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“Given the weak track record of federal mental health programs, states should exercise primary responsibility for determining appropriate mental health services, which will entail eliminating restrictions currently imposed by the federal government.”

“As we observe Religious Freedom Day, let us remember the legacy of faith and independence we have inherited, and let us honor it by forever upholding our right to exercise our beliefs free from prejudice or persecution.” -- President Barack Obama

...Obama promised to cut the annual deficit in half in his first term. Instead, his budgets include near-trillion-dollar deficits as far as the eye can see....

Attention Hawaii: Can this 'hybrid model' be trusted with Vote-by-Mail?

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announces that its January 17, 2013, public meeting in Washington, DC, will be available via webcast....

According to the data, there were no decreases in emergency admissions or inpatient charges....

...Maui County Office on Aging, will expand ongoing transitions efforts to reduce Medicare hospital readmissions....

Yesterday, President Obama accused his opposition in Congress of threatening to “default” on America’s loans....

What happens when a government program simply does not do what it is supposed to do?

L.A. County MTA "spends almost twice as much on rail to carry about one-fourth as many passengers" as its buses do....

China set a record with its investments around the world in 2012. And in the United States, China shattered its previous investment record.

In 2013, the tax increases in Obamacare will increasingly conspire against kitchen-table family healthcare decisions....

...a South African company, announced its intention to build a 96,000-barrel-per-day gas-to-liquids plant in Lake Charles, LA....

The editorial board of The Washington Post is absolutely right: “Medicare as we know it is not sustainable,” and the “ultimate solution” is structural reform.

the 19th edition of the Index of Economic Freedom, produced by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal....

The Supreme Court's surprise ruling on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has left many observers wondering about the implications of the ruling on the law itself....

NFIB, CATO Instiutute, Owners' Counsel of America, and lawprofs James Ely, David Callies, Todd Zywicki, Randy Barnett, Eric Claeys, and D. Benjamin Barros -- have filed an amicus brief ....

Hobby Lobby gained national attention when its leadership announced they would not bow to the Obama Administration’s violation of their religious liberty....

He is a member of the Hawaii Bankers Association, Financial Services Roundtable, Hawaii Business Roundtable and the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii’s Military Affairs Council

The deal that Congress and President Obama struck that finally—but only partially—avoided the fiscal cliff resulted in seven tax increases.  Those hikes combined with six tax increases from Obamacare....

With a new study pointing the finger at high fructose corn syrup as a culprit in America’s explosive epidemic of obesity, it is important to remember just why we are consuming so much of this commodity as opposed to table sugar....

...influential British maritime journal Lloyd’s List published three articles today regarding the long awaited US. Government Accountability Office release of a report on their study of the impact of the Jones Act on Puerto Rico....

Reid has already effectively shut down the opportunity for minority Senators to offer amendments to bills. Now he is angling to change the Senate’s rules so that minority members cannot filibuster a bill.

there are now more Republican minorities in the Senate (South Carolina’s Tim Scott, Florida’s Marco Rubio, and Texas’s Ted Cruz) than Democrats (New Jersey’s Robert Menendez and Hawaii’s Mazie Hirono).…

Original warranties on turbines have expired and extended warranty options are not available....

The real “selfishness and duplicity,” however, comes from those who insist that this bill is meant for Sandy’s victims—when in reality, it is a special-interest money fest....

Bloomberg calls for major Jones Act reform in two parts: elimination of the U.S. build requirement for ships engaged in domestic coastwise trades; and, a more controversial proposal to allow foreign ship owners to compete....

...real billionaires, like Warren Buffett, are going to be affected very little by the new higher rates (unrealized capital gains will still be taxed at a rate of zero), while entrepreneurs with pass-through income are going to get hosed....

A growing number of hospital systems are moving to start their own insurance plans, aiming to broaden their roles and prepare for the changes coming under the federal health care overhaul, says the Wall Street Journal....

The Wall Street Journal calculates that the “typical U.S. family earning $50,000 a year” will lose “an annual income boost of $1,000.”

The deal also greatly relaxes the standards for companies to qualify to grab that tax credit.... 

When Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush increased taxes in return for spending cuts—cuts that never ultimately came—they did so at ratios of 1:3 and 1:2....

Postpones sequestration’s automatic spending cuts (including those to defense) by two months....

A half-century into the War on Poverty, liberals can hardly declare victory. But they can claim the dominant anti-poverty narrative: Fight poverty by spending more....

On January 1, regardless of the outcome of fiscal cliff negotiations, Americans will be hit with a $1 trillion Obamacare tax hike....

In the past year, regulators drafted rules that addressed everything from caloric intake to dishwasher efficiency....

...just days left for President Obama and lawmakers in Congress to avert a major tax hike, sequestration, and other major policy changes....

"For me, personally, I believe global climate change is real, and it is the most urgent challenge of our generation," Schatz said.

...will increase the average cost of a new car by $3,000 by 2025....

With time running out for President Obama and Congress to reach an agreement, this Christmas Eve we bring to you 2012 twist on Clement Clarke Moore's famous poem....

A major dock strike could shutdown work on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts when the current longshore contract covering container cargoes on those coasts expires at midnight Saturday, December 29, 2012....

Our coalition has over 2,300 individual members, over 8,000 Facebook fans and more than 320 business members....

Lacking votes from his own party, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) called off consideration of “Plan B” last night....

12/17/2012: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 568.

...this bill will allow eligible state, local, and D.C. government employees to run for elective office. The bill also provides greater flexibility in disciplining federal employees charged with minor violations of the Act....

“This bill provides key improvements to the way self-governance works in the Department of the Interior...."

Later today the Republican-led House of Representatives will vote on “Plan B” .... 

...this tax bill contains no tax increases of any kind—in fact, it permanently prevents them....

... cutting wasteful projects is productive and necessary to avoid a nosedive....

Pacific Gas & Electric, the state's biggest utility, will pass on about $700 million in annual costs to people without solar systems ....