Free Republic

According to the Federal Communications Communication, a program that gives free or subsidized phones to low-income people has doubled in the state of Ohio over the past year, to cover more than 1 million people. The Dayton Daily News reports that the program cost the state of Ohio almost $27 million – just in the first quarter of 2012. That was a more than $11 million increase from the same period the previous year. Taxpayers are covering this program two ways: direct cash expenditures, and a raise in phone rates via the “Universal Service Fund” charge on phone bills. No...

A key House investigating body has dropped its probe of Rep. John Murtha (D., Pa.) and two other members of the House’s defense-spending committee, according to people familiar with the matter. The Office of Congressional Ethics has informed aides to Murtha as well as Reps. Norm Dicks (D., Wash.) and Jim Moran (D., Va.) that it is no longer looking into allegations that they traded government funding earmarks for campaign donations. Dick’s chief of staff, George Behan, said the congressman received a phone call earlier this month from an official at the Office of Congressional Ethics informing him that he...

Nothing was done about all the election and campaign fraud in the 2000 election, so the same thing is starting all over again. The federation of 65 unions known as the AFL-CIO will again be a major player in the Congressional elections. They plan to spend $33 million this cycle. That's what gets reported, anyway. The unions always also kick in a few million dollars of "walking around" money to Democratic campaign workers that is not reported because most of it is illegal. The unions say they will focus on paid media, voter education and mobilizing the labor vote at...