What Will the Health-Care Law Cost You?

FBN’s Gerri Willis on increasing taxes and costs for Americans due to the health-care law.

RELATED STORIES

• Is the Obama health-care law a huge tax increase? (CS Monitor)
• Republican governors scramble over next Obamacare steps (WAPO)

Greater Green Energy Push in Obama’s Second Term?

Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Robert Bryce on whether the government will continue spending on green energy over the next four years.

RELATED STORIES

• Obama Is Planning To Speed Up The Approval Of 7 New Solar And Wind Projects (Business Insider)
• North America leads shift in global energy balance, IEA says in latest World Energy Outlook (IEA)
• The High Cost of Wind Energy as a Carbon-Dioxide Reduction (Manhattan Institute)

Video of the Day: Dolphins Protect Diver from Hammerhead Shark

While filming dolphins in the Bahamas diver spots a large Atlantic hammerhead shark coming straight for him—he raised his camera and started filming. Then four young dolphins that he knew “personally” shot at the hammerhead and drove it off.   The diver says there is no  question the dolphins knew they were saving me.

Video of the Day: Karl Rove Can't Handle The Truth, What Went Wrong With Mitt Romney?

FNC’s Megyn Kelly does her best to bring Rove back to reality after he tries to point out irrelivant exit polling results and obscure statistics about presidents who have won reelection.  “But he won, Karl…”

Geez Karl...suck it up and try to act like a man.  I don't like the outcome, either.  Where is your American Spirit?

What Would Fiscal Cliff Mean for Student Aid?

FinAid.org founder Mark Kantrowitz on how the potential fiscal cliff would impact college students.

If you are considering Federal student loans to help put your son or daughter through college, you must watch this video and read the related reading to better prepare yourselves.  The status quo will be seriously  impacted based upon how the president and congress solve the quickly approaching, so-called "fiscal cliff."

RELATED READING

•  The Fiscal Cliff Explained (Forbes)
• The Sequester Explained (BPC)
• It’s not a fiscal cliff—it’s an austerity crisis (WAPO)

Update on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at 7:13 AM by Basil Ryan

Will Big Bird Survive the "fiscal cliff"—and other Pressing Questions>>

Video of the Day: Wounded Warrior Project

The greatest casualty is being forgotten®

Wounded Warrior Project’s mission is simple: “To honor and empower wounded warriors.”

 Achieving this will require help from all of us.  Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) began when several veterans and friends, moved by stories of the first wounded service members returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq, took action to help others in need. What started as a program to provide comfort items to wounded service members has grown into a complete rehabilitative effort to assist warriors as they transition back to civilian life.

Visit WWP to learn more>>

Congress Turning Up the Heat on Obama Over Libya Terrorist Attack and Massacre of Four Americans

Do you believe in Coincidences?

Jeanine Pirro, host of FNC’s "Justice with Judge Jeanine," does not believe in coincidences and the former

Westchester District Attorney finds the timing of CIA Director Petraeus' resignation very curios.  Here is her compelling “opening statement” segment from last night’s program.

RELATED STORY

• Feinstein: Hill inquiry into Libya attack will include questions on Petraeus, FBI (FNC)
• MoveOn.org Memory Holes ‘General Betray Us.’ (RedState)

With Eternal Gratitude on Veterans Day

Veterans Day is the day that all Americans to honor our veterans, but for those veterans reading this we want you, too, to know that we truly appreciate your service and sacrifice and admire your courage every day of the year.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice ( temporary cessation of hostilities), was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as "the Great War."  Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.

On this Veterans Day, we want to share this outstanding video featuring clips from inspiring speeches from FDR, JFK and Ronald Reagan, as well as several iconic war photos.

Today especially, would be a perfect time to make a donation to Wounded Warrioror Project or Fischer House

Video of the Day: Fisher House Foundation Overview

Fisher House Foundation provideds a "home away from home" for military families to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury.

>>Visit Fischer House Foundation

Opinions & Commentary From Around the Internet: Week of October 9

“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”—President Abraham Lincoln

• The President’s Top 5 Immediate Problems (The Heritage Foundation)
• On the bright side (Washington Times)
• Limbaugh: ‘It’s Very Difficult To Beat Santa Claus’ (WCJ)
• Book Review: "Shadowbosses” by Mallory Factor and Elizabeth Factor (Forbes)

Video of the Day: Duluth Trading Radio Spot: "Brainstorming"

The Duluth Trading marketing team decides on a name for our jeans.

Video of the Day: Honor Flight - Official Trailer 2

KLEENEX ALERT!

Freethink Media presents "Honor Flight" 

Freethink Media presents "Honor Flight"—a  film about four living World War II veterans and a Midwest community coming together to give them the trip of a lifetime.  Volunteers race against the clock to fly thousands of WWII veterans to Washington, DC to see the memorial constructed for them in 2005, nearly 60 years after the War.   My wife and I were privileged to attend the premier of this film at Miller Park this past summer summer and it It was an experience of a lifetime.  The attendace set a Guiness World Record.  

Shameless bragging: My nephew Matt and I had the honor to meet an shake hands with Congressional Medal Of Honor Recipient Gary Wetzel of South Milwaukee.

met snd shook hands with South Milwaukee's  My wife and I were priviledged to attend the premere at Miller Park. 

>>Read more about “Honor Flight”

RELATED READING

• The Greatest Generation  by Tom Brokaw

Video of the Day: “I Ate All Your Halloween Candy”

"007 Reporting for Duty," Friday, November 9

The James Bond franchise is marking its 50th anniversary of is first film, “Dr. No,” which was released in May, 1963 .  On November 9, with the premier of “Skyfall," the 23^rd film in the franchise it is expected to become one of the most influential movie series ever.

RELATED STORIES

• Ian Fleming, the man behind James Bond
• The Bond dossier (The Observer, UK)

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

PLEASE NOTE: Portions (most) of this story are/is political satire and opinion, written with my tounge firmly implanted in my cheek!

It only took five years for your Franklin School Board to bounce back from its 2007, $78 million voter-rejected referendum for the Board to claim a partial victory for the district in last night’s referenda (or is it referndum?) vote.    THANK YOU, THANK YOU Franklin School Board!   You either saved taxpayers $28 million by waiting five years, or the the $78 million you said you  “needed” then. was a "cock & bull story.”

MORE GOOD NEWS

Click to read more ...

What The BLEEP Happened?!

Obama’s reelection is not the end of the world, but we can see it from here.

Tips of the Day: Buy gold and silver!  Oh, and a hand gun, too.  But doyour homework before jumping in with both feet!

Bye, bye, Miss American Pie 

Okay ladies and gentlemen over fifty put on you platform heels and your leisure suits splash on a heavy dose of Musk by Jovan, but whatever you do, please don’t squeeze the Charmin. We're on a roller coaster back to the 1970s. 

RELATED STORY

• Moments History: 1923 Weimar in Crisis

For the “youngsters” reading this with no clue about this 1970s classic.  The album "American Pie" was released 971.  This is for you.

Video of the Day: What is a Virtual Office?—From Boxers To The Boardroom

Here is a tip for the City's Lean Forward Franklin EDC

Election Day Sermons in America’s Founding Era

An interesting custom in colonial America, mostly in New England, was what colonists called "Election Day Sermons." Before every major election, a wise and respected representative of the people, usually a clergyman would offer advice to the people about the upcoming privilege of choosing their elected officials and would remind voters of the sacred duty they have in preserving liberty by only choosing those who reflected the ideals and values which made America great.

It began in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634 and continued until 1884. The tradition spread to Connecticut in 1674, to Vermont in 1778, and to New Hampshire in 1784. It was called Election Day, although there were no elections on that day. Instead, public officials were installed in their offices in a manner similar to our contemporary Inauguration Day. It was one of the few public holidays in pre-revolutionary America. Stores and schools closed and the day was marked with parades, picnics, and an Election Day sermon delivered to the officials by a distinguished minister. In Massachusetts, the Election Day sermon was initially delivered in May in Boston’s First Church and after 1658, in the Boston Town House. According to Harry Stout in his book “The New England Soul,” the audience consisted of the “magistrates who represented the oligarchy, the deputies who represented the democracy, and the ministers who represented the theocracy.” Once Massachusetts became a commonwealth, the sermon was delivered to the governor and members of the legislature.

The sermons would usually be given in churches, since that is where the largest congregations of people would be assembled, and it reflected the role of the clergy in warning the people of dangerous trends in society. Here are selections from some of those sermons.

Click to read more ...

Video of the Day: Time-Lapse of Sandy Hitting NYC

A Thought on This Election Day

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”

—Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States.