Free Republic

Hawaii is dropping the only state universal child health care program in the country just seven months after it launched. Gov. Linda Lingle's administration cited budget shortfalls and other available health care options for eliminating funding for the program. A state official said families were dropping private coverage so their children would be eligible for the subsidized plan.

A new poll on Thursday underscored deep Arab unhappiness with the United States but said the negative image could be repaired if Washington brokered a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace agreement. The survey of 3,850 people in six Arab countries rated President George W. Bush as the most disliked world leader, while the United States and Israel were viewed as significantly greater threats than Iran. Sixty-seven percent of the respondents said the United States could improve its image by brokering a comprehensive Middle East peace agreement. A smaller number - 33 percent - said this image change could happen if Washington withdrew...

The highly touted "Spare the Air" days spelled financial relief for thousands of Bay Area commuters and help for the environment -- but for BART, this summer's experiment with six days of free rides also brought so much grief that the system's police chief is calling for the program to be limited to just commuters in the future. The free rides brought an extra 20,000 to 30,000 patrons to the already-taxed system during each Spare the Air Day, an increase of 8 to 10 percent over normal. There were packed cars, blaring boom boxes, food and drink containers (which are...

'LOS  FREEBIES'... FINAL Exam: 'Spanish as a Second Language' ...Americans - You had  BETTER  figure it out!!!   http://www.seadogbytes.com/sbimages/LosFreebies.jpg    "No country upon earth ever had it more in its power to attain these blessings than United America.  Wondrously strange, then, and much to be regretted indeed would it be, were we to neglect the means and to depart from the road which Providence has pointed us to so plainly..." -- George Washington (letter to Benjamin Lincoln, 29 June 1788)

VENEZUELA: Socialism does make you feel better! Stuart Munckton, CaracasHaving come to Venezuela to witness the revolution and the social missions at its heart, I ended up having a closer view of one of the most important missions — Barrio Adentro (Into the Neighbourhood) — than I might have hoped or cared for, when I was “lucky” enough to become one of the 1% of victims of travellers’ diarrhoea to be hospitalised. Barrio Adentro was established around two years ago to bring free, quality health care to the poor majority. In the past, doctors have mostly shunned the poor...

Did you make up your mind yet about President Bush's Social Security proposal? Do you want some control over your future retirement or do you want to rely on the government to take care of you? Heads up! If Social Security faces financial problems in the near future, look again at Medicare-Medicaid. Hold your breath. While you've been distracted by politicians on both sides of the aisle who don't have the courage to speak the truth or use the brains God gave them at birth, the media, in their role as maidservant to the status quo – as perceived by...

This weekend at Wendy's nationwide, Frostys are on the house. From Friday, May 13, through Sunday, May 15, consumers can pick up a free Junior Frosty at their local Wendy's restaurant. No purchase is required for customers to receive the free dessert.The company estimates it will give away more than 14 million Junior Frostys during the special three-day event. "We're thanking our loyal customers for their support following the incident in San Jose," saus Tom Mueller, Wendy's president and chief operating officer. "Dave Thomas insisted we always 'do the right thing,' and we have kept our word. Our customers stood...

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A state senator said he plans to try again this year to get lawmakers to give up the free tickets to sporting and cultural events they get from lobbyists - only weeks after a few complained the limit on the amount lobbyists can spend on those tickets was too low. Sen. Jay Dardenne, R-Baton Rouge, said he has drafted and is ready to file a bill for the upcoming regular legislative session to do away with the freebies. He's filed similar legislation in prvious years that has failed, and it's unclear if Dardenne will get...

OUR OPINION: PROTECT FUNDS THAT HELP CITIES, RESIDENTS THRIVE The Bush administration has proposed deep cuts in funding for economic development and anti-poverty programs, perhaps up to 50 percent. Officials say that the move will save money, streamline bureaucracy and avoid duplication. But these good-government principles come at human cost that can exceed money saved. A severe reduction in community-development block grants will hobble successful programs that provide affordable housing to low- and moderate-income families, feed seniors on fixed incomes or boost students' academic achievement in after-school programs. Better neighborhoods South Florida, where block grants have improved neighborhood infrastructure and...

Project aims to identify needs of growing elderly population Lillian Lee of East Point learned the hard way that going without needed home improvements is risky for the elderly. Not long ago, the 79-year-old widow found herself stuck inside her bathtub for two hours when she was unable to pull herself out. If she'd had a safety bar installed the potentially dangerous incident could have been avoided. "I turned this way and that way," Lee said. "I finally got out." Lee's story is the kind the Atlanta Regional Commission wants to hear. ARC is gathering experiences from senior citizens like...

<p>The House yesterday overwhelmingly rejected a bill to require hospitals to identify illegal aliens before the federal government would reimburse the hospitals for their care.</p> <p>It was a severe defeat for immigration-control advocates, with just 86 Republicans and two Democrats voting for the measure and 331 members voting against it, including the House Republican and Democratic leadership. And the loss followed a harsh debate that included charges from one side of immigrant-bashing and from the other side of ignoring the needs of legal residents.</p>

<p>Some Kaua'i cancer patients will be able to fly to their doctor for free because of a new agreement between the American Cancer Society and North Shore Airways.</p> <p>The Princeville-based airline will offer an empty airline seat each day at no cost to cancer patients who are registered with the American Cancer Society's Kaua'i office. Patients can take the flights for doctor appointments, medical tests or treatment such as radiation not available on Kaua'i, according to the society's Kaua'i executive director Mary Williamson.</p>

The big health-care debate in Congress this summer was over the wrong issue. Instead of threatening to bankrupt Medicare by forcing the taxpayers to buy prescription drugs for seniors, Congress should relieve the taxpayers and paying-patients of the burden of providing hospital care for illegal aliens. From Florida to California, illegal aliens show up at hospital emergency rooms and the costs are passed along to paying patients and to local taxpayers. The American Hospital Association estimates that the costs of bad-debt and charity care run into the billions.A Martin County, Florida, hospital has spent $900,000 (with no end in sight)...

The Microsoft pin in the financial balloon Pop goes the weasel vole By Andrew Busigin: Sunday 04 August 2002, 10:35 UNLESS YOU'VE BEEN asleep, or living in a hermit's cave, you are probably noticing that the Western world, is in a bit of a financial implosion. Europe is perhaps slightly less affected, but the American stock market is financially quite ill. Is Microsoft responsible? That's Crazy Talk! Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. Financial systems are as robust as the weather, but there are theories that suggest a butterfly's wings can eventually lead to a hurricane. Any system where...