Free Republic

I have enjoyed working here these past several years. You have paid me very well and given me benefits beyond belief. I have 3 to 4 months off per year, and a pension plan that will pay my salary till the day I die and then pay my estate one year's salary death bonus and then continue to pay my spouse my salary with increases until she or he dies along with a health plan that most people can only dream of having. Despite this, I plan to take the next 12 to 18 months to find a new position....

“[A]nd that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” We are all familiar with this excerpt from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, powerful words that sum up the proper governing philosophy for America in one simple phrase. I wonder what Mr. Lincoln would think about how his words, and what they mean, are being ignored by the political leaders of today. It is no longer of the people, by the people or for the people when it comes to Congress. It’s no longer of the people, by the people, and for...

Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the White House for Obama. One is from Chicago, another is from Kentucky, and the third is from New Orleans. All three go with a White House official to examine the fence. The New Orleans contractor takes out a tape measure and does some measuring, then works some figures with a pencil. "Well," he says, "I figure the job will run about $9,000. That's $4,000 for materials, $4,000 for my crew and $1,000 profit for me." The Kentucky contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then says, "I can do...

Disgraced federal bureaucrats don't seem to resign these days. They certainly aren't fired -- and even when they are, they appeal and are reinstated. No, they "retire," and make off with a raft of taxpayer-funded benefits accrued over years of "public service." As Ms. Snyder prepares to step aside to spend more time with her family or whatever, her boss is singing her praises: CMS administrator Marilyn Tavenner noted in an email that Snyder was set to leave CMS at the end of 2012 but stayed on at Tavenner’s request to help with “the challenges facing CMS in 2013.” “While...

Going by age demographics, the October 2013 Employment Situation Report released last Friday revealed the following numbers. 578,000 fewer adults (Age 25 and above) were counted as having jobs in the household survey portion of the report.22,000 fewer young adults (Age 20-24) were counted as being employed in October 2013.135,000 fewer teens (Age 16-19) were working in October 2013. The big story, of course, was the partial federal government shut down that saw 815,932 government workers be furloughed at the beginning of October 2013. Here though, that number was quickly cut nearly in half as the Defense department recalled most...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday indicated Congress needs to worry about government jobs more than private-sector jobs, and that this is why Senate Democrats are pushing a bill aimed at shoring up teachers and first-responders. "It's very clear that private-sector jobs have been doing just fine; it's the public-sector jobs where we've lost huge numbers, and that's what this legislation is all about," Reid said on the Senate floor. Reid was responding to recent comments from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who accused Democrats of purposefully pursuing higher taxes as part of the teacher/first-responder bill, S....

PRINCETON, NJ -- A record-high 81% of Americans are dissatisfied with the way the country is being governed, adding to negativity that has been building over the past 10 years.

When Minnesota state parks and highway rest stops were closed suddenly along with other government services, the neighboring state to the east was the obvious beneficiary as Minnesotans scrambled to alter their holiday weekend plans. Others that stood to benefit included Minnesota's private campgrounds, city and county parks, amusement destinations, museums, and gas stations and fast-food establishments near closed rest stops.

WASHINGTON -- A government investigation into Toyota safety problems has found no electronic flaws to account for reports of sudden, unintentional acceleration.

The federal government wants automakers to install back-up cameras in all new vehicles starting in late 2014. The plan, announced Friday, received a strong endorsement from insurance industry and other analysts and is likely to get some level of support from car manufacturers. "There is no more tragic accident than for a parent or caregiver to back out of a garage or driveway and kill or injure an undetected child playing behind the vehicle," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. "The changes we are proposing today will help drivers see into those blind zones directly behind vehicles to make sure it...

The American Federation of Government Employees has launched a new ad targeting Republicans, or ‘teabaggers’, depicted in a cheering crowd with the faces of House Minority Leader John Boehner, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, Rep. Michelle Bachmann, Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle, and RNC Chairman Michael Steele- with a sign that reads “Tea Baggers Section.”

A Senate panel looks at legislation Tuesday that would allow more people to qualify for food stamps. The bill from Democratic Sen. Linda Berglin of Minneapolis would repeal a requirement to show no more than $7,000 in assets such as cash, money in the bank and stocks to qualify for food support. Vehicles already are not counted.

DETROIT (WXYZ) - Thousands of people jammed into Cobo Hall and lined up around the building to seek out housing aid from the federal government. It quickly turned into a mess with reports of fights and nearly a stampede. People started lining up around midnight, but the real chaos broke out near the front entrance that leads to the ballroom. Thousands of people jammed into too tight of a space. There were reports of fights and people passing out in the crowd.

(I posted this a few days ago, but it is a funny distraction from all of the doom and gloom being reported). The Heaviest Element Known to Science Lawrence Livermore Laboratories has discovered the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element, Governmentium (Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.z Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected,...

Two Chicago aldermen are calling for fines of up to $1,000 and jail sentences of up to six months for people who feed the city's pigeons. "No person shall purposely provide food -- including, but not limited to grain, seeds, greens, bread crumbs and miscellaneous food scraps -- intended for pigeon ingestion on public property or property subject to the city right-of-way," the proposed ordinance says. Aldermen Danny Solis and Helen Shiller introduced it at a City Council meeting Wednesday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday. ...

Advocates who say black Americans should be compensated for slavery and its Jim Crow aftermath are quietly chalking up victories and gaining momentum. Fueled by the work of scholars and lawyers, their campaign has morphed in recent years from a fringe-group rallying cry into sophisticated, mainstream movement. Most recently, a pair of churches apologized for their part in the slave trade, and one is studying ways to repay black church members. The overall issue is hardly settled, even among black Americans: Some say that focusing on slavery shouldn't be a top priority or that it doesn't make sense to compensate...

Four Republican legislators called today for a gas tax "holiday" that would cut gasoline prices in Minnesota by 20 cents a gallon from July through December. But the proposal is loaded down with conditions that might mean it never will become law. The plan is conditioned on House members, who already voted to provide about $317 million in property tax rebates and income tax relief for married couples, changing their minds and voting to provide the gas tax relief, instead. And, like the property tax rebates and income tax cuts for married people, the gas tax relief would also be...

Minneapolis-St. Paul is the "friendliest" major metropolitan area for people trying to quit smoking, according to an analysis released by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare on Monday.

Former state Rep. Loren Jennings, accused of using his office to financially benefit a firm in which he had a financial stake, was convicted Tuesday of two counts of mail fraud and one count of money laundering by a federal court jury in St. Paul. A federal court jury in St. Paul acquitted him of four other charges following a nine-day trial. No date has been set for his sentencing by U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle. Jennings, 54, of Harris, declined to comment as he left court after the verdicts Tuesday afternoon. But defense attorney Doug Kelley said Jennings will...

A nonsmoking lawmaker who wanted to penalize welfare recipients for smoking backed off the toughest parts of his plan Thursday. Rep. Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, said he will drop provisions to cut income and raise medical co-payments for smokers on public assistance and government health care programs. He aims to win Democrats' support with pilot programs helping pregnant welfare recipients quit smoking. "I have to have something that passes," Seifert said after presenting his bill to the House Jobs and Economic Development Committee. "The penalties aren't going to pass."