Free Republic

The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to debate two bills that could give the federal government unprecedented control over the way parents raise their children – even providing funds for state workers to come into homes and screen babies for emotional and developmental problems. The Pre-K Act (HR 3289) and the Education Begins at Home Act (HR 2343) are two bills geared toward military and families who fall below state poverty lines. The measures are said to be a way to prevent child abuse, close the achievement gap in education between poor and minority infants versus middle-class children and...

WASHINGTON - In quick succession, the House and Senate voted Friday to spend some $87 billion that President Bush (news - web sites) said was needed to finish a mission of securing peace and eliminating terrorist threats in Iraq (news - web sites) and Afghanistan (news - web sites). Strong votes in both houses left little doubt that Congress, despite questions about the president's postwar policies, agreed there could be no turning back in the Iraqi operation. An 87-12 vote in the Senate came after the House approved its $87 billion package by a 303-125 vote. "I believe in this...