The Freedom Factory

Does Obama have a double standard with earmarks? The Reagan Era is officially over, economy falls much more than initial estimates, and unemployment reaches 10.1% in California…just the latest in your Freedom Under Fire Report! Continue Reading

$634 billion for Socialized health care, $410 for new omnibus spending bill, $1.5 million for work on grapes and wine, government virtually takes over student loan securities market, State Dept. officially reprimands China for human rights violations…just the latest in your Freedom Under Fire Report!

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:

Obama Wants $634 billion for Socialized Health Care. President Obama is calling on Congress to appropriate $634 billion for a health care “reserve fund” aimed at reforming the system and providing care for 46 million Americans who are currently not insured.

Obama Wants Higher Taxes on Wealthy to Pay for Health Care. President Obama intends to propose additional tax increases on the affluent to pay for his promise to make health care more accessible and affordable. This will be done by calling for stricter limits on the benefits of itemized deductions taken by the wealthiest households. Also in the mix to fund health care, are proceeds from carbon cap-and-trade permits businesses must buy when they exceed pollution thresholds.

House Passes New spending Bill, Another $410 billion. The House of Representatives passed a $410 billion omnibus spending bill packed with pet projects requested by both Democrats and Republicans. This comes a week after President Obama signed a $787 billion spending bill to “fix” the economy. Spending on domestic programs increased 8% for the current fiscal year, with critics pointing to myriad pork lines totalling $8 billion for more than 8,500 projects. These include such ridiculous items as $1.7 million for a honey bee lab in Texas, $346,000 for research on apple fire blight in Michigan and New York, and $1.5 million for work on grapes and grape products, including wine. Can this get any more ridiculous?

U.S. Government Virtually Takes Over Student Loan Market. The federal government has quietly increased funding in the student loan market to such a large degree that many wonder if there still remains a role for private investors. The U.S. government has committed hundreds of billions to purchase loans directly and make additional guarantees in the secondary market for student debt instruments.

State Department Accuses China of Human Rights Abuses. The U.S. State Department issued a report on the state of human rights around the world, which singled out China for numerous violations. It accused China of stepping up “severe cultural and religious repression” of minorities, as well as increasing its detention and harrassment of dissidents. Ironically, this comes just after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told China that these issues would take back burner to pressing economic relationships, including a call for the Chinese to continue buying U.S. Treasury securities.

Obama more popular that Jesus, follows through on tax cuts, Sen. Schumer chastises Americans for caring about earmarks, White House says it will cut deficit in half, of chimps and racism, decomposing the stimulus bill, Clinton tells Chinese to go Green, Latvia’s government collapses, and Iran blocks opposition on Web…just the latest in your Freedom Under Fire Report! Continue Reading

The bailout bill gives us an opportunity to view how government works. There are two main points I want to illustrate: in order to pass any legislation it is necessary to add unrelated earmarks, effectively buying off potentially dissenting politicians. The country wastes tens of billions in earmarks annually, which are arguably unconstitutional, yet nonetheless a mainstay in Washington business. Second, this bill now consists of over 450 pages and has a title entirely unrelated to the subject matter, which is actually a varied conglomeration of pork. Note the bill title on this vote scorecard. Legislation should be simple, titled correctly to address the nature of the bill, and generally understandable. Only measures consistent with the nature of the bill should be included. Continue Reading