Free Republic

The two sides are roughly $50 billion apart in funding levels for the current fiscal year — equal to 11% of the full-year nonsecurity discretionary budget. But with the fiscal year nearly half over, Republicans are seeking to cut that part of the budget by more than 23% through year-end. Senate Democrats proposed cuts of a bit less than 5%. The GOP plan would cut full-year 2011 nonsecurity discretionary spending to just below 2009 levels — not fully reversing the 23% spike of the prior two years. But spending in the back half of the year would fall to roughly...

In the SOTU Address, the President proposed to "freeze" discretionary spending for the next 5 years. What did he mean???

Remember the Contract With America and all the other good stuff about reducing the size of government? Here's a nice graphic illustrating the question: What Happened? I have no idea.

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press Secretary(St. Petersburg, Russia)July 15, 2006 President's Radio Address       Audio      Jobs & Economy      THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This weekend, I am in Russia meeting with other world leaders at the G8 summit. This annual summit gives us a chance to talk about key issues facing all our nations, such as energy security and the threat of infectious diseases like avian flu. At this year's summit, we will also discuss how to promote the spread of freedom and democracy, and how our countries can work together to expand trade and prosperity for all our...

The privatization of Social Security is a hot topic, as well as a controversial one. Unfortunately, the controversy stems from a misrepresentation of the facts. Many opponents of the President’s yet to be released plan argue that our older population will lose current benefit levels, even though President Bush has said that our current Social Security recipients will not be affected. Some other opponents complain that privatization is a risky investment based on a volatile market. I guess the Dow Jones Industrials’ increase from just over 1,000 in 1985, to almost 11,000 today could be called risky. Only if you...

Has the President Gone on a "Spending Spree"? Only if you think that withdrawing from the war and surrendering the world to Osama bin Laden is a viable option. A lot of conservatives have been on a tear lately (myself included). Every time you turn around, someone is screaming about government spending and the there are those who are more than happy to exploit the confusion surrounding spending issues to erode support for the President. The San Francisco Chronicle recently put out a hit piece attempting to spin the spending numbers in a way that makes the President seem like...

On April 10 an Ohio appellate court unanimously ruled that Ohio's ban on carrying concealed weapons, in effect since 1974, violated the people's right to keep and bear arms. The appellate court also upheld a lower court's dismissal of the prosecution of a pizza deliveryman who carried a handgun in his waistband for protection while making his deliveries. Since 1851, the Ohio Constitution has said, "the people have the right to bear arms for their defense and security." In striking down the ban, the court noted that the framers of the Ohio constitution "put the citizens' rights up front....