The Freedom Factory

Bankers compelled to cooperate with government, Obama narrows goals in Afghanistan-ends “nation building” activities, expect more taxpayer handouts to automakers, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits Mexico to pledge U.S. support for War on Drugs…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.

Will Washington D.C. have new legislative rep? Top technical trader says now is the time to buy stocks, Fed Chief vows to flood economy with dollars, U.S. plans to give away $900 million to Gaza, home price index declines sharply, lobbyists want more bailouts, combat troops exiting Iraq in 2010, scientists often confuse fact with opinion, and this is not your father’s country anymore…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:

Senate Advances Bill to create Seat in House for Washington. The Senate advanced a proposal to give residents of Washington, D.C., a voting member of the U.S. House of Representatives. This motion went forward with a 62-34 vote, which would also give Utah a fourth representative. President Obama was co-sponsor of this measure while acting as Illinois Senator. Critics cite the heavy leaning Democrat base in Washington as reason for Democrats pushing for the measure. Another seat in the House would further tip the voting balance in their favor.

Top Technical Trader Predicts Near Term Rally for Stocks. Elliot Wave International Inc.’s Robert Prechter, who advised shorting U.S. stocks three months before the bear market began, is recommending investors end that bet and buy stocks. He warned of a “sharp and scary” rebound for anyone still wagering on a retreat. “This is an environment of escalating financial chaos. Our main job is to keep the money we have. If we exit [close short positions] now, we will do that.”

Bernanke Vows to Use Every Tool to Stem Financial Crisis. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told the Senate Banking Committee today that he is “committed to using all available tools” to stem the financial crisis and unfreeze credit markets. You can expect a good deal of money printing to accompany this statement. Buy gold.

U.S. Plans to Give Away $900 million to Rebuild Gaza. The U.S. plans to offer more than $900 million to help rebuild Gaza after Israel’s invasion. The funds are supposed to be diverted to the U.S.-backed Palestinian Authority, circumvented from Hamas, which currently controls Gaza. Senator Clinton intends to announce this give-away at a conference in Egypt next week, but the measure still needs to pass Congressional vote.

Home Price Index Shows Sharp Declines at end of Year. The Case-Shiller home price index measured an 18.5% year-over-year decline in December of last year for 20 major metropolitan areas. Housing prices dropped 2.5% from November to December. The real estate crisis is not behind us just yet.

Lobbyists Press for Billions more Added to Bailouts. The government faced mounting pressure on Monday to put billions more in some of the nation’s biggest banks, two of the biggest automakers, and the biggest insurance company, despite the billions is has already committed to rescuing them. Upwards of $200 billion have already been committed to AIG, Citigroup, General Motors, and Chrysler, but combined these companies, alone, are requesting tens of billions more.

U.S. Combat Troops Evacuating Iraq mid-2010. President Obama intends to remove all combat troops from Iraq by August, 2010. An estimated 30,000 to 50,000 soldiers will remain in the country to advise and train Iraqi security forces and to protect U.S. interests.

Scientists Confuse Opinion with Fact in Politics. Dr. Pielke, a professor in the University of Colorado’s environmental studies program, discusses his book “The Honest Broker.” The premise is that most scientists are fundamentally mistaken about their role in political debates. Dr. Pielke says they jeopardize their credibility while impeding solutions to problems like global warming. “Too often,” Dr. Pielke says, “they [scientists] pose as impartial experts pointing politicians to the only option that makes scientific sense. To boster their case, they’re prone to exaggerate their expertise (like enumerating the catastrophes that would occur if tehir policies aren’t adopted), while denigrating their political opponents as ‘unqualified’ or ‘unscientific’.” The policy areas cited as examples in his book are global warming, and issues related to population growth.

This is Not Your Father’s Country Anymore: Buckle Up for “Shared Sacrifice”. CNN correspondent Jack Cafferty laments on the changes he has seen in America throughout his life. He cites that the national debt is fast approaching $12 trillion, with just the interst payment reaching $500 billion a year. On top of this Cafferty adds the “tens of trillions in unfunded liabilities” for Medicare and Social Security, with trillions more debt coming down the line with the myriad bailout measures. With such a long history of bad policy, bad government management, the only eventuality is to prepare for a “shared sacrifice” in dealing with lower lifestyle expectations. Why would productive, intelligent young folks accept a “sacrifice” forced upon them by the bad decisions of previous generations? The reality is that those you most want to stay in this country will likely find cause to leave.

British PM calls for “Global New Deal,” Obama kicks back favors to unions, Swiss stand strong against U.S. bullying, Clinton implores China to continue buying U.S. junk assets, top Libertarian explains California’s budget problems, Rick Santelli sparks revolt over mortgage bailout, military preparing for Iraq exit, top economist rationalizes bank seizures, EU clamping down on financial industry, C.I.A. finally releases U.K. citizen after 7 yrs without formal charges and allegations of torture, Obama’s ratings fall, government to take big ownership stake in Citi, U.S. troops in Pakistan, and Social Security hits Obama’s reform agenda…just the latest in your Freedom Under Fire Report! Continue Reading

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