would veto such an end run around GOP lawmakers. Bills containing new taxes normally require a two-thirds majority to be enacted. "He will veto any majority-vote budget fix," said Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear. "I think this shows that the Legislature is not yet serious about...

The Sunday shows gave us a pretty good glimpse of how much trouble Obama's big-ticket Socialist agenda is in. Though the Democrats are flush from their bloody House victory on Knee-Cap and Trade, Republican Senators wasted no time in trashing its prospects in the Senate. As the warm-up act on on Friday, Sen. Jim Inhofe all but guaranteed the Energy tax would never make it through the Senate. On Sunday, the rest of the team piled on.