Free Republic

Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced an unplanned Senate session will take place Tuesday as Democrats continue their refusals to restock funding for the Paycheck Protection Program.  “It’s now been four days since the Paycheck Protection Program ran out of money. Republicans have been trying to secure more funding for this critical program for a week and a half. At this hour, our Democratic colleagues are still prolonging their discussions with the Administration, so the Senate regretfully will not be able to pass more funding for Americans’ paychecks today," McConnell said in remarks on the floor Monday. “However, since this is...

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il has now left Beijing and returned home after a typically secretive visit, his first trip abroad in four years. Kim's last trip was also to China, the North's dominant benefactor; his core mission was undoubtedly to ensure continued Chinese support for his ironfisted rule. Also undoubtedly central was North Korea's nuclear weapons program. President Obama has been silent for many long months on Pyongyang's continuing nuclear threat, but silence does not equal good news. Although "all quiet" on the North Korean nuclear front might seem to indicate that the menace is receding, precisely the...

Although the California Constitution requires a balanced budget by June 15, the state Legislature almost certainly will not meet that deadline. Once again the Legislature has frittered away its time - even as the state budget crisis continues. Instead it again has introduced hundreds of bills, few of which are relevant to the budget discussion ... Here are some of the bills that are most damaging to freedom or simply frivolous. --snip-- Driver's licenses:SB 60 is by Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles. ... But people from other countries already can use their own driver's licenses here and get car insurance....

<p>IN the middle of December, California had a huge budget crisis. It forced Gov. Gray Davis to propose $10 billion in cuts halfway through the budget year, and to ask the Legislature to meet in a special session so the cuts could be enacted promptly.</p>