Free Republic

America needs a working marketplace where patients are the primary customers. Consider this: Health insurance is a product so terrible that few Americans voluntarily buy it without receiving a sizable subsidy. “No one would design a system like the one we have. And no one did,” UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty wrote this month. “It’s a patchwork built over decades.” Today, insurers are accused of pushing up prices for medical care and then denying legitimate claims. Their leaders are said to be greedy or incompetent. In reality, we have a more fundamental problem: Health insurance can no longer pay for...

DEM AGENDA ARRIVES ON ... NOV 6 CHICAGO — Congressional Democrats are basking in the new aura of enthusiasm of their base: Lines of selfies, hugs with strangers, Nancy Pelosi “Godmother” pins. And in the midst of all the lighter celebrating, both Senate and House Democratic leaders are talking seriously about dual majorities come November. The “Kamala effect” has spawned real conversations in recent weeks about what Democrats should do if they manage to get the Washington “trifecta” — both chambers of Congress and the White House — and can muscle through another big policy bill next year without GOP...

Nestled within the wooded ridgelines and folds of Big Sur, a man set up shop to build a large-scale, illegal cannabis operation in the Los Padres National Forest. On Dec. 17, the man, Jacinto Correa Cruz, a 56-year-old Mexican national, pleaded guilty in federal court to destroying this land in pursuit of manufacturing and distributing marijuana plants, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.

I Just got a check in the mail; It's a very official-looking check just like an IRS refund, but we are NOt DUE any refunds. Return address on the envelope is: US Department of the Treasury Bureau of the Fiscal Service Philadelphia, PA Check is printed: United States Treasury Bunch of numbers Kansas City, Mo Has Statue of Liberty Amount $1992.80 Made out to me AND my wife. I have NO Idea what this is for, but I intend to deposit it. Anybody else getting a mystery check like this? Oh, I am expecting lots of wisecracks from FReepers, but...

SNIP"According to the GovPlanet listings, in October alone the U.S. government made a total of $115,910 from the metal fencing tubes, which measure 28 feet long and are typically anchored into the ground with concrete. The latest four lots, sold on October 4, saw prices ranging from $25,700 to $32,505.Across September, it recouped $455,100 from numerous lots of different quantities which attracted a range of winning bids. Previous estimates suggest it made around half a million dollars from the sales in August, with listings dating further back in the year.A USACE spokesperson previously told Newsweek that the materials were being...

The former head of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg, has been named the new co-chair of the influential Bilderberg Group... Several of the group’s 31-member steering committee have senior roles in the defence industry. The billionaire former Google boss, Eric Schmidt, chaired the recent National Security Commission on AI, and is now busy launching a kamikaze drone company aimed at the lucrative Ukraine market. Meanwhile, the hugely wealthy Swedish industrialist Marcus Wallenberg is chair of defense manufacturer Saab, which enjoyed a 71% boost in orders in the first nine months of 2024, largely due to the war with Russia. ...Alex Karp, the...

A man in London, England was arrested on Christmas morning after he jumped a sidewalk and crashed into a crowd of people, sending four to the hospital. The 31-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, according to the BBC. One pedestrian was in life-threatening condition from the incident. The man was driving on the wrong side of the road in London’s West End theatre district around 12:45 a.m. when he drove into pedestrians. Reportedly, police are treating it as an isolated incident and said that it was not related to terrorism.

What’s behind Trump’s expansionist rhetoric? First, President-elect Donald Trump tweaked Canada’s far-left Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about becoming governor of the 51st state of the United States of America. Then he said that the Panama Canal should once again come under American control. Make that the 52nd state. And now, are you ready for a 53rd state? On Sunday, Trump renewed a call he made during his first term: that the United States should buy Greenland from Denmark. Could the man possibly be serious?Maybe not. The left’s propaganda arm, also known as the mainstream media, loves to portray Trump and...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Matthew 10:19–20These words of our Lord came to fruition in the life of Saint Stephen, the Church’s first martyr. Saint Stephen was martyred within a couple of years after Jesus’ ascension into Heaven. He was one of seven deacons who the Apostles appointed to assist them in...

Thursday on CNN’s “News Central,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) called President-elect Donald Trump a “carnival barker” making “ridiculous” threats. When asked about Trump’s recent comments on the Panama Canal and Greenland, Wasserman Schultz said, “It is utterly preposterous to suggest that we are going to send our military in to Panama to, quote, take back the Panama Canal. As I said, we have a treaty with Panama, we have a free trade agreement with Panama. We are no more going to take back the Panama Canal than Panama is going to come in and try to take the Mississippi...

Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life is one of cinema’s most enduring classics, a sentimental yet profound exploration of how one person’s contributions ripple through a community. The story’s alternate timeline, where George Bailey never existed, paints a grim picture of what life would be like without his sacrifices. Inspired by this tale, let’s imagine an alternate reality of a different sort—a world where fossil fuels never existed. Could we, like George’s Bedford Falls, find ourselves in a global Pottersville? Let’s explore how the absence of fossil fuels might affect the very fabric of our lives, from economic systems to...

As harrowing details emerge of the last moments of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432, which crashed on Wednesday in Aktau, the flight crew who did their best to save the passengers until the last moment are being hailed as heroes. -snip- Government sources have told Euronews that the damaged aircraft was not allowed to land at any Russian airports despite the pilots’ requests for an emergency landing, and it was ordered to fly across the Caspian Sea towards Aktau in Kazakhstan. According to data, the plane’s GPS navigation systems were jammed throughout the flight path above the sea. -snip- Remarkable airmanship...

Great news! Our new merchant services account has been approved and we have completed our integration programming! We can now start using our own form for entering credit/debit card donations. Monthly donors: If you are you using a credit or debit card for your automatic monthly donations, please use our credit card link below to enter a new monthly record. Sorry, the old ones no longer work. Thank you very much. All FReepers: And now we need your continuing support to get caught up and to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies,...

Former Democrat presidential candidate Marianne Williamson has announced her bid to chair the Democratic National Committee (DNC), saying she will “work to reinvent the party from the inside out.” In a Substack blog post on Thursday, the 72-year-old author said the rise of the “MAGA phenomenon” means that Democrats need to change their “playbook” to regain control of the White House: This year’s election of a DNC Chair feels different than in past years. Before now, the party had faced defeats to be sure. But our playbook still basically worked. The waters were turbulent at times, but our ship was...

VIDEOIt's the Name that perfectly fits. Once you hear "Dollar Store Obama" his original name (if you know it) will be immediately erased from your memory bank. Once you think "Dollar Store Obama" you can never unthink it. Watch these video clips of Dollar Store Obama. You might not remember what he says because nothing he says is really memorable. The only thing that sticks while watching him and hearing his worn liberal platitudes is ..."Dollar Store Obama."

We may need some divine intervention below ground. New York City transit riders say are fearing for their lives and even “asking God” for help after a number of disturbing, violent incidents in subways and train stations that have left people on edge. Philomena Ofosu, a 24-year-old nurse’s aide from the Bronx said she prays for her safety every time she gets on the train. “I am a Christian and I ask God to bring me safe to where I’m supposed to be and back,” she told The Post at Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday — hours after a two...

Thirty years after Florida required schools to teach African American history, how the subject is taught remains inconsistent across Florida classrooms, a review by The Associated Press has found.

In something of a stunning development, China appears to already be flying a stealthy, high-performance sixth-generation crewed combat aircraft, imagery of which began to emerge today. At this early stage, we have very little idea about the precise identity of the new aircraft, but many elements of its design are very much in line with what we already knew about Chinese sixth-generation airpower aspirations. Video and photos that began to circulate today on social media show the previously unseen aircraft conducting a daytime test flight, alongside a two-seat Chengdu J-20S fighter, serving as a chase plane. The locations and the...

I find Suchet's reading so engaging; I feet like I am listening to someone who was there when events unfolded. :DI created this thread to store any observations or comments made by those of us listening David Suchet's narration of the Bible; we will have one thread for each book starting with the New Testament. I've provided a suggested listening/commenting window of one week (see dates in title of thread).This week's book is available in a few different formats. I linked this thread to Bible Gateway's convenient hub offering David Suchet and many others providing audio readings of the books...

Most of us are aware that certain habits are flat-out terrible for our hearts. Smoking? Forget about it. A sedentary lifestyle — yep, that will eventually get you. But with diet culture still running rampant, the foods that are “good” and “bad” can feel a bit murkier. The keto diet, for example, encourages piling on the bacon. And while it may help you lose weight, something about chomping on bacon every day feels — not great. If you’re eating with your heart health in mind (and we all should be, at least a little bit!), you can read through the...