Free Republic

The health care debate in this country is an old story. It began in 1934 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to include government-funded health care in his "New Deal" as part of his comprehensive Social Security legislation. President Roosevelt was very concerned that the Supreme Court might rule parts of his "New Deal" unconstitutional. He tried to induce Congress to approve increasing the total number of justices on the Supreme Court to fifteen, attempting thereby to circumvent the judiciary and the Constitution by stacking the Court in his favor. Subsequently, government funded health care has been debated in nearly...

Montesquieu lives in Honduras Honduras, 07.07.09 - Arturo Alvarado: diarioSPAMFILTER@elheraldo.hn Arturo Alvarado The events in Honduras are the most faithful reflection of the meaning of the principle of separation and autonomy of the Public Authorities, which in turn was developed by the famous Baron de Montesquieu in his immortal work "The Spirit of Laws" published in 1748; in which this principle is considered as a guarantee against despotism. In the case of Honduras, its Constitution is shielded against the claims of eternización in power precisely because of the numerous coups and military dictatorships which crossed the Central American country. The...

A liberal acquaintance couldn't understand why conservatives are impatient with Obama. Didn't conservatives get enough of a chance with 30 years of Reagan and Bush, he asked? OK, it's true that conservatives did get some tax-rate cuts. And we did win the cold war. And we did roll back one social program, welfare, a little, for a while. But conservatives look on the Obama administration so far and say: Liberals are like the French Bourbons -- the royal house of France, Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, deposed in the French Revolution. After the defeat of Napoleon the Bourbon kings were restored...

I'm all for cap ‘n trade; it's a nifty idea. Simply splendid. Positively stupendous. Brilliant beyond brilliant. I just have a different take on the whole notion. I prefer very stringent caps on taxes and spending, coupled with a 2010 trade-in of the entire U.S. Congress. What in holy tarnation do those people think they're getting paid to do? While these Roman throwbacks attempt to save the planet, pagan style, so they can set up their Darwinian nirvana on earth, the rest of us have enough sense not to try to make the state our church. While we, in the...

The nation's hospitals agreed last night to contribute $155 billion over 10 years toward the cost of insuring the 47 million Americans without health coverage, according to two industry sources. The agreement that three hospital associations reached with White House officials and leaders of the Senate Finance Committee is the latest in a series of side deals that aim to reduce the cost of revamping the nation's health-care system and to neutralize influential industries that have historically opposed such reforms. With President Obama out of the country, a formal announcement is expected tomorrow from Vice President Biden. "Getting health-care reform...

The silent hum of hybrid petrol-electric vehicles, which recently became number one best-selling cars in Japan, has been deemed dangerous to pedestrians, in particular the visually impaired. When switched from fuel to battery mode, the vehicles make a barely perceptible noise, prompting campaigners to urge the installation of noise devices to prevent accidents. A new government panel of scholars, consumers, police, vision-impaired groups and automobile industry leaders has been formed in Japan to discuss whether the eco-friendly cars should be installed with compulsory noise-making devices. "We have received opinions from automobile users and vision-impaired people that they feel hybrid vehicles...

* Kal Penn starts new job at White House * Is happy to take break from Hollywood * Television news: Updates, guides, what's on ACTOR Kal Penn has formally started work at the White House, saying he is happy to take a break from Hollywood to serve in President Barack Obama's administration. "This is an incredibly historic time; I'm deeply honoured to be here and I hope to serve my country to the best of my ability," the actor, whose given name is Kalpen Modi, said. Penn revealed in early April that his character Dr Lawrence Kutner on the smash...

"Thank you very much..."

Ezekiel Emmanuel MD, Rahm Emmanuel’s brother, who is Barack Obama’s “Special Advisor for Health Policy”, is described by the [1] Huffington Post article as engaged in a very important mission: redesigning the US health care system. Emanuel and the White House are attempting to reorganize the delivery and reimbursement systems of health care, changing what the types of procedures doctors rely on, making people more aware of disease prevention, encouraging insurance companies to expand coverage, and so on. It is a process rife with sensitivities, trickeries and, of course, the potential for failure. It is not, he insists, impossible.“It...

US President Barack Obama has praised Russian PM Vladimir Putin at talks outside Moscow, saying there was an excellent chance to improve ties. Mr Obama's meeting with the man widely regarded as the most powerful in Russia is taking place on the second day of the American leader's visit to Moscow. Mr Obama praised Mr Putin for his "extraordinary work" as president and PM as the pair met for the first time. Mr Putin said Mr Obama's own role would be key in improving relations. Afghan deal The breakfast meeting was held at Mr Putin's dacha outside the capital. Mr...

If they were real, billion-dollar Federal Reserve notes would be a nice thing to have. But there is no such thing. Several local banks discovered this fact in the course of an investigation that has involved the Secret Service and the U.S. Marshals, after a 72-year-old man allegedly tried to use five forged reserve notes as collateral to start a mortgage business. According to a search warrant affidavit, Juan H. Romero first took the notes to an Albuquerque Wells Fargo in February, accompanied by his attorney, who asked a bank employee to write a letter verifying the value of the...

July 7, 2009Obama Is in Russia, but Honduras Is Where the Action IsBy Dennis Prager The importance of the summit meeting in Moscow between President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pales in comparison to the events taking place in Honduras. Whether or not the United States and Russia reduce their nuclear arsenals is ultimately meaningless. But whether Hugo Chavez and Raul Castro are victorious in Honduras or whether the movement toward left-wing authoritarianism is finally defeated in a Latin American country is extremely significant.

Rarely does the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights vote unanimously on anything. A partisan divide has made the commission contentious in recent years. Yet the Department of Justice's decision to forfeit its voter-intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party and three individual defendants drew a 6-0 vote with one abstention by the commission. What unified the commission was outrage at the Justice Department for letting the Black Panthers off the hook. The Civil Rights Commission has sent two letters -- on June 16 and June 22 -- to Loretta King, acting assistant attorney general for the civil rights division,...

It appears that Iraq is hoping to cut by half the amount of money it is required to pay Kuwait annually for damages inflicted during the first Gulf War, according to an aide to Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki. Currently, Iraq turns over 5 percent of its oil revenue to a United Nations war reparations fund created after the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Kuwait is the fund's primary beneficiary. Iraqi officials say the financial obligation is a heavy burden as Iraq attempts to rebuild; some say that their country should no longer be required to pay reparations. So far, Kuwait is...

Why the government can't reduce the cost of health care. Before the end of the summer, the deadline President Obama has set for enacting legislation, words in the untold millions will compete for your attention on the subject of health care. Paul Krugman will exercise himself every week in The New York Times. Members of Congress will swagger and preen whenever the health care plans they have proposed appear to be gaining support. (As I write, Sen. Max Baucus has strutted out a press release claiming that the latest version of his own plan would "[keep] the cost of health...

Singers Stevie Wonder and Mariah Carey are among a bevy of stars slated to appear at Michael Jackson's memorial service, organizers said Monday. Soul legend Wonder and pop diva Carey were included on a provisional list of participants at Tuesday's ceremony which will also include stars such as John Mayer, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson and Usher. Other celebrities taking part at the Staples Center include Jackson's former girlfriend Brooke Shields, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson.

On MSNBC’s Morning Joe today, co-host Mika Brzezinski rushed to the defense of Sarah Palin while criticizing the “mainstream media” for not understanding that Palin represents the views of real Americans and not the liberal elite who live in cities. So I guess the real Americans are 30%-40% who approve of Palin, and the millions who voted for Obama aren’t? Here is the video courtesy of Media Matters: (VIDEO AT LINK) Brzezinski said, “People were coming to those rallies because they agree with her. Look at the polls out there. Look where people stand on life. Look where real Americans...

I've received a lot of email...that suggests that the libertarian-conservative Right couldn't possibly do to the Left or the Republican Establishment what they've done to Sarah Palin. A few of my correspondents have suggested that it would be immoral, which indicates a lack of imagination. The majority have asked, in one way or another, "How?" Here's how: a simple, easy-to-follow algorithm for making room for good people and the ideas of freedom in American politics once more: Pick a single target. It could be an elected or appointed official, or it could be some spokesvermin who merely flacks for anti-American...

So much filth has accumulated in the streets of Washington, D.C. and it is time to bust out the mop and bucket. With the recent questionable “election” of Al Franken, America has become a three ring circus. First, you have a president that can not and will not show his birth certificate. The massive loads of spending and worthless crap that is hidden in all bills passing by Congress are tearing up our budget so badly, Freddy Kruegger would be screaming and running away like a little girl. This American here has had it up to his eye balls! I...

Al Franken -- the former comedian who won a bruising, eight-month vote recount and court battle in Minnesota -- arrived on Capitol Hill on Monday, a day before he was to be sworn in as a new Democratic member of the Senate. But Franken immediately downplayed the importance of his vote in the Senate. "A lot has been made of this number 60," Franken said. "The number I'm focused on is the number two.