Government bailouts, the gift that keeps on giving. Mortgage giant Fannie Mae said Wednesday that it lost money in the fourth quarter and is asking the federal government for nearly $4.6 billion in aid to cover its deficit. Washington, D.C.-based Fannie said it lost roughly $2.4 billion in the October-December quarter, stung by declining home prices. ... MORE
ObamaCare regulations continue to multiply. Never underestimate the brilliance of our federal bureaucracy. The Department of Health and Human Services has announced that it must delay implementation of new reimbursement codes for Medicare. Those new regulations would have increased the total number of reimbursement codes from the current ... MORE
You might be a liberal if .... As a great fan of Jeff Foxworthy, it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to use his hilarious you-might-be-a-redneck comedy routine in an attempt to characterize the liberal mindset (tweaking Jeff's forumla a bit to convert it from the suppositional to the unconditional). So, with apologies to the wonderful country ... MORE
by Ronald Bailey. “I don't believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute,” Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum declared. “What kind of country do we live in that says only people of nonfaith can come into the public square and make their case?" Whatever can the former Pennsylvania senator be talking about? How much more ... MORE
Control freeaks assault the land of the free. “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction,” warned the late President Reagan. It’s probably a good thing the Gipper hasn’t been forced to witness what the current generation of authoritarian rulers has done to the land of the free and home of the brave. Public schools in San Antonio have ... MORE
Homeland Security chief thinks drug war is a good cause. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the US was not losing its decades-long "war on drugs." Napolitano defended Washington's anti-narcotics efforts Monday in Mexico City after a meeting with Mexican Interior Minister Alejandro Poire. "With respect to, 'is the drug war a failure ... MORE
by Mark Rockwell. More than 100 privacy groups, experts and individuals have petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration to address the impact of aerial drones in the U.S. as the agency move to implement new rules for the vehicles’ domestic use. President Obama signed a $63.4 billion Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill on Feb. 14 that opens the ... MORE
Equality without destroying liberty. Rick Santorum's speech at the Detroit Economic Club stirred a bit of controversy when he said: "I'm not about equality of result when it comes to income inequality. There is income inequality in America. There always has been, and hopefully — and I do say that — there always will be." That kind of statement, though having ... MORE
The great energy challenge. If you’re a primary voter, you’ve got your pick of candidates who’ll promise to bring down the price of gasoline. Unfortunately, whoever wins is going to run up against the limits of presidential power pretty quickly. The fact is that presidents don’t have that much authority over the price of oil, for a number of virtually ... MORE
Free food for one seventh of the population. The food stamp program, part of the Department of Agriculture, is pleased to be distributing the greatest amount of food stamps ever. Meanwhile, the Park Service, also part of the Department of Agriculture, asks us to "Please Do Not Feed The Animals" because the animal may grow dependent ... MORE