Free Republic

My name is Christine, and I get food stamps. I've had to apply off and on over the past 16 years in order to make sure my family was fed. I don't feel the least bit ashamed of myself for this, but apparently some people think I should. Some people think I, and people like me, am lazy. Or that we're taking advantage of other (smarter, harder-working) people. Those people seem to have an image in their heads of how someone who "deserves" assistance behaves, and a very narrow idea of how we should feel about it. Those people are...

As one begins to dissect and find meaning in Hillary Clinton's campaign announcement video, Getting Started, once striking message is that she sends to parents whose kids are trapped in failing schools, move to a better area. While much of the video is merely a fluff piece designed to pander to every conceivable demographic her campaign can target in its 2 minutes and 18 seconds, there are a few striking observations, none as disturbing as her apparent solution for addressing the problems of under-performing public schools. After introducing us to a woman whose home-grown tomatoes are apparently "legendary" the Hillary campaign...

The White House said Monday that taxpayers paid for first lady Michelle Obama and President Obama to fly on separate planes to Los Angeles on the same day last week because they were traveling to “different airports” on slightly different schedules. “They flew into different airports,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest. “It’s also my understanding that the first lady actually left to get back to Washington, D.C., before the president even arrived in California.” Mr. Obama flew to Los Angeles International airport last Thursday on Air Force One, arriving around 4 p.m. local time for an appearance on

The Obamas are closing out their Hawaii vacation at one of the ritziest joints on Oahu. President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama dined Thursday night for nearly three hours at Vintage Cave, an exclusive restaurant that charges up to $500,000 for membership. According to the restaurant’s website, guests are whisked into a “cave-like environment” and encouraged to “escape the ordinary.” The Waikiki restaurant’s interior is composed of granite “quarried in the mountains of India” and custom-crafted furniture in a space that evokes the “underground architecture of ancient Rome.” And the meal? About as fine dining as it gets. According...

With public school students using #ThanksMichelle to tweet photos of their skimpy, stomach-turning school lunches, I decided to look at what Michelle Obama's daughters are served at Sidwell Friends school, and it turns out the girls dine on lunches from menus designed by chefs. While the Obama daughters have enjoyed dishes like chicken coconut soup, local butternut squash soup, crusted tilapia, they also get their fill of what Mrs. Obama might consider junk food. This week, for example, they'll enjoy meatball subs, BBQ wings, and ice cream, in addition to chicken curry, deviled egg salad and the intriguing "Chef's Choice."...

President Barack Obama grabbed dinner at one of the world's most exclusive restaurants while visiting Tokyo on Wednesday. Sukiyabashi Jiro has no set menu and meals typically last 15 to 20 minutes - but 20 pieces of sushi will set you back 30,000 Japanese yen (about $300). And that's if you're lucky enough to land one of only ten seats in the cozy basement venue.

Michelle Obama said "splurging is the key to life" if you regularly eat right and stay active. Her biggest guilty pleasure: French fries. "How would you appreciate vegetables if you never had chocolate?" she asked. "You couldn't live without a little chocolate, a little French fries."

The Obama daughters aren’t the only ones with travel privileges. Vice President Joe Biden told a gathering on Monday that he likes to bring his grandchildren with him when he travels. “I literally—at Christmastime, Mr. Ambassador, I always sit with the kids the last five or—and say, well, where do you want to go this year? Because one of the great advantages of being vice president, I’m able to take, if I’m not going into a war zone, one of my grandchildren with me. And I do take them all. They’re good kids. They don’t get in the way. And...

Students from around the nation have been taking to Twitter and other social media sites to post snapshot photos of their meager lunches — in some cases, a sad-looking sandwich with a carton of milk — and say to the first lady: Thanks a lot, Michelle Obama, for the rations. One wrote, next to a picture of a hot dog roll that seemed spread with tomato sauce and cheese, on a tray with three small cherry tomatoes and a carton of lower-fat milk: “You call this a [expletive] lunch? @BarackObama @MichelleObama,” The Blaze reported. And others were just as blunt...

This cupcake costs $750. Repeat: this cupcake costs $750. Maybe you shouldn't get one for everyone in the third-grade class. Meet the $750 Decadence D'Or cupcake at Sweet Surrender inside the Palazzo. It's encased in a hand-blown sugar fleur-de-lis and crafted using chocolates that get more special attention during production than Rip Torn when the movie's shot in a whiskey bar. It's arguably better than the Hostess version. Here's how it breaks down: • The Cake: Made from Palmira Single Estate chocolate, which was developed by Valrhona, a French chocolatier who planted a series of Criollo bean trees to create...

“Why would the president do this for the cameras? It’s one thing to take a vacation but is this pose shoving it down the throats of the American people?” she asked. “Many are out of work. They can’t afford to spend the day working on their golf game in one of the most expensive places to vacation. Is this what leadership looks like?”

The White House said Thursday that President Obama "absolutely" did not aid Jay-Z and Beyoncé in obtaining travel licenses to visit Cuba. On Wednesday night, the rapper released a song that bragged about the trip and included the lyrics "boy from the hood but got White House clearance." The lyrics also say Obama told him "chill, you gonna get me impeached." But on Thursday, White House press secretary Jay Carney said dismissively "it´s a song." "I guess nothing rhymes with Treasury, because Treasury offers and gives licenses for travel and the White House had nothing to do it

I can't explain how sick I am. I don't like drudge much, but he is doing a good job exposing the clown tonight.

On Barack and Michelle Obama's schedule for today, this event is listed: 7:30PM THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY host a concert celebrating Memphis Soul music as part of their “In Performance at the White House” series; THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks As the White House has previously announced, Justin Timberlake (who will be making his White House debut), Al Green, Ben Harper, Queen Latifah, Cyndi Lauper, Joshua Ledet, Sam Moore, Charlie Musselwhite, Mavis Staples, and others will be performing at the exclusive event. But while the performers are known, the guest list for the private event has not yet been...

Gwyneth Paltow's new cookbook has been slammed by critics who have branded the actress out of touch for featuring recipes that could cost around $300 a day to feed a family. The Oscar winner's latest culinary guide, It's All Good, was released in the U.S. last week, but has been criticized for offering recipes which include ingredients such as duck eggs and costly Manuka honey. One critic at Yahoo.com estimated it would cost around $300 a day to feed a family based on a selection of Paltrow's recipes, while Eater.com's Raphael Brion writes, "It's All Good is drenched in a...

APRIL 5 Versailles on the Potomac Deroy Murdock ‘Shared sacrifice” is one of Obama’s favorite mantras. Translation: The White House shares your money while you sacrifice. Amid the alleged horrors of the sequester, truly shared sacrifice is the last thing on Obama’s mind. The American people are enduring 0.4 percent GDP growth and 7.7 percent unemployment. A record 48 million citizens are on food stamps. Meanwhile, those in America’s royal palace are enduring tropical beaches, country clubs, and ski resorts. As Joseph Curl recalled in Times, the Obamas rang in 2013 in a 6,000-square-foot, $8 million estate in Oahu’s Paradise...

Between the canceled White House tours and the vacations he gives his dautghers, and the multi-million dollar trips to Europe Biden gives himself...it's not "let them eat cake," it's "let them eat this"...

Next week Justin Timberlake, Al Green, Queen Latifah, and many others will perform at the White House in a "Memphis Soul" concert, the White House announced today. "As part of their 'In Performance at the White House' series, the President and First Lady will invite music legends and contemporary major artists to the White House for a celebration of Memphis Soul music. The program will include performances by Alabama Shakes, William Bell, Steve Cropper, Al Green, Ben Harper, Queen Latifah, Cyndi Lauper, Joshua Ledet, Sam Moore, Charlie Musselwhite, Mavis Staples and Justin Timberlake, with Booker T. Jones as music director...

It’s spring break, and President Obama’s daughters are off on yet another vacation. While the U.S. economy could use a little help, according to Breitbart News, the Obama girls are spending their time – and taxpayers’ dime – in the Bahamas. The girls’ visit to the Atlantis resort was not publicly announced, but Breitbart says its sources have confirmed the information, verified also through sightings posted on social media:

Matt Boyle reported earlier today that Sasha and Malia are spending the 2013 sequester season in the Bahamas. This is will be the third luxury vacation for the Obama offspring in the last month. Over Presidents weekend, Michelle took the daughters to Aspen.