Free Republic

Health Reform: As major businesses lay out the impact of ObamaCare in dollars and jobs, two things are clear: the costs will be enormous, and the president's vow to focus on "jobs, jobs, jobs" can no longer be believed. Early returns on ObamaCare are coming in, and they belie proponents' claims of job creation and cost reduction. The costs will increase. They are merely being shifted to the states and to America's businesses, large and small. AT&T, the country's largest telephone company, announced Friday it will take a $1 billion first-quarter charge related to the new health care law. The...

A day after Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and ten other House members compromised on their pro-life position to deliver the necessary yes-votes to pass health care reform, the "Stupak 11" released their fiscal year 2011 earmark requests, which total more than $4.7 billion--an average of $429 million worth of earmark requests for each lawmaker. Of the eight lawmakers whose 2010 requests were available for comparison, five requested more money this week than they did a year ago: Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, D-Pa., Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, and Rep. Charles Wilson,...

3M Company (NYSE: MMM) said today that it expects to record a one-time non-cash charge of $85 to $90 million after tax, or approximately 12 cents per share, in the first quarter of 2010, resulting from the recently enacted Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including modifications made in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 passed by Congress on March 25, 2010. The charge is due to a reduction in the value of the company’s deferred tax asset as a result of a change to the tax treatment of Medicare Part D reimbursements. The company’s 2010 GAAP...

“The principle that the end justifies the means is in individualist ethics regarded as the denial of all morals. In collectivist ethics it becomes necessarily the supreme rule.” — Dr. Von Hayek Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered a most disturbing promise to PBS’s Jim Lehrer on Wednesday, proudly announcing that the methods employed and nearly employed to force ObamaCare on the American people (formerly the most free people on the planet) would, from this day forward, serve as her “model for future reforms.” Chilling words, indeed. Bribes, payoffs, backroom deals, secret Democrat meetings, holding members hostage in...

What does everyone think?

Repeal: Some say trying to repeal ObamaCare is a futile dream once people get used to its benefits, such as covering kids with pre-existing conditions. Once before, government was slapped down. It can be done. Entitlements can be addictive, and it's certainly the purpose of this administration to make as many Americans as possible as dependent on government as possible. That's partly why a health care bill put student loans under the Department of Education. The government needed the revenues, but it also needed the power over yet another class of citizens. Unlike Medicare and Social Security, this nationalization of...

House Democrats are expressing concerns about their personal safety following protests over health care legislation. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Wednesday that officials from the FBI and Capitol Police briefed Democrats on how to handle perceived security threats.

Health Care Reform: The Senate parliamentarian dims GOP hopes on a reconciliation bill that contains even more onerous taxes and even a financial incentive to lay people off. No wonder Speaker Pelosi is laughing. We'll acknowledge that the signing of ObamaCare into law is a historic event, but we think the Weather Channel broadcasting the signing ceremony was a bit much. On the other hand, stormy political weather and more dark clouds lay ahead. The cries of "repeal" and "remember in November" are rising, and state attorneys general are taking the feds to court over the unconstitutional mandates and usurpation...

The Vote: Conned by the promise of an ephemeral executive order, the last holdouts cave and ObamaCare advances. It doesn't add a single doctor or hospital room, but needs 17,000 new IRS agents to enforce it. Congressman Bart Stupak, D-Mich., spent months spelling out in minute detail how the Senate version of the health care overhaul permitted federal funding of abortion through its failure to expressly prohibit it. In the end, he cashed in his principles for an unenforceable executive order that is trumped by the Senate bill he voted to pass. An executive order is not the law of...

Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak's (D) distinction as the man who secured passage of health care reform for Democrats could make him a national target of Republican and conservative interests. He now has a Republican challenger, who in about 24 hours since Stupak cut a deal with the White House -- giving Democrats the necessary number of votes -- has gotten a lot more well known. Dan Benishek, a surgeon who announced his candidacy one week ago, went from about 3,500 Facebook friends Sunday afternoon to 14,500 by mid-Monday. Benishek has also received mentions from a few well-known conservative bloggers, including...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 22, 2010CONTACT: Levi Russell at (509) 979-6615 or Levi@FrontLineStrat.com  25,000+ BACK PUSH TO "REPEAL THE HEALTH CARE BILL" HOURS AFTER VOTE!Just hours after the House vote in favor of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid government-run healthcare plan, opponents of the measure have rallied on line to fight for the bill's repeal.A petition drive launched by the Tea Party Express has received more than 25,000 signatures during the past 12 hours.  And the rate of new signatures to the petition is exploding. The petition can be viewed here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/repealhealthcarebill/The petition signature count can be viewed - be sure to...

The 219-212 roll call Sunday by which the House passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the bill. Voting yes were 219 Democrats and 0 Republicans. Voting no were 34 Democrats and 178 Republicans. There are 4 vacancies in the 435-member House.

States' Rights: Idaho requires its attorney general to sue the feds if ObamaCare passes while Virginia, the cradle of liberty, heads the line of states in front of the federal courtroom. Somewhere Patrick Henry is smiling. As the second coming of King George III seeks to impose the leftist mandate of national health insurance on the unwilling American people, the states are once again in revolt. This time they're unwilling to be the colonies of an imperial federal government determined to spend and tax us into bankruptcy while treating the Constitution as if it were bird cage liner. Is this...

After more than a year debating the capstone of Obama's domestic agenda and just hours to go before the showdown vote, there was little holding back Saturday from protesters and lawmakers.

Will the "American Sheeple" remember in November or will they(we) go back to sleep?

Defying the will of Congress (remember these votes in November!), President Bush sent a veto message (read the president's message here), that he would not sign HR 810, the "Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005." President Bush addressed the situation in Lebanon while meeting with members of Congress in the White House. Secretary of State Rice met at the State Department today: New Zealand's Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peres, and Belgium's Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht. Next week she is scheduled to attend Southeast Asia's top security forum.