Free Republic

Last week due to recently revealed comments that were made in May of 2010, EPA Region 6 administrator Al Armendariz was forced to step down. He had tried apologizing, and the White House spokesman said that it was not an indication of how the White House views regulation of the oil and gas industries. Every outlet in the media is referring to the comments as harsh, over the top, and unacceptable. What he said is not the most important issue, it is where and when he said it. If these views are not the same as President Obama’s, why is...

Recently Ozzie Guillen, the manager of the Miami Marlins baseball team, said that he admired Fidel Castro. It was ignorant and perhaps stupid, and has created a mini firestorm in southern Florida. The comment has caused a fairly predictable reaction from many including the media, particularly in this case, the sports media. The belief that we are constitutionally guaranteed the right to free speech, and with that freedom we can say whatever we want without consequence is false.

Mr. Obama is travelling the country stating how Congress is holding up job creation by not passing his “jobs bill”, and basically making the case that the republicans don’t want jobs created. It would be refreshing if someone would ask him any one of the following…

The following are demands of one of the participants in the “Occupy Wall Street” movement. The movement is new and fluid at this point, but this can be used to see the types of things that they are demanding. We have taken the liberty of commenting on these demands.

The recent decision by the Justice Department to sue to prevent the Merger of AT&T and T-Mobile, has given those of us who advocate the spreading free market capitalism a ray of hope. It has been difficult watching the Obama administration and its seemingly conscious disregard for this all important building block of our society. Our education system could not be further from the competitive market that the justice department is arguing to keep in cell phone service.

The recent decision by the Justice Department to sue to prevent the Merger of AT&T and T-Mobile, has given those of us who advocate the spreading free market capitalism a ray of hope. It has been difficult watching the Obama administration and its seemingly conscious disregard for this all important building block of our society. Our education system could not be further from the competitive market that the justice department is arguing to keep in cell phone service.

With the latest nuclear scare in Japan, many new and old questions have arisen on how we go forward as a country in terms of satisfying our energy needs. Every energy alternative has risks and drawbacks, but the solution cannot be to use less. This type of choice restricts the growth rate of our economy, and dooms our country’s future to second tier status. Energy is literally the fuel that runs an economy and without cheap and accessible energy, advancement in all fields of human endeavor are restrained. Adult decisions need to be made to assure us that we and...

For as long as there has been human socialization, discussion, debate, confrontation or even dialogue, there has been the age old tactic of ‘changing the subject.’ We’ve all experienced it. We’ve all indulged in it. Those of us who are a little smarter than the average folk out there are especially victimized by a particular genre of this tactic. The discussion is underway, and each party is offering their thoughts. The tables then turn in your favor, and you see the victory in sight. Your counterpart then comes out with…“Why are you so angry?’

With our various levels of government grappling with revenues falling short of expenses, there is long overdue focus being put on the state of government labor. The recent push by Governor Scott Walker to take away collective bargaining in regards to pension and healthcare benefits for Wisconsin’s state workers has received the media spotlight in recent weeks. The reporting seems to lump all unionization into one category, and there is no distinction that is being expressed between private and public unions. The issues in this case are unique to public unions, and are vital to determining the future of our...

One of the biggest issues we face as a nation is the annual deficit, which is roughly $1.6 trillion. An even larger concern is the projected costs that Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid pose for our fiscal health as a nation. The solution to these problems will require sacrifice and explanation to bring the American people along. It is the type of issue that only a strong leader can tackle. Only the position of President has enough power and influence to truly accomplish something in this area. Mr. Obama put out his budget last week, and it is obvious he...

The recent debate about repealing the Obama Healthcare plan has brought up arguments on either side about the law that was passed last year. One of the big talking points on both sides is whether the “American People” like the law or not. During these debates Republicans often talk about the fact that the majority of polls show that a slight majority is against the law. Democrats like to bring up the idea that when you ask people about specific parts of the law, they like them. (http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2011/01/08/democrats_launch_defense_of_health_care_law/) I believe that this is a dishonest argument, and I have seen...

As members of Congress debate whether to raise the U.S. debt ceiling—the limit on our government's debt—we should all agree on at least one thing: Under no circumstances is it acceptable for the U.S. to default on its debt. Not only are we morally obligated to honor our debts, but we benefit greatly from the nearly universal conviction that those who lend to us will always be repaid, on time and in full. We should never undermine that conviction. Fortunately, even if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling, a default on our debt need not follow when our borrowings reach...

In today’s political discourse there is too quick a jump to link the actions of one person to that of any group he or she associates with. The latest shooting in Arizona has brought this problem home once again. Right now there is a battle underway to link the murderer to certain groups, while others are taking great pains to say how he is not linked to any particular groups. To this I say, who cares what groups this person is associated with? Do these groups advocate the murder of Congressional representatives? If they did, why wasn’t there an outcry...

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has a message for the new Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Visiting the Journal's offices on Wednesday, Mr. Christie advised GOP leaders to reject funding requests from Governors like him.

A full time college student in Florida recently announced his status as an illegal immigrant at a public rally. Jose Salcedo, an elite student at Miami Dade College, fearlessly proclaimed his ‘undocumented’ status in what was said to be a rally of support for the proposed, and recently delayed, DREAM Act. The Dream Act proposes that illegal immigrants brought here when they were babies, toddlers or teens who end up enrolled in college or in the military, be granted citizenship. Salcedo’s announcement and the DREAM Act are further examples of our contradictory immigration policies and enforcement. For this student to...

Season's greetings. And while I'm on the subject, this is a good time for us "haves" to start thinking more about America's "have nots." The national unemployment rate stands at a horrifying 9.8%. But unemployment is 15.7% among high-school dropouts, and an astonishing 42% of all unemployed workers have been jobless for more than six months. At press time, Congress appeared poised to pass a package of tax cuts that offers 19% of its benefits to the richest 1% of taxpayers. Earlier this month, the president's deficit commission proposed a comprehensive deficit-reduction plan with many virtues. But it included, among...

The State of Arizona just recently passed the Arizona Civil Rights Initiative which prohibits discrimination or preferential treatment of individuals based on race in public institutions. This initiative is aimed primarily at public colleges and universities with respect to their admissions policies. While I am encouraged by the fact that Arizona has taken steps similar to other states to ensure equal treatment among college applicants, I find it disturbing that such laws or propositions are even necessary when they are seemingly redundant with what is already mandated in our constitution.

Economic education is almost nonexistent in this country, so people are not taught the benefits of capitalism. This lack of education spills into our political debate, and can cause decisions (elections), that people do not often realize will greatly affect their economic opportunities. The financial crisis of 2008 opened the door for anti-capitalist voices to be heard, and allowed for the election of a President that has socialistic views. Whether Mr. Obama is a “Socialist” or not, he certainly advocates socialist policies. These socialist policies were rejected in two years which is faster than other historical lurches toward socialism in...