Author: The Freedom Watch Staff

This author has written 11091 articles

Despite Tax Increase, California State Revenues in Freefall

"California State Controller John Chiang has announced that total state revenue for the month of November 2012 fell $806.8 million, or 10.8%, below budget. Voters thought they could hammer 'the rich' by passing Proposition 30 to create the highest state income tax in the nation. But it now appears that high income earners have already 'voted with their feet' by moving themselves and their businesses out of state, resulting in over $1 billion shortfall in corporate and income taxes last month and the beginning of a new financial crisis." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDespite Tax Increase, California State Revenues in Freefall

The $822,000-per-Year Bureaucrat and the Death of California

"Hopefully we’re all disgusted when insiders rig the system to rip off taxpayers. And I suspect you’re not surprised to see that the worst example on that list comes from California, which is in a race with Illinois to see which state can become the Greece of America. Well, the Golden State has a new über-bureaucrat. A state psychiatrist was paid $822,000, a highway patrol officer collected $484,000 in pay and pension benefits and 17 employees got checks of more than $200,000 for unused vacation and leave. Not bad for government work. So what is Governor Jerry Brown doing to fix the mess? As you might expect, he’s part of the problem." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe $822,000-per-Year Bureaucrat and the Death of California

Congressmen are Twice as Rich Now as They Were in 1984

"The rest of us are actually poorer. NYT reports that the median net worth of a member of Congress climbed 15 percent from 2004 to 2010, to $913,000; meanwhile, the median net worth for all Americans dropped 8 percent over that same period, to roughly $100,000. The lawmakers’ gains are even more noteworthy because over that same period the net worth of the richest 10 percent of Americans remained essentially flat, based on inflation-adjusted figures, says Slate. More regulations and more Wahington D.C.-based power centers result in many more wanting to influence congressmen, legally or illegally." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCongressmen are Twice as Rich Now as They Were in 1984

Pentagon to expand intelligence gathering to rival CIA

"The Pentagon, in a major expansion of its intelligence gathering activities, plans to assemble an espionage network rivaling the Central Intelligence Agency in size. Citing unnamed US officials, the Washington Post said that as part of the project, US military officials will send hundreds of additional spies overseas. They also plan to overhaul the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) which has focused primarily during the past decade on activities related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. When the expansion is complete, the DIA is expected to have as many as 1,600 intelligence 'collectors' around the world." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPentagon to expand intelligence gathering to rival CIA

“Officer of the Month” Admits to Planting Drug Evidence

"In April, Reichert, a K-9 officer who specializes in drug interdiction and seizures, was recognized as 'Officer of the Month' for what was described as his 'proactive and innovative philosophy of law enforcement.' His novel approach involves manufacturing evidence and lying under oath – a fact recognized in multiple federal court rulings and Reichert’s brief termination in 2009 after he was put on a roster of police officers considered unsuitable to testify in court. In a subsequent video deposition, Reichert has admitted to planting narcotics evidence on vehicles in motel parking lots near the interstate, supposedly as a training exercise." Continue reading →

Continue Reading“Officer of the Month” Admits to Planting Drug Evidence

Washington bar opens its doors to pot smokers

"Frankie’s Sports Bar & Grill, owned by one Frank Schnarr, is thought to be the first of its kind anywhere in the U.S.: a bar that lets patrons toke up freely. Schnarr has set up the second floor of his bar as a private club called 'Friends of Frankies.' Interested patrons are charged a $10-a-year fee to access the lounge, where they can smoke marijuana freely. Schnarr was already in the headlines back in 2006, when he fought the state’s anti-smoking law and won. In the wake of Washington’s successful referendum to reform the state’s marijuana laws, he figured he would try to be the first again." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWashington bar opens its doors to pot smokers

Poll: Feds should back off when states legalize pot

"Americans are divided over whether marijuana should be decriminalized — 50% say no, 48% say yes — but they overwhelmingly agree on this: When states vote to legalize pot, the feds should look the other way. In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, those surveyed say by almost 2-1, 63%-34%, that the federal government shouldn't take steps to enforce federal marijuana laws in states that legalize pot." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPoll: Feds should back off when states legalize pot

Secret Service Turns Up the Heat On Circulating Liberty Dollar Coins

"Some years ago, news reporter Simon Constable joked that you should hide your Liberty Dollars because the feds are coming after them! Unfortunately, the Secret Service just took an alarmingly big step in that direction. I just received the message below that was sent to an E-Bay seller who had all his NORFED Liberty Dollar (NORFED) removed from his site." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSecret Service Turns Up the Heat On Circulating Liberty Dollar Coins

What the Eurozone Financial Crisis Is Really About

"Greek hospitals are in such dire straits that staff are failing to keep up basic disease controls such as using gloves and gowns, threatening a rise in multidrug-resistant infections, according to Europe's top health official. Greece already has one of the worst problems in Europe with hospital-acquired infections, and disease experts fear this is being made worse by an economic crisis that has cut health care staffing levels and hurt standards of care. With fewer doctors and nurses to look after more patients, and hospitals running low on cash for supplies, risks are being taken even with basic hygiene." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat the Eurozone Financial Crisis Is Really About

Thousands of US Troops Arrive Near Syrian Shore on USS Eisenhower

"The USS Eisenhower, an American aircraft carrier that holds eight fighter bomber squadrons and 8,000 men, arrived at the Syrian coast yesterday in the midst of a heavy storm, indicating US preparation for a potential ground intervention. While the Obama administration has not announced any sort of American-led military intervention in the war-torn country, the US is now ready to launch such action 'within days' if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad decides to use chemical weapons against the opposition, the Times reports." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThousands of US Troops Arrive Near Syrian Shore on USS Eisenhower