Free Talk Live

The Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for the Associated Press in what the news cooperative's top executive called a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into how news organizations gather the news.

After Benghazi, IRS tea party probe: Govt seized AP phone records
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/benghazi-irs-tea-party-probe-govt-sei...

Indeed, the American government has more information on the average American than Stalin had on Russians, Hitler had on German citizens, or any other government has ever had on its people.

The American government is collecting and storing virtually every phone call, purchases, email, text message, internet searches, social media communications, health information, employment history, travel and student records, and virtually all other information of every American.

The 10 Worst Regulations of 2012

During 2012, virtually every aspect of American life, from caloric intake to dishwasher efficiency, was subjected to government meddling.
Most of these rules increase the cost of living, others hinder job creation, and many erode freedom. Not all regulations are unwarranted, of course, but increasingly, the rules imposed by the government have less to do with health and safety and more to do with whether government or individuals get to make basic pocketbook and lifestyle decisions that affect them. And it is not just the regulators who are to blame.

In three straight recent weekly addresses, Republicans have asserted that “excessive government regulations” are keeping businesses from creating jobs.

On the contrary, recent government data proves that in the third quarter of 2010 only 0.4 percent of jobs were lost due to government regulations or intervention.

WASHINGTON—According to a new report released Tuesday by the Federal Aviation Administration, Spirit Airlines, the American low-cost air carrier, is the absolute fucking worst and is actually a giant fucking rip-off.

Stupidity at the GSA: It Gets Even Worse

Yesterday I wrote about the incredible stupidity behind the $823,000 Las Vegas conference that has landed the General Services Administration at the center of criticism and hearings on Capitol Hill. It’s clear from the April 2 report filed by the GSA’s Inspector General, Brian Miller, that a culture of abuse had taken hold at the agency, where those planning the conference flouted federal procurement rules, ignored the GSA’s own regulations, and overpaid for everything from a $2,700 room party to $44 breakfasts.

The first step for a commercial fisherman or coastal business seeking compensation for losses suffered in the oil spill seems simple enough: Submit copies of a commercial fishing license, proof of residence and tax statements.

But the request for tax records poses a serious challenge to some residents of close-knit fishing communities on the swampy edges of southeastern Louisiana, which for generations have harbored self-reliant nonconformists who don't pay much heed to everyday rules and regulations.

Remember the cop from MO who shot a dog on tape? He trolled the local newspaper's forums and released sealed records of the people who posted in the comment section.

On April 13, 2009 the National Archive Records Administration made available almost 250,000 pages of documents from President Reagan's administration. A curious comment found in President Reagan's Diary for Tuesday, June 11, 1985 (page 334) reads:

"Lunch with 5 top space scientist. It was fascinating. Space truly is the last frontier and some of the developments there in astronomy etc. are like science fiction, except they are real. I learned that our shuttle capacity is such that we could orbit 300 people."