Free Republic

For years I have been saying that fighting Islam is not about religion to me. It is about preserving our freedoms for our families future generations. But I do believe that non-Muslims of all beliefs must unite against Islam. One of my biggest complaints about non-Muslims, is that most of us sit silently as Islam advances across the world. Then there are the Islamic excuse makers that verbally attack, those that do have the guts to speak out against this threat. I have seen an endless list of Christians doing this, as they are not willing to take a stand...

After its passage in the House last month, Sen. Schumer cobbled together an almost identical version to introduced in the Senate last week. The differences between the two bills - a carve-out that eliminated the requirement for unions to disclose transfers of money to affiliates - illustrates that the bill is simply a political front for slanting the campaign finance landscape in favor of the current majority for the upcoming elections. Amongst other things, the bill: Mandates advocacy groups to disclose all of their donors instead of the ones funding communications, shifting the focus of current campaign finance reporting from...

...According to polling professionals Harris Interactive, 64 percent of respondents were opposed to any tax increase in the oil and gas industry. More specifically, 46 percent were strongly opposed. This is more than double the amount of respondents who supported tax increases at 27 percent. The data shows that voters are well informed over the issues surrounding American energy. For instance, Congress is trying to overtax the same industry that paid $100 billion in federal income taxes in 2008 and employs more than 9.2 million Americans... Read more: http://www.atr.org/polls-show-americans-tired-taxes-oil-a5253#ixzz0uuWuiJ7l

The New York City Comptroller has unveiled a new transparency website that just went live earlier this month. CheckbookNYC looks exactly like what the URL hints at—a checkbook. Visitors to the site can look up expenditures by department, category, transaction, payee, or contact. The database is updated everyday and looks like what your checkbook might look like if you wrote over $60 billion dollars worth of checks a year. At first glance, this site seems like a great tool to get information on detailed state spending but there are limitations. There isn’t a purpose explanation offered for transactions and payroll...

...Yet just as one can expect of the struggling Democratic Party here in the U.S., he refused to lay the blame on failed and unpopular policy. “The prime minister admitted after Sunday's election that the strategy didn't work. ‘My discussion on the consumption tax was received by the voters as rather abrupt,’ a sober-faced Mr. Kan said at his news conference. ‘I, myself, feel that a big reason [for the defeat] was I didn't explain it well enough.’” It seems that Messers. Kan and Obama have something in common: an inability to consider that voters do not look favorably on...

Spencer Ackerman - Wired, FireDogLake, Washington Independent, Talking Points Memo, The American Prospect Thomas Adcock - New York Law Journal Ben Adler - Newsweek, POLITICO Mike Allen - POLITICO Eric Alterman - The Nation, Media Matters for America Marc Ambinder - The Atlantic Greg Anrig - The Century Foundation Ryan Avent - Economist Dean Baker - The American Prospect Nick Baumann - Mother Jones Josh Bearman - LA Weekly Steven Benen - The Carpetbagger Report Ari Berman - The Nation Jared Bernstein - Economic Policy Institute Michael Berube - Crooked Timer, Pennsylvania State University Brian Beutler - The Media...

...On the one front, Google is heading a major coalition lobbying for so-called "Net Neutrality" rules to regulate the Internet for the first time in history. The effort would essentially turn private Internet service providers (ISPs) into public utilities, by giving the Federal Communications Commission vague authority to dictate how ISPs manage their networks that comprise the Internet. A win would solidify Google’s powerful place in the market while undercutting ISPs; it would give Google permission to continue “free-riding” across ISPs networks with the government’s blessing. Yet, Google now finds itself in the unusual position of fighting back against the...

... All small businesses. There were 30 million tax returns reporting small business income in 2008. On net (profits reduced by losses), these owners reported business profits of $981 billion. A large chunk of this net profit--$488 billion—faced taxation in households making more than $200,000 per year. A majority of small business profits will face a tax rate hike under the Obama-Pelosi-Reid plan.Sole proprietors. There were 22 million tax returns reporting sole proprietor income in 2008. On net (profits reduced by losses), these owners reported business profits of $264 billion. A large chunk of this net profit--$90 billion—faced taxation in...

From Stephen Black, Ph.D comes word that “a tenured chemistry professor at the University of Texas, San Antonio was fired on charges that he threatened the safety of colleagues and students by . . . too many books in his office,” according to News Of the Weird. That’s not all. “The University of California (Berkeley) suspended a student-run, for-credit course on male sexuality . . . after the student newspaper reported that some members of the class had participated in an orgy and watched an instructor have sex onstage at a strip club.” Deborah Lambert writes the Squeaky Chalk column...

Spencer Ackerman - Wired, FireDogLake, Washington Independent, Talking Points Memo, The American Prospect Thomas Adcock - New York Law Journal Ben Adler - Newsweek, POLITICO Mike Allen - POLITICO Eric Alterman - The Nation, Media Matters for America Marc Ambinder - The Atlantic Greg Anrig - The Century Foundation Ryan Avent - Economist Dean Baker - The American Prospect Nick Baumann - Mother Jones Josh Bearman - LA Weekly Steven Benen - The Carpetbagger Report Ari Berman - The Nation Jared Bernstein - Economic Policy Institute Michael Berube - Crooked Timer, Pennsylvania State University Brian Beutler - The Media...

The following 107 names are confirmed members of the now-defunct JournoList listserv. 1. Spencer Ackerman – Wired, FireDogLake, Washington Independent, Talking Points Memo, The American Prospect 2. Ben Adler – Newsweek, POLITICO 3. Mike Allen - POLITICO 4. Eric Alterman – The Nation, Media Matters for America 5. Marc Ambinder - The Atlantic 6. Greg Anrig – The Century Foundation 7. Ryan Avent – Economist 8. Dean Baker - The American Prospect 9. Nick Baumann – Mother Jones 10. Josh Bearman – LA Weekly 11. Steven Benen - The Carpetbagger Report 12. Jared Bernstein – Economic Policy Institute 13. Michael...

Do you have a Medical Flexible Spending account associated with your work? You know the kind of account that you fund with pre-tax dollars that you can use to pay for Prescription Co-pays, Deductible costs, and any other medical expense that your insurance doesn't completely pay? The neat thing about these are that they effectively reduce your taxable income. Well we got a notice of change just recently: "Effective January 1, 2011 in order to be reimbursed for over-the-counter drugs and medicines purchased on or after this date the participant must provide a medical practitioner's prescription for the item(s)." So...

The following 75 names are confirmed members of the now-defunct JournoList listserv. 1. Ezra Klein - Washington Post, Newsweek, The American Prospect 2. Dave Weigel - Washington Post, MSNBC, The Washington Independent 3. Matthew Yglesias – Center for American Progress, The Atlantic Monthly 4. David Dayen - FireDogLake 5. Spencer Ackerman – Wired, FireDogLake, Washington Independent, Talking Points Memo, The American Prospect 6. Jeffrey Toobin – CNN, The New Yorker 7. Eric Alterman – The Nation, Media Matters for America 8. Paul Krugman – The New York Times, Princeton University 9. John Judis – The New Republic, The American Prospect...

...Bowles and Gregg can only be talking about cutting $3 in promised Social Security and Medicare benefits in exchange for $1 in tax increases. In other words, 1/4 of the unfunded liabilities of Social Security and Medicare would be paid for with tax hikes. So how big is that? According to the 2009 Social Security and Medicare Actuaries' Report, the long-run insolvency of the Social Security and Medicare systems is $106.8 trillion (with a "t") over the infinite horizon. To close this gap with one-quarter tax hikes is, therefore, to raise taxes by $26.7 trillion. Of course, this number is...

When most Americans think of financial reform, they envision some sort of abstract change in rules to cut the profits of cigar-smoking investment bankers jetting across the globe in private airplanes, yet the reality of the recent Frank-Dodd Act hits much closer to home. In response to Section 1075 of the legislation, introduced by Sen. Dick Durbin, the largest US banks, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Chase, have ended their free checking programs. Section 1075 allows the Board of the Federal Reserve to establish “reasonable” limits to the interchange fees charged by banks to merchants when consumers use debit...

The Center for Health Transformation recently released two charts detailing the effects of Obamacare. The first of the charts depicts the 158 new agencies, bureaus, commissions, panels, and other organizations created by the legislation in an organizational chart, and the second of the charts maps out the various implantation deadlines required by the legislation... Read more: http://www.atr.org/two-pictures-thousands-words-challenges-posed-a5240#ixzz0uRIUfOos

...The return of TABOR in Colorado helps put the spotlight on the importance of fiscal limits across the country. The constitutional amendment, first passed in 1992, resulted in massive government savings that were required by law to be returned to taxpayers. Between 1997 and 2001, taxpayers received $3.2 billion in tax refunds. Unsurprisingly, between 1995 and 2000, the state ranked first in growth state product growth and second in personal income growth. Referenda on increasing taxes were swiftly voted down by Coloradans who realized the positive potential of the spending limit. Sensing the public’s aversion to higher taxes and spending,...

Cognitive decline and memory loss are the biggest fear factor for seniors and their caregivers. Frustrations, miscommunications, and strained emotions further cloud an issue characterized by mental haze. Determining if “senior moments” are consistent enough to affect quality of life and whether something should be done requires communication. It may be failure to pay attention that first raises concern and prompts the need for discussion. Sometimes seniors become so accustomed to others planning their days that they don’t take much time to focus on the details. A senior may ask a question and then not pay attention to or not...

As an American, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to many, many people who have risked and given their lives to defend our liberty. But as I reflect on the recent Supreme Court decision in McDonald v. City of Chicago, I thought I should take a moment to mention four Americans who have made a relatively uncelebrated contribution to the freedom I cherish and enjoy. I owe a special debt to four black men, and one gun. The most important of these men, to me, was my father. When I was a boy, he and my mother moved our...

"Ghazawat Washington Conference" SNIPPET: "Be advised that the Ghazawat Washington Conference is scheduled for July 31 beginning at 10 AM EDT. Note that "Ghazawat" is defined as 'battles to expand Muslim territory.'" SNIPPET: "Obviously, the conference is not going to address peace, diversity and tolerance. The conference will discuss victory over non-believers and taking control. The names of the participants are likely familiar. The event will be broadcast globally on Paltalk room "Authentic Tawheed" and also live streamed on: www.authentictawheed.com, www.salafimedia.com, and www.revolutionmuslim.com."