Free Republic

The Obamacare law contains 20 new or higher taxes on American families and small businesses Taxpayers are reminded that the president’s healthcare law is one of the largest tax increases in American history. Obamacare contains 20 new or higher taxes on American families and small businesses. Arranged by their respective effective dates, below is the total list of all $500 billion-plus in tax hikes (over the next ten years) in Obamacare, where to find them in the bill, and how much your taxes are scheduled to go up as of today: Taxes that took effect in 2010: 1. Excise Tax...

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran said on Tuesday it had successfully tested medium-range missiles capable of hitting Israel as a response to threats of attack, the latest move in a war of nerves with the West. Israel says it could attack Iran if diplomacy fails to secure a halt to its disputed nuclear energy program. The United States also has military force as a possible option but has repeatedly encouraged the Israelis to be patient while new economic sanctions are implemented against Iran. The Islamic Republic announced the "Great Prophet 7" missile exercise on Sunday after a European embargo against Iranian...

MIAMI (AP) — One of the nation's foremost Latino civil rights organizations has selected for the first time a Cuban-American to chair its board. The National Council of La Raza was expected to announce Wednesday that Miami native and public relations guru Jorge Plasencia, 38, will lead its board. He is only the third non Mexican-American to serve in that role in more than four decades. Plasencia replaces Phoenix attorney Daniel R. Ortega. The move signifies, in part, the heavily Mexican-American group's growing recognition of the important role Florida plays in Hispanic politics. It also signifies the group's recognition of...

Remember when President Obama stood in the Rose Garden and told the American people of his administration’s new plan to stop the deportation of younger illegal immigrants if they met certain criteria? Remember when he promised the policy change isn’t amnesty?     Over to you, Washington Times: Federal immigration authorities have begun granting tentative legal status to illegal immigrants under President Obama’s deportation halt — and in some cases are even ignoring the administration’s eligibility rules to stop deportations for those who shouldn’t qualify, according to the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.   Rep. Lamar Smith, Texas Republican,...

As many people fall down in the sweltering heat, because of the loss of power to air conditioners, there are others jumping up and down, because the excessively hot weather seems be to punishing those naughty Americans, known around the world to use more than their "fair share" of energy. Coupled with the severe storms knocking out power lines, to an environmentalist, it may, indeed, be a perfect storm. In the past several years, American power generating companies have been diverted from upgrading their existing equipment, including coal generating plants, transmission lines, substations, etc. on the Grid, by the incessant...

Former Commerce Secretary John Bryson tested positive for the sleeping aid Ambien, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office. Prosecutors announced Tuesday that they have decided not to file criminal charges against Bryson in connection with two alleged hit-and-run crashes in the San Gabriel Valley last month.(snip)His tests showed “low end of therapeutic levels” and a criminalist could not say if it was a factor in the collisions. Both treating doctors agree he was suffering confusion following a seizure and crashed as a result, according to the memo.

5 Facts That Must Be Ignored Before Accusing Catholics Of “Mary Worship”! Jun 19th, 2012by Gary Zimak. I love the Blessed Mother! There…I said it and I’m glad I did! As a Catholic, I’m so blessed to be a member of the Church that truly honors and respects the Mother of my Lord and Savior. I must admit that, even though I’m a cradle Catholic, I didn’t always feel this way. In fact, for most of my life I didn’t understand Mary’s role or care about her too much. What a mistake! Now, after several recent accusations of “Mary worship”...

The UAE is keen on strengthening relations with Egypt, its foreign minister said on Tuesday, welcoming newly elected President Mohamed Morsi's pledge not to "export" his country's revolution. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan's statement came days after Egypt's foreign ministry summoned the UAE ambassador over comments made by Dubai police chief General Dahi Khalfan offering "condolences" on Morsi's victory. "We are keen on strengthening these historical and brotherly relations during the upcoming period politically and economically," Sheikh Abdullah said in a statement published on state news agency WAM. He welcomed Morsi's remarks pledging "to not meddle in the affairs of...

In one of the uglier MSM smears of the presidential campaign to date, MSNBC's Richard Wolffe has tried to tie Mitt Romney with one of America's most reviled men: John Edwards. Appearing on Al Sharpton's MSNBC show this afternoon, Wolffe somehow suggested that Romney's decision to invest overseas and legally trim his federal tax bill was akin to Edwards reprehensible behavior. According to Wolffe, there is a "moral question" hanging over Romney, just as there was regarding Edwards. View the video here.

The Supreme Court has spoken, the president has spoken, and Congress has spoken. Now it is time for the American people to speak. In four months, Americans will have a choice. We can choose to elect a vision that is true to what America is -- a country where freedom is cherished, hard work is rewarded, and handouts are adverse to our very nature. Or we can re-elect a vision very much at odds with this foundation, a vision whose fruits are destroying America at its very core. The latter vision produced Obamacare, a piece of legislation that amounts to...

In the last year as Democrats have tried to oppose all efforts to ensure the integrity of the vote in the fall election, they have derided voter ID laws as not only racist in motivation but also unnecessary. Though the basic proposition that anyone who shows up at the polls ought to be able to prove they are who they say they are and are registered voters seems like common sense, liberals have claimed such measures are utterly superfluous because voter fraud is not a problem in the United States. And because there is no problem to be fixed, any...

(Reuters) - After a month in which his re-election campaign picked up momentum, hard economic realities are about to hit President Barack Obama as he takes to the road on a campaign bus trip through the Rust Belt. Poor manufacturing data earlier this week followed by a likely weak jobless report on Friday are reminding Obama that he has a lot of work to do to convince voters he is bringing the economy back to full health.A Supreme Court victory for Obama on healthcare and a surprise expansion of immigration laws that put Republican opponent Mitt Romney on the defensive...

..."We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights - that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men." The principles of that Declaration have informed our history and inspired our neighbors in other parts of the world to stand up against all forms of tyranny. As we reflect upon the text we should remember that our forebears were not declaring their independence from Divine Providence. Rather, they were trusting in the Governance...

The Corpus Christi, Tex. Police Department has found itself on the business end of a civil rights lawsuit after the Justice Department concluded that a physical ability test used when considering job applications discriminates against women. As a condition for employment, new applicants must pass a physical ability test (PAT) involving: pullups, a 300-meter run, a 1.5 mile run, and sit-ups. Only 19 percent of female applicants passed this test between 2005 and 2009, compared to 63 percent of men, the DOJ complaint records. The Justice Department says that the test discriminates

There those evil Republicans go again, cynically questioning others' patriotism for political gain. Especially around Independence Day. How crass. Except...the RNC was only quoting a certain sitting president: Unpatriotic Debt Obama contended that Bush's $4 trillion in debt (admittedly far too high) over eight years was "unpatriotic."  Now that he's eclipsed the $5 trillion mark in less than a single term, how would Obama characterize his own record?  Oh, who am I kidding?  He'd blame Bush.  But President Bush isn't responsible for ushering through a widely unpopular new healthcare power grab, piled atop the existing teetering entitlement regime.  The 44th...

State Board of Education Vice President Casanda Ulbrich said in a recent story that more "for-profit" companies could be running many state schools. Ulbrich, a Democrat from Rochester Hills, made her comments after the struggling Highland Park and Muskegon Heights districts proposed converting from conventional school district systems to charter schools. "Under Proposal A, funding is based on headcount,” Ulbrich said in the story. "However, as we continue to open more and more charters and cyber charters, we are dissipating the head count to the point where community-based schools are finding it harder to stay in the black. If this...

Wasserman Schultz: ObamaCare Not A Tax, IRS "Easiest" Way To Enforce PenaltyPosted on July 2, 2012 **SNIP** "The way we usually think of taxation, Wolf, is that taxation as the IRS administers is collected on broad swaths and large categories of individuals. This is a penalty that will be assessed on the tax return if you choose to roll the dice and make us all pay for your being irresponsible and increase all of our health care costs," Wasserman Schultz said on the Monday evening broadcast of CNN's "The Situation Room."

Full title: Adorable pictures to melt even the hardest heart: Tiny kittens, cuddly puppies and fluffy ducklings pair up for cute photo shoot A British photographer's adorable images of puppies, ducklings and even kittens in hammocks will brighten up any rainy day. Master of cuteness Mark Taylor's images are in demand all over the world for the purr-fect way they capture a softer side to our best-loved animals. His photographs are a legacy from his late mother Jane Burton who pioneered the style so familiar on calendars in offices and maths teacher classrooms everywhere. Using a simple clean white background...

"When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less." "The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things." "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master— that's all." All of us have some connections with the fantasy world of the Looking Glass; thus, one of the reasons why the book is so popular is, without intellectual discipline, fantasy can easily become reality; all we need to do, is just look at things...

While Obama will be in DC for Independence Day, his campaign will be conducting a fundraiser...in France (among other sites in Europe this summer).Finally, a red, white and blue American socialists can rally behind...