Free Republic

Like many northeastern cities, Harrisburg has a severe parking problem — unless you are one of about 3,200 state employees whose parking costs are picked up by state taxpayers. The little-known benefit was picked up by the Harrisburg Patriot-News in an article concerning the capital city’s manifest financial woes and its attempt to get out of state receivership. The Department of General Services rents 3,200 parking spaces at garages near the Capitol Building for some state employees. There are also 885 parking spots on two levels under the East Wing of the Capitol that are free to 253 state lawmakers,...

The most important thing for any poor person trying to improve his or her condition is, of course, a job. It is the entry-level job that accords impoverished workers – even those with no skills, no references and no employment record -- the invaluable opportunity to succeed and to prosper. It is literally the first rung up the ladder of success. If that is true, then the most vicious conceivable governmental policy would be one that eliminates entry-level jobs, making it harder and harder for the poor to get a foothold in life. Yet that is precisely what the state...

FERC: Enron Tapes "only Scratched the Surface" of Potential Illegal ActivityBy Matthew Daly Associated Press Writer Published: Mar 1, 2005 WASHINGTON (AP) - Audio tapes made public Tuesday indicate at least 1,500 conversations in which traders employed by disgraced energy giant Enron Corp. engaged in or discussed violations of federal regulations, a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staffer says. Those tapes, including some collected by a Washington state utility, may have "only scratched the surface" of potentially illegal activity by Enron during the West Coast energy crunch of 2000-2001, the FERC staffer said in testimony released Tuesday. The comment came as...

State Auditor Pat Anderson on Friday called on Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak to reimburse the city for his recent $42,000 newsletter because she believes it violates state law. "While it is appropriate for a city to send out a newsletter to communicate with its residents, it is clear that glossy ... photographs of the mayor and a glowing recitation of his accomplishments do not meet that purpose," Anderson wrote. "Frankly, Mayor Rybak should have saved this brochure for his campaign." Anderson said she saw the brochure after getting a complaint from a constituent late Thursday and reading about it in...

New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) has long been rumored as desperately seeking the democratic nomination for president in 2008. And while many political observers fully expect the power hungry former First Lady to hit the campaign trail within only a few months of being re-elected as a US Senator in 2006, US News & World report claims to have a confirmation of sorts. From USNews.Com's Washington Whispers: Hillary's in… You don't have to take it from us about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton 's desire to run for president. Her brothers, Hugh and Tony Rodham, say it's true. Friends...