Free Republic

Let's not lose sight of anything here, the #1 prize for the Democrats is to get the debt ceiling where it doesn't have to be dealt with till after the 2012 election. That is what they want and what they're angling for. Enter Senator Mitch McCongame. As many have stated, his plan to give President Fool Sucka debt ceiling increase authority has sold us down the river. Why? Because Reid can use that and the weak tea Boner bill to come up with a compromise that basically cuts little to nothing and pushes the ceiling fight till after the election....

California Governor Jerry Brown will sign a bill today which will raise the required amount of costly renewable energy for electric generation in the Golden State to 33% while Texas Governor Rick Perry is likely grinning from ear to ear. Texas and other business-friendly Western states such as Arizona and Utah, stand to benefit from California's latest payoff to the green lobby.  The bill boosts the electric renewable energy standard from its current 20% to 33% by the year 2020, and California consumers and businesses will be stuck with the additional cost.  Businesses will have one more reason to leave...

We're still working our way through Kleiner Perkins' partner Mary Meeker's excellent analysis of the financial condition of the United States. We'll be breaking out some key sections in the next few days. In the meantime, here's the one chart you need to see to understand why the US is screwed. This is the "income statement" of the United States in 2010. "Revenue" is on the left. "Expenses" are on the right.

Feb. 14, 2011—Retired Brig. Gen. Terryl Schwalier has filed suit in US District Court in a bid to reverse a punishment he received after the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing. Named as defendants in their official capacities are Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Air Force Secretary Michael Donley. Schwalier was commander of the 4404th Wing (Provisional) at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, when terrorists attacked base housing at Khobar Towers on June 25, 1996. Nineteen airmen died and 240 more were injured in a massive truck bomb blast. Three Air Force investigations found Schwalier had significantly improved base security during his tenure as...

How Badly Are We Screwed? Very.Febuary 14, 2011Karl Denninger The TBAC report is out and it's nasty. (The Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee) Key is here: The OMB, by the way, projected five trillion in surpluses in 2000. That is, a net debt of near zero over ten years. Do you think they're a bit optimistic compared to reality? Instead we doubled the debt. Which, incidentally, was a doubling from 1990 too. And, I might add, that was roughly a doubling from 1980. Welcome to compound function Hell. How many times do you really think you can do this? Again? Really?...

The latest screw the consumer attack is coming from Angus Beef cattlemen and America's meat sellers. Try and find a piece of meat with the "Certified Angus Beef" (CAB) sticker on it that also has the acceptable USDA grade on it. Very difficult, if at all. My local market managers when asked about the USDA grade on thier CAB meat say: "Oh, it's choice or select." So how are we supposed to know which? I don't knowingly buy "select". This is a scam...ripoff...and consumer fraud! Complain to your meat seller and tell your congressman to force the USDA to stop...

Democrats in Congress are no longer asking themselves whether this is going to be a bad election year for them and their party. They are asking whether it is going to be a disaster. The answer will probably be found in states such as Wisconsin, one of a growing number of spots on the map where Democrats accustomed to winning reelection with ease - including Sen. Russell Feingold - are unexpectedly in trouble. The GOP pushed deep into Democratic-held territory over the summer, to the point where the party is well within range of picking up the 39 seats it...

WASHINGTON — President Obama said Monday that he was revamping American nuclear strategy to substantially narrow the conditions under which the United States would use nuclear weapons, even in self defense. But the president said in an interview that he was carving out an exception for “outliers like Iran and North Korea” that have violated or renounced the main treaty to halt nuclear proliferation. Discussing his approach to nuclear security the day before formally releasing his new strategy, Mr. Obama described his policy as part of a broader effort to edge the world toward making nuclear weapons obsolete, and to...

The Twelve Days of Health Care On the first day of Health Care Obama gave to us: A Fine for no Health Coverage On the second day of Health Care Obama gave to us: Two Backroom Deals and a Fine for no Health Coverage On the third day of Health Care Obama gave to us: All illegals covered Two Backroom Deals and a Fine for no Health Coverage On the fourth day of Health Care Obama gave to us: Big Pharma payoffs All illegals covered Two Backroom Deals and a Fine for no Health Coverage On the fifth day of...

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Obama administration will invest $2 billion (or more) in drilling off the shores of Brazil, of all places. The left does all they can to keep us from exploring off our own shores. Yet we’re suddenly investing $2 billion – that we don’t have – in a Brazilian oil company?

"I’ve got to own up to my mistake. Ultimately, it's important for this administration to send a message that there aren't two sets of rules — you know, one for prominent people and one for ordinary folks who have to pay their taxes," Obama said on NBC’s "Nightly News with Brian Williams." "I'm frustrated with myself, with our team. ... I'm here on television saying I screwed up," Obama said on NBC. He repeated virtually the same words in interviews with other TV anchors. Worried about 'a distraction' Daschle said in a brief letter to Obama that he refused to...

Senator Pat Roberts on CSPAN-Senate channel now. Claims the Obamacare Bill ends both Medicare and TRICARE by making reimbursements so low that no doctor or hospital will be able to afford to provide it through a bill no one has had the time to read. Claims Obamacare will end ALL other health care options by also purposefully and maliciously undercutting all private plans. Pure Stalinist medicine. It's clear why Obama and Pelosi are freaking-out and trying to get this passed before the end of July. If congresspeople go home and get an earful of their constituents' anger they'd never come...

WASHINGTON'S traditional means of projecting power abroad was growing "increasingly obsolete" and its billion-dollar military hardware could be as ineffectual against future threats as the heavily fortified Maginot line was in defending France against the Nazis, a senior Pentagon adviser has warned. In a wake-up call to US military chiefs, Andrew Krepinevich, a leading architect of the counter-insurgency strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan, argued that the Pentagon was ill-equipped to counter rising powers such as China, hostile states such as Iran, the threat from irregular forces such as Hezbollah, and terrorists such as al-Qa'ida. It was also wasting billions on...

From The Economist print edition The Asian economies are likely to be the first to pull out of the global recession

Wednesday night, while President Barack Obama held his televised press conference marking his first 100 days in office, the federal hate crimes bill passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 249 to 175. But not everyone believes this piece of legislation is a great idea. They are cautioning many supporters that such a law is a two-edged sword and may have unintended consequences that includes misuse by overzealous and politically motivated prosecutors. During a discussion of HR 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, opponents of the proposed law offered compelling arguments for...

It was nearly two weeks ago that the House of Representatives, acting in a near-frenzy after the disclosure of bonuses paid to executives of AIG, passed a bill that would impose a 90 percent retroactive tax on those bonuses. Despite the overwhelming 328-93 vote, support for the measure began to collapse almost immediately. Within days, the Obama White House backed away from it, as did the Senate Democratic leadership. The bill stalled, and the populist storm that spawned it seemed to pass. But now, in a little-noticed move, the House Financial Services Committee, led by chairman Barney Frank, has approved...

each Rep allowed one minute to speak.

Layoffs cascade with PNC Financial, Liz Claiborne, Rockwell, others making cuts; more expected WASHINGTON (AP) -- Layoffs are spiking as the recession rips through the country, with retailers, banks, factories and others cutting costs ever deeper this week. It's inflicting a painful toll on workers, and there's little relief in sight.

Palestinian officials rejoice at 'new tone' of White House The Palestinian Authority received a guarantee from President Obama's administration that understandings reached with Israel during U.S.-backed negotiations while President Bush was in office would be utilized as starting points for current and future talks with the Jewish state, top PA officials told WND. With new general Israeli elections scheduled for next week, the move could limit the incoming Israeli prime minister, since the PA can point to points of agreement during previous talks between Bush and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The PA officials, speaking on condition their names be withheld,...

SHANGHAI — China agreed on Thursday to loosen restrictions on foreign news and information providers inside the country, settling a trade dispute with the United States, the European Union and Canada. The agreement, which was signed in Geneva, allows international news and information agencies, like Bloomberg, Dow Jones & Company and Thomson Reuters, to more freely compete and sell their services inside China, where government controls were tightened in 2006.