One of the great triumphs of the federal welfare reform legislation passed in the mid-1990s was an insistence…
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To Get More Federal Money, States Claiming Volunteer Organizations are a Form of Welfare Spending

One of the great triumphs of the federal welfare reform legislation passed in the mid-1990s was an insistence that states lay down tough work requirements for welfare recipients as a condition of receiving federal assistance. Though the fact is little publicized, however, another provision of the law allows states to substitute increased welfare spending for the work requirements and still receive money from Washington. That, of course, is an invitation to mischief, as reported by CNSnews, quoting Congressman Geoff Davis

"Many States have scoured their budgets to find other current program spending--such as for Pre-K, child care, and after school programs--they could report as TANF [welfare] spending," Davis said at a hearing on Thursday. "Others began counting third-party spending--such…[more]

May 22, 2012 • 01:24 pm

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1 Rogue Website Legislation: Google Says, “Don’t Be Evil… Unless It Helps Google”

As contemporary examples of malignant irony go, it’s difficult to top Google.  Recall Google’s ostensible corporate motto:  “Don’t be evil.”  According to Google itself, that extends beyond mere customer interaction:  “’Don’t be evil.’  Googlers generally apply those words…

2 Myth Versus Fact: Debunking Dishonest and Inaccurate Claims Against Congressional Legislation to Stop Online Piracy

Here’s something on which reasonable people agree:  Internet piracy by foreign rogue websites constitutes a malignant, persistent and costly menace to America’s economy and intellectual property (IP).  Sadly, however, opponents of Congressional legislation to address that menace have waged a campaign extensively contaminated…

3 Congress Considering America’s Version of Egypt’s Internet 'Kill Switch'

With the Egyptian government repeatedly jamming its citizens’ access to the Internet during the country’s ongoing protests, one bill making its way through the U.S. Congress is getting heightened scrutiny.  Originally titled the “Cyberspace as a National Security Asset Act of 2010,” the bill has been dubbed by critics as…

4 “Net Neutrality:” Regulating Like It’s 1934

A lot has changed since that not-so-halcyon year 1934.  So why are the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and “Net Neutrality” advocates attempting to regulate the Internet under laws drafted for the technology of that era?  In 1934, World War I was not yet known as “World War I.”  A short film featuring…

5 “Net Neutrality” Regulation: Obama’s Imperious FCC Shifts to Plan B

Last month, a federal court of appeals unanimously rejected the brazen campaign by Obama’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to regulate the Internet via so-called “Net Neutrality.”  Meanwhile, over in the court of public opinion, the American electorate opposes Obama’s scheme to federalize the Web by a 2-to-1 margin…

6 Thwarting the Aggressive Obama Agenda: Appellate Court Quashes FCC’s "Net Neutrality" Scheme

Politics isn’t the only means by which we can defend freedom and thwart the Obama Agenda.  This week, we received an encouraging reminder of that fact.  In its much-anticipated Comcast v. Federal Communications Commission decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled unanimously that Obama&…

7 Surprise: Obama’s FCC Quietly Proposes Nationwide Internet Tax, Says it Will “Reduce Uncertainty”

The Obama Era has become a protracted, nightmarish Whack-A-Mole game of tax increases and bureaucratic self-enlargement. In sector after sector of American life, another scheme to expand government and wrench more earnings from Americans’ pockets pops up.  Its next targeted sector?  The Internet.  Take a look at the following…

8 Obama Administration Imitates Hugo Chavez on Internet

When asked this week whether he planned on reading Sarah Palin’s new autobiography Going Rogue, Barack Obama curtly replied, “probably not.”  Fair enough.  The President is a busy man playing pickup basketball games at the White House, whisking Michelle off to taxpayer-subsidized dates in New York City and plotting methods…

9 Google’s Spider Web of Ties to the Obama Administration

Obama's FCC and Net Neutrality – Merely a Trick on Internet Users or Just a Treat for Google? WASHINGTON, DC – As President Obama’s FCC moves forward to impose burdensome Net Neutrality regulations on the Internet and just in time for Halloween, the Center for Individual Freedom (“CFIF”) today released the following illustration…

10 Political Opposition to Destructive “Net Neutrality” Gains Momentum

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski, apparently lacking any sense of irony, warned this week of a “looming crisis” in wireless Internet capacity, even while he simultaneously proposes “Net Neutrality” rules that would exacerbate the problem.  Speaking at a wireless industry convention, Chairman…

11 Net “Neutrality” – Government’s Newest Takeover Plan and Corporate Welfare for Google

Amid the blizzard of governmental hyperactivity since Obama’s inauguration just eight months ago, it’s understandable that disoriented Americans remain unfamiliar with the looming threat known as Net Neutrality.  Understandably, the current healthcare debate alone consumes a great deal of Americans’ focus and opposition. …

12 If You Like How Big Government Runs the Post Office, You’ll Love How It Runs the Tech Industry

America’s telecommunications sector has withstood the economic downturn remarkably well.  In spite of this, or perhaps precisely because of this, it might be the next target of government overreach.  As The Wall Street Journal noted this week, the tech sector has helped lift the markets from their recent troughs…

13 “Net Neutrality”: Regulating and Politicizing the Internet

Net “Neutrality”: Regulating and Politicizing the Internet What is Net Neutrality? So-called “Net Neutrality,” or more aptly “Net Regulation,” is governmental regulation of the Internet. It creates new government mandates to regulate the Internet by limiting broadband companies’ ability to freely…

 
Question of the Week   
Which one of the following men did the Chicago Tribune describe as: “a bullheaded man whose high place … was won by his ability to waste more money in quicker time on more absurd undertakings?”
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Quote of the Day   
 
"This week Catholic bishops are heading to federal courts across the country to defend religious liberty. On Monday they filed 12 lawsuits on behalf of a diverse group of 43 Catholic entities that are challenging the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) sterilization, abortifacient and birth-control insurance mandate. ...  The main goal of the mandate is not, as HHS claimed, to protect…[more]
 
 
—Mary Ann Glendon, Harvard Law School Professor
— Mary Ann Glendon, Harvard Law School Professor
 
Liberty Poll   

Should the Obama administration authorize the use of aerial drones by local police agencies?