Free Republic

Hard-hitting reporting of higher education has been so abysmal for so long that when newspapers cut back on their coverage of it, readers seldom notice. Too many reporters were inclined to merely parrot the press releases of the colleges and universities they cover. Now that readers can obtain this information for themselves on the internet, that approach is particularly superfluous. More than honorable mention on this score must be given to Scott Jaschik, co-founder and editor of Inside Higher Ed.com. As well, recently I had a chance to see the formidable Amanda Ripley in action. A contributor to Time and...

Seven Ways to Elect an Executive. Term Limits. Property Requirements. Appointment by National Legislature to Single Seven Year Term. Virtuous Voters. Landed Debt. Seat of Government. Resolutions Submitted to Committee of Detail. In Convention. Col. [FN1] MASON. In every Stage of the Question relative to the Executive, the difficulty of the subject and the diversity of the opinions concerning it have appeared. Nor have any of the modes of constituting that department been satisfactory. 1. [FN2] It has been proposed that the election should be made by the people at large; that is that an act which ought to be...

The debt limit debate has only produced one serious proposal to rectify the government's spending problem: the Cut, Cap and Balance Act of 2011. This bill, which passed the House and received unanimous Republican support in the Senate was rejected by Senate Democrats who would prefer to bankrupt the country than reform spending. The Cut, Cap and Balance Act would implement spending cuts next year, establish statutory spending caps and require the passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) to the Constitution before any new borrowing authority can be exercised. The Cut, Cap and Balance Act is important in that...

Executive Electors. Foreign Influence and Bribes. Madison Speech and Popular Election. More National v. State Legislature v. Popular Election Debate. In Convention. [FN1] Clause relating to the Executive [FN2] again under consideration. Mr. ELSEWORTH moved "that the Executive be appointed by the Legislature," except when the magistrate last chosen shall have continued in office the whole term for which he was chosen, & be reeligible, in which case the choice shall be by Electors appointed by the Legislatures of the States for that purpose." By this means a deserving magistrate may be reelected without making him dependent on the Legislature....

Executive Electors. Twenty Year President. Single or Multiple Executives. How Many Terms? Impeachment. State Legislatures or Congressional Appointment. G. Morris Speech. Roll the Dice. Committee of Detail. Pinckney and NJ/Patterson Plans Discharged. In Convention. The appointment of the Executive by Electors [FN1] reconsidered. Mr. HOUSTON moved that he be appointed by the "Natl. Legislature," instead of "Electors appointed by the State Legislatures" according to the last decision of the mode. He dwelt chiefly on the improbability, that capable men would undertake the service of Electors from the more distant States. Mr. SPAIGHT seconded the motion. Mr. GERRY opposed it. He...

Amendments. Oaths. Mason Speech on Popular Ratification. Retained Powers. Secession. Ratification by Legislatures. G. Morris, Madison and Judicial Review. Oaths to State Constitutions. Two Senators per State. Per Capita Voting. Executive Electors. Export Taxation Ban. In Convention. Mr. John Langdon & Mr. Nicholas Gilman from N. Hampshire, took their seats. Resoln.: 17. [FN1] that provision ought to be made for future amendments of the articles of Union, [FN2] agreed to, nem. con. Resoln. 18. [FN3] "requiring the Legis: Execut: & Judy. of the States to be bound by oath to support the articles of Union," [FN2] taken into consideration. Mr....

I just ran across this handy little device and wanted to share with my fellow Preppers: This washer uses a technique of pushing and pulling the water through the clothes, without excess friction (which also reduces the wear on your clothes). This washer uses minimal water and because of the agitation motion, less soap. Use in a bucket, sink or tub. It also rinses your clothes using fresh water. A great item to have with your emergency and outdoor supplies.

...The Net Neutrality rules prevent Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from managing network congestion and prioritizing data—including data-heavy applications (e.g. Skype, Netflix, etc.) – not to slow speeds, but to make network efficiency gains. Thus, as the rules turn ISPs into “dumb pipe” broadband providers, this then forces the companies to hike their prices in order to create more throughput as they are unable to manage their own or others’ data. This week, KPN announced that in order to comply with the rules set forth by Parliament, they would have to significantly raise rates for mobile Internet customers, and other Dutch...

Senate Democrats refused to solve the debt limit debate on Friday, rejecting the Cut, Cap and Balance Act of 2011 which would cut spending, restrain future outlays and require passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. The Senate then adjourned for the weekend, without offering any way forward in the debt limit debate. While taxpayers have been balancing their household budgets by restraining their own spending, every Senate Democrat present voted against requiring the federal government to do the same. Voters understand Senate Democrats rejected a solution for America’s debt problem without offering any plan of their own....

Yet another Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) extension passed the House of Representatives yesterday, the 21st time the agency has been reauthorized by a short-term measure after its authorization expired in 2007. We have warned in the past that the FAA’s wasteful and inefficient programs make it an ideal place to look for potential taxpayer savings. And today, Republican members of the House will endeavor to do just that, scrutinizing legislation that has gotten a free pass for four years by reforming the Essential Air Service (EAS). The EAS provides subsidies that make air travel to remote, formerly unprofitable, locations available...

Today marks the one year anniversary of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, another costly regulatory package that has stunted economic growth. As we noted at its passage, Dodd-Frank does nothing to mitigate a future potential crisis while imposing over 400 job-killing regulations cloaked in empty rhetoric about consumer protection. With new business creation at a 17-year low, its time for the House of Representatives to revisit some of the key provisions of Dodd-Frank, an overhaul we reviewed in our 2010 Cost of Government Day Report. This afternoon, House members will have the chance to do just...

...Most notably, the announcement by TSA comes just five days after a Federal Court of Appeals ruling that the agency violated the Administrative Procedure Act and must work through a public comment and rulemaking period, something the agency failed to undertake before placing scanners at airports. The move by TSA is a likely attempt to head off a period of media attention and strong public opposition to individual-specific images surrounding the comment proceedings. The case, brought by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), also centered on whether TSA scanners violated the Fourth Amendment and other federal statutes. However, such claims...

Judicial Veto and Judicial Review. Madison & G. Morris Speeches. Strength to Veto Bad Bills. Transfer Payments, Remission of Debt. Executive Veto, Two Thirds Override. Executive nomination of Judges w/Senatorial veto. Luther Martin, George Mason and Judicial Review. What is Proper Law? Senatorial Appointment of Judges. In Convention. Mr. WILLIAMSON moved that the Electors of the Executive should be paid out of the National Treasury for the Service to be performed by them." Justice required this: as it was a national service they were to render. The motion was agreed to Nem. Con. Mr. WILSON moved as an amendment to...

Today, a broad coalition of center-right organizations released a joint letter calling on Republican leaders in Congress to block any attempt to raise taxes in the ongoing debt ceiling negotiations. The letter reminds lawmakers of the budget deals of 1982 and 1990 that raised taxes but failed to deliver on promises to cut spending. In part, the letter states:... “The historical level of federal government spending has been 21 percent of economic output. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), federal spending will be 23-24 percent of economic output each year for the rest of this decade, and then...

Presidential Electors. How Many? Impeachment. Separation of Powers. Statholder. Mr. Morris & Impeachable Offenses. Executive Salary. In Convention. The postponed [FN1] Ratio of Electors for appointing the Executive; to wit 1 for each State whose inhabitants do not exceed 100,000, [FN2] &c. being taken up. Mr. MADISON observed that this would make in time all or nearly all the States equal. Since there were few that would not in time contain the number of inhabitants intitling them to 3 Electors: that this ratio ought either to be made temporary, or so varied as that it would adjust itself to the...

...To drive this home, Vernuccio brings to light the withering union’s latest pitch to recruit members by encouraging SEIU members to practice the following tactics to cause employers to fold to Big Labor demands. 1. Destroy Business Relationships 2. Drain Employers Bank Accounts 3. Ruin Public Image 4. Attack Family Members 5. Imprison Your Boss For instance, Vernuccio writes, “In May SEIU drove 14 busloads of protesters to the quiet suburban home of Bank of America’s deputy general counsel, Greg Baer. Intimidation was the whole point of this exercise…only Mr. Baer’s teenage son was home. Terrified, he locked himself in...

Popular Presidential Elections. Multiple Terms. Biennial Elections. President for Life. State Electors. Separation of Powers by Madison. North v. South Popular Suffrage. Elbridge Gerry Speech – State Governors Appoint Electors. State Legislatures Appoint Electors. Six Year Terms. In Convention. On reconsideration of the vote rendering the Executive re-eligible a 2d. time, Mr. MARTIN moved to reinstate the words, "to be ineligible a 2d. time." Mr. GOVERNEUR MORRIS. It is necessary to take into one view all that relates to the establishment of the Executive; on the due formation of which must depend the efficacy & utility of the Union among...

A recent article in the Jakarta Globe states that some backpacker hostels in Singapore are going upmarket, to cater to a rising number of backpackers with bigger budgets.   Well, this isn't entirely true.   It isn't just backpackers looking for reasonably priced place to stay but businessmen and tourists as well who have been looking for a decent place to stay without having to pay an arm and a leg. If you are looking for a hotel room in Singapore expect to pay anywhere from S$200 (US$165) to S$600 (US$493) a night.  On the high end, Singapore has some of...

Judiciary. Advise and Consent. Compensation of Judges. Inferior Courts. Jurisdiction. Continuation of Government. Republican Government Guarantee. Rebellions. In Convention On motion of Mr. L. Martin to fix tomorrow for reconsidering the vote concerning "eligibility of Exective. [FN1] a 2d. time" it passed in the affirmative. Mas. ay. Cont. ay. N. J. absent. Pa. ay. Del. ay. Md. ay. Va. ay. N. C. ay. S. C. ay. Geo. absent. [FN2] The residue of Resol. 9 [FN3] concerning the Executive was postpd. till tomorrow. Resol. 10. [FN4] that Executive shl. have a right to negative legislative acts not afterwards passed by 2/3...

Sixth Resolution. Taxation. Requisitions. Congressional Veto of State Law. Roger Sherman, James Madison, Governeur Morris & Judicial Review. Congressionally Elected Executive. Term Limits. President for life. In Convention Mr. GOVERNR. MORRIS. moved to reconsider the whole Resolution agreed to yesterday concerning the constitution of the 2 branches of the Legislature. His object was to bring the House to a consideration in the abstract of the powers necessary to be vested in the general Government. It had been said, Let us know how the Govt. is to be modelled, and then we can determine what powers can be properly given to...