Free Republic

A federal agency says a ban on gas stoves is on the table amid rising concern about harmful indoor air pollutants emitted by the appliances. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission plans to take action to address the pollution, which can cause health and respiratory problems. “This is a hidden hazard,” Richard Trumka Jr., an agency commissioner, said in an interview. “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.” Natural gas stoves, which are used in about 40% of homes in the U.S., emit air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and...

If you live outside of Florida I bet you believe that those of us still crazy enough to live here are on borrowed time. It is a COVID hotspot dontcha know. We are on the cusp a Bubonic Armageddon. Bodies are piling up in morgues. Nurses and physicians are committing mass suicide out of despair brought on by this plague inflicted by Donald Trump. We’re talking wrath of God. Beirut bomb levels of catastrophe. Swarming locusts. Dogs and cats, living together. Mass hysteria. Must be true. I saw it on the TV. Oh wait, that was Ghostbusters.Ready for the truth?...

Vanity lead in about this: In 1978-1979, then California Governor Jerry Brown 'punished' the taxpayers for passing Proposition 13 (making property taxes affordable for those who had lived in California all their lives). Governor Brown cut police and fire services to 'punish' the taxpayers of California for passing Prop 13 (or Proposition 13). Then in 1981, then California Governor Jerry Brown hired 'Hanoi Jane Fonda' to head an Arts Committee with a $1 million budget. This infuriated California voters even more. One of the articles below attributes the actions of then California Jerry Brown to getting Ronald Reagan president. Articles...

Shutting down the government in an effort to use a budget fight to get rid of Obamacare is not the strategy I would have recommended for the GOP. And while Republicans can be blamed for starting the shutdown, it's increasingly apparent that President Obama and the Democrats deserve the lion's share of blame for not only prolonging it, but for making it as painful as possible. Obama has always had a bit of a vindictive streak when it comes to politics. I think it stems from his Manichaean view of America. There are the reasonable people -- who agree with...

Another story has emerged out of the Department of Defense that the economic consequences from sequestration will be less dire than what was predicted. DoD initially projected that there would be 22 furlough days for government employees. That's now joined the long list of predictions of doom that haven't come true: Officials said no final decisions have been made, but they believe civilian workers will be forced to take six to eight unpaid days off rather than the 11 days that had been scheduled. The move comes as workers begin their fourth week of furloughs — a decision that riled...

President Obama on Tuesday said he cannot guarantee that retirees will receive their Social Security checks August 3 if Democrats and Republicans in Washington do not reach an agreement on reducing the deficit in the coming weeks. "I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on August 3rd if we haven't resolved this issue. Because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it," Mr. Obama said in an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley, according to excerpts released by CBS News.

An official announcement by the Obama administration disclosing the reality of extraterrestrial life is imminent. For several months, senior administration officials have been quietly deliberating behind closed doors how much to disclose to the world about extraterrestrial life. Dissatisfaction among powerful institutions such as the U.S. Navy over the decades-long secrecy policy has given a boost to efforts to disclose the reality of extraterrestrial life and technology. The impending disclosure announcement follows upon the secret implementation of a year long openness policy on UFOs and extraterrestrial life. Over the period February 12-14, 2008, the United Nations held closed doors discussions...

President Bush visited with Senate Republicans behind closed doors yesterday, promising that he will follow through on border security, pleading with them to give his immigration plans a second look and trying to overcome hard feelings that arose from his recent charge that opponents are guilty of trying to "frighten people.". . . One key question is how to go forward even though several amendments have already cut at the grand bargain -- including limiting the guest-worker program and making it easier to deport those who don't qualify for legalization -- and several other difficult amendments could pass before the...

Negotiations in progress as shutdown nearsBy JOHN P. McALPIN AP Political Writer June 28, 2003, 4:54 PM EDT TRENTON, N.J.(AP) _ Legislators came to work Saturday, ordered by Gov. James E. McGreevey to agree on a budget and a series of tax and fee increases or else deal with a shuttered state government. The Senate Budget Committee, where Republicans have blocked the budget by refusing to vote on any measure that raises taxes, must act by midnight Saturday so the full house can vote Monday. Monday is the constitutional deadline for a balanced budget. Without one, McGreevey says all operations,...