Free Republic

Awoman who refused to pay a 20 percent tip on her Subway order has been applauded for challenging a practice some online feel has got "way out of hand." Tipping might be a common practice in America today but, in truth, there are occasions when some are reluctant to do so. A survey of 2,000 U.S. adults conducted by Talker Research found respondents reluctantly tip $37.80 a month due to the pressure or awkwardness of the situation. All those tips add up too, with that monthly figure equating to $453.60 a year in guilt-induced gratuity. All told, 26 percent of...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has had a long week. She's had to explain to donors why White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is predicting she'll lose her gavel in the fall, pressure the White House to pay enough attention to House races, and also calm members and end the party infighting. Thursday night, she got a break. At an event hosted by Planned Parenthood on Capitol Hill, Pelosi received rock-star treatment from 300 energetic high-school and college-student volunteers clad in hot-pink T-shirts and flip flops. The students came to Washington from around the country to lobby lawmakers on the implementation...

Saying the gridlock capital of the United States can't be fixed "on the cheap," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday welcomed plans for a massive statewide infrastructure bond and pledged to fight to get L.A.'s share of any new funds. With Sacramento considering a proposed $10.3 billion transportation-housing bond - and a bigger, $50 billion bond possibly sought by the governor - the mayor wants new funds to help pay for the Wilshire subway extension's first phase, busways in the San Fernando Valley and other infrastructure projects. "We've got to get serious about traffic and congestion and mobility in the Los...