Free Republic

In 2023, Social Security benefits got an 8.7% COLA, the largest cost-of-living adjustment since 1981. According to the United States Social Security Administration (SSA), "COLAs are based on increases in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W)." So, when inflation starts to cool, that means a lower cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security recipients. Currently, inflation is at its lowest level in two years, dropping to a 12-month rate of 3.0% in June. This is down from 4.0% in May and 4.9% in April. David Payne, staff economist from the Kiplinger Letter, forecasts a 3% Social...

Simon & Schuster is moving up the publication date of Mary Trump’s tell-all book about President Donald Trump’s family from July 28 to July 14, and the publisher is releasing new details about its content in the meantime. The decision to move up the date of Too Much And Never Enough: How My Family Created The World’s Most Dangerous Man, was based on “high demand and extraordinary interest,” according to a spokesperson for the publisher. An appellate judge last week lifted a temporary restraining order on the publisher that, at least temporarily, had blocked its release. Robert Trump, the president’s...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Confronted with missteps in his own administration, President Barack Obama has frequently pleaded ignorance — suggesting he could not be at fault about things he did not know.</p> <p>It's an argument with clear benefits but also inherent risks for the White House. Used too often, the tactic emboldens critics who claim the president is incompetent, detached and not fully in control.</p>

I posted the above article by Colin Flaherty a couple of hours ago and it was pulled by the Moderator as being "too much." The article at WND begins with a video of a young black man named Mike Hagler who is basically asking (based on his observations) why blacks have to always be so violent at public events. I posted one comment: ["Yes, I guess I'm a racist. You see I believe the human race is far superior to any other. If I'm not mistaken, "race" originated with the secular humanists pushing evolution, eugenics and other such nonsense. "Race"...

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Nine out of 10 Americans eat too much salt with most of them getting more than twice the recommended amount, according to a survey by U.S. government researchers. They said an estimated 77 percent of dietary sodium comes from processed foods and restaurant foods. "Sodium has become so pervasive in our food supply that it's difficult for the vast majority of Americans to stay within recommended limits," said Janelle Peralez Gunn, public health analyst with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who led the study of salt consumption. "Public health professionals, together with food manufacturers,...

Orlando, Fla. (AP) -- Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio told an anti-gay marriage group Saturday the country is relying too much on the government, in part because of a breakdown of family and faith values over the last 50 years. "You know what the fastest growing religion in America is? Statism. The growing reliance on government," Rubio said. "Every time a problem emerges, increasingly the reaction in American society is 'Well what can government do about it?'" America became the greatest country because of its strong society where people did not sit back and wait for government to act, he...

.... He insisted the new curriculum applied to "all students in publicly funded schools, including Catholic schools." His education minister, Leona Dombrowsky, also said the Catholic Church supported the new curriculum. But Catholic officials made it clear they were not prepared to implement any of the more controversial elements, including talk of homosexuality and masturbation in Grades 3 and 6 respectively..... "Talking about homosexuality and masturbation to primary children is hardly age appropriate," Sister Joan said. "Certainly it's not in the Catholic community. I'm not judging for other people. "The Church disapproves of masturbation on any level," she said. Homosexual...

LONDON – Here's a new warning from health experts: Sitting is deadly. Scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for prolonged periods — even if you also exercise regularly — could be bad for your health. And it doesn't matter where the sitting takes place — at the office, at school, in the car or before a computer or TV — just the overall number of hours it occurs. Research is preliminary, but several studies suggest people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely to be fat, have a heart attack or even die. In an editorial published...

Each year our elected representatives feel they must sponsor new legislation to show constituents they are hard at work and productive. The inevitable result, however, is that over the years we have more and more laws to deal with, increasing government incursion in our daily lives, increasing size of government, higher taxes and/or increasing public debt, and increasing waste of tax monies. This problem exists at all levels of government. I was reminded of this problem as I read through The Queen of the Road's list of new road rules in the Jan. 3 Times. Some new rules are good,...

Gov. Schwarzenegger came to office in 2003 promising to "blow up the boxes" and offering a vaguely supply-side agenda. On Monday, he announced his annual May revision of his fiscal year 2007-08 budget, and nary a blown-up box could be seen. Rather, the governor has decided to keep most of the bloated state budget's boxes intact, and thus mollify the moderate middle of the electorate. The governor is anticipating that next year's General Fund -- funded by income, corporate and sales taxes ---- will be $103.8 billion, up slightly from earlier estimates. This year's General Fund was about $102 billion,...

Californians' wariness of new debt is just one problem facing backers SACRAMENTO – After years of criticism about failing to invest in infrastructure, lawmakers now face questions about whether they are trying to do too much. The Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger placed a record $37.3 billion package of public-works bonds on the Nov. 7 ballot for roads, schools, housing and flood control. BIG BONDS The governor and legislative leaders have placed a record bond package on the Nov. 7 ballot: Proposition 1B – $19.9 billion for transportation Proposition 1C – $2.85 billion for housing Proposition 1D – $10.4 billion...

There was something missing from the full-page advertisement that the American Civil Liberties Union ran in newspapers around the country last week. The ad kicked off an ACLU campaign called "Don't Spy On Me," which is aimed at pressuring federal and state regulators into investigating the phone companies that supplied domestic call records to federal intelligence analysts. Subtle the ad wasn't. "IF YOU'VE USED A TELEPHONE IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, READ THIS," shouted the headline in end-of-the-world-sized type. "AT&T, Verizon, and other phone companies may have illegally sent your phone records to the National Security Agency." The ad went...

For at least the third time, The O'Reilly factor is repeating his interview with Howard Stern.Is O'Really fishing for a contract with Sirius satellite? Or is this strictly an attempt to boost ratings?What say you? And please be pithy. Also no bloviating, that's my job.

ON PAGE 22 OF THE BALLOT PAMPHLET sent to every registered voter can be found the fatal flaw in Proposition 76, one of the measures most dear to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. --snip-- California already has one of the strongest governorships in the nation, primarily because the state's executive can veto or reduce almost any spending item — including the state budget — sent to him by the Legislature. This extraordinary power is subject, as it should be, to an override by a two-thirds vote of the Legislature. But the ballot initiative, which the governor calls the "Live Within Our Means...

Pakistan seeks as many as 75 new F-16 warplanes Reuters Wednesday, May 25, 2005; 9:18 PM WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pakistan has sought prices for buying as many as 75 new F-16 C/D Falcon fighter aircraft since the Bush administration announced it would resume sales, the head of the Pentagon agency handling the matter said on Wednesday. Pakistan also has asked about buying 11 used F-16s, said Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kohler, head of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which runs U.S. government-to-government arms sales. Many experts had expected Pakistan to seek only about two dozen F-16s, said Richard Aboulafia...

The phone rang the other evening just as my wife and I were sitting down to dinner. My wife answered. "It's for you," she said. "It's Arnold." She wasn't kidding. It was indeed the governor, on tape, of course. The governor was requesting my help to wage war against the special interests whose wrecking ball is demolishing our state fiscal house. He said a petition would arrive soon by mail and by becoming a signatory, and encouraging others to do the same, I would be doing my part to "reform the budget process and bring state spending under control." Sure...

Nebraska therapist loses license after allegedly firing a handgun at a memo that angered him The Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. — The Nebraska Health and Human Services system has revoked the license of a North Platte therapist accused of firing a handgun at a memo that angered him. Robert Powers, a mental health practitioner and professional counselor, got upset when he received a memo last summer saying only the manager of his office would have the key to certain supply drawers, according to state documents. Powers took the memo and shot it several times with a .22-caliber handgun before returning...

<p>The nation owes Arnold Schwarzenegger gratitude for pushing Kobe Bryant out of the headlines for the first time in weeks.</p> <p>Still, the concept of recalling a sitting governor for anything less than moral turpitude strikes this conservative as ill-advised.</p> <p>I raise the matter of principle because the state of California is currently paralyzed in part because it has abandoned the sound principles upon which the nation was founded. The Constitution does not, of course, specify how Californians are to govern themselves -- except to say in Article IV, Section 4 that every state must be guaranteed a ``republican form of government.'' A republican form of government means that the people choose their leaders. It does not mean that the people decide every question by referendum.</p>