Everyday our liberties and freedom come under fire. The American Republic once protected its citizens from arbitrary abuse, extortion, and deliberate social engineering. Now the very same public servants who were meant to work for us connive daily on how to control our lives. The Republic is gone and we are left to fend for ourselves, to put up resistance to every encroachment on individual self-determination. The Freedom Under Fire Report provides daily coverage of the most important issues, so that you remain informed and ready to defend yourself. Read on and pass this around to everyone you think could benefit:
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Approved by House. The House of Representatives approved a $787.2 billion “economic recovery package.” The bill passed with a vote of 246-183, with all 176 Republicans opposing the measure. President Obama said the package is needed to “ignite spending by businesses and consumers, make the investments necessary for lasting economic growth and prosperity.” But he stressed the legislation is “only the beginning” of what will ultimately be “a long and difficult process of turning our economy” around.
This bill comes on top of an estimated $1.13 trillion budget deficit in 2009, meaning that its costs will be subsidized by borrowing and money creation by the Federal Reserve. Rather than serving as short term stimulus, the bulk of the bill centers on long term government programs and reordering the economy from market-oriented to centrally planned. Quite ominous is a health care section slipped into pages 445-479, which mandates creation of a new federal agency to monitor and dictate health decisions throughout the country. Treatment decisions for many people will soon be contingent on a Washington D.C. bureaucrat granting you permission.
State Farm Driven from Florida by Regulators. Jim Thompson, CEO of State Farm Florida (State Farm’s FL subsidiary), declared that they will be closing up shop in the state amid refusal of legislators to allow them to increase insurance rates. Further, the Wall Street Journal reports that the firm was granted “conditional approval” to exit the state! Since when were businesses mandated to provide services? Read this rag of a newspaper to hear a bit of sarcastic, entitled commentary by an angry Florida journalist. In it, the writer argues that State Farm should stop whining and use resources from the parent company to subsidize Florida’s losses indefinitely.
Senator Gregg Declines Commerce Secretary Nomination in Defiance of Obama. New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg declined his nomination for Commerce Secretary after disagreement with Obama on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and attempting to politicize the Census. Obama’s census plan would have the director of the U.S. Census report to him, rather than the Commerce Secretary, which traditionally oversees the activity. Politicizing the census in this way raises concerns since its results factor into drawing political districts. Opponents of Obama’s plan claim he would be in a powerful position to engineer future elections by manipulating district boundaries. We should all be asking ourselves why the President wants to be involved in the U.S. Census?
