Free Republic

You work and get paid. To whom do your after-tax earnings belong? Do they all belong to you or does some portion of them belong to the neighborhood grocer whose store you patronize? Who should have first dibs on the money you've earned: you or the auto dealer who sold you the last car you bought? In both cases the correct answer indisputably seems to be “you.” But not so fast. Typical discussions of trade policy imply that the answers are “the grocer” and “the auto dealer.” When politicians promise to raise tariffs on imports, they are promising to penalize...

Even in his final months, Muhammad Ali was speaking out on behalf of Islam, the religion he so famously embraced in the 1960s by changing his name and refusing to fight in the Vietnam War. In December, the boxing legend issued a statement criticizing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States. Ali called on fellow Muslims to “stand up to those who use Islam to advance their own personal agenda.” Ali, who died Friday at 74, endured public scorn when he joined the Nation of Islam as a young athlete. Decades later, long...

If the Republicans had nominated a skunk in the contest against Hillary Clinton, the National Rifle Association would have heartily embraced the odoriferous Mr. Stinky. A week ago, the NRA, which has millions of members and is eager to target congressional races in which guns are an issue, endorsed Donald Trump for president. He spoke, of course. Hand in the air for emphasis, he told the NRA that Clinton would try to "abolish" the Second Amendment. How does one "abolish" anything in the Constitution? It takes many steps. It's not going to happen. But that doesn't matter. It was what...

The UAW today endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, citing her support for UAW members, her lifelong commitment to the job security of American families, and her ability to unify and win in November. “Hillary Clinton understands our issues on trade, understands the complexities of multinational economies and supports American workers, their families and communities,” said UAW President Dennis Williams. Now is a time for unity, a time to focus on what lies ahead in November. Bernie Sanders has brought to this campaign a dialogue that has been needed for far too long. He has been, and remains, a great friend...

Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders share a drink and reminisce during the opening of "Saturday Night Live." “I’m not going anywhere,” Sanders, played by Larry David, says as a bartender announces closing time. “I can stay here as long as I want.

BY NOW it is clear that Merrick Garland, President Obama’s nomination to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by Antonin Scalia’s death, is not going anywhere. But if Hillary Clinton wins the White House, Senate Republicans may make a desperate about-face during the lame-duck session to lock in the moderate Garland before the arrival of Clinton and a possibly more left-leaning candidate. By then, however, it will be too late. Sorry, Judge Garland, but what Clinton should do if she wins is make clear that her choice will be none other than Barack Obama, a former professor of constitutional law,...

I wonder when the Trump backers will realize they’ve been had. The 2016 GOP campaign has been overwhelmed by Donald Trump’s celebrity persona, by the can’t-take-your-eyes-off-it appearances where he might say or do anything — and “anything” includes expletives, incitements, and assorted idiocies that would have been disqualifying in the bygone times of, oh, five or ten minutes ago. But Trump is not the real story of the campaign. The real story is the Republican base’s rejection of the Republican establishment — i.e., the party leaders, prominent pols, lobbyists, and donors who make up the GOP component of the Washington...

Hillary Clinton showed her wild side at an LGBT event at SoHo's Capitale, where the presidential wannabe sported a leather jacket, boasted about her Democratic-leading campaign and ran a red light on her way out. Stars including Rosie O'Donnell, Billie Jean King and former Rep. Barney Frank — celebrating his 76th birthday — were all in the house as Hill went on a roll. "She told everyone, 'I have a million more votes than Donald, and oh, by the way, I have 2 1/2 million more than Bernie Sanders!" says an event insider. We're also told that the boo birds...

If Donald Trump secures the Republican presidential nomination, he would start the general election campaign as the least-popular candidate to represent either party in modern times. Three-quarters of women view him unfavorably. So do nearly two-thirds of independents, 80 percent of young adults, 85 percent of Hispanics and nearly half of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. Those findings, tallied from Washington Post-ABC News polling, fuel Trump’s overall 67 percent unfavorable rating — making Trump more disliked than any major-party nominee in the 32 years the survey has been tracking candidates.

After canceling a Friday rally in Chicago due to potential violence, Donald Trump lost out on two major primary contests on Saturday, giving a much-needed boost to his competitors Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. On Saturday, Rubio - who is currently in third place in the GOP race - was declared the winner of the Washington D.C. caucus, nabbing the district's 10 delegates all for himself. Meanwhile, Cruz won nine on Wyoming's 11 delegates, with Trump and Rubio each earning one delegate each. The state's 14 other delegates will be elected at the April 16 state convention. While Trump is...

One of the more ironic aspects of campaign 2016 is that Donald Trump, for all his constant talk of winning, often doesn't know the simplest things about how to win.Not more than a couple of days after taking the presidential high road, complimenting his opponents and calling himself a unifier at his post-Super Tuesday press conference, at a point when it looked as if a sizable number, if not a stampede, of conservatives and Republicans were poised to join his "movement," all he had to do at the next debate was be reasonably pleasant and offer halfway decent answers on...

I hope if you've been paying attention these past few days, you're beginning to understand my position, and why I've been so forceful, consistent, and aggressive in my advocacy of it. Many of you already understood, but certainly there are many others who still need to figure it out. In just the last couple of days, Donald Trump has promised reprisals against his critics when he's elected president, pledging to "open up" libel laws so that he can punish anyone who writes "negative" or "false" stories about him. He said his critics "will have problems" when he's in power. Remember,...

As the Obamas begin their final year in the White House, a new movie debuting at the Sundance Film Festival aims to tell the First Family’s origin story, with a focus on their first date on the south side of Chicago. Richard Tanne, an actor and first-time feature director, conceived of the idea for Southside With You back during Barack Obama’s first campaign for president, when the then-senator from Illinois didn’t look much older than the 25-year-old who convinced Michelle Robinson to join him for a long afternoon in the summer of 1989 (watch an exclusive clip above). The years...

GOP front-runner leads cult of personality centered around white alienation, racial resentment and authoritarianism. Donald Trump is the front-runner in the 2016 Republican presidential primary race. He leads his closest rival, Ted Cruz, by a substantial margin. Trump’s proto-fascism, xenophobia and bigotry are not anomalies or outliers. These values are held by a large percentage of Republicans. Donald Trump validates these feelings. As such, it is now fundamentally clear that Donald Trump is a hero and leader for many conservatives in the Age of Obama. Most members of the pundit class have been befuddled by the ascendance of Donald Trump....

President Barack Obama, who is vacationing in Hawaii, released a pre-Christmas statement yesterday, celebrating the fifth anniversary of his having signed legislation that allows openly homosexual, lesbian and bisexual individuals to serve in the U.S. military. "Today, Americans can serve the country they love no matter who they love, and openly gay, lesbian and bisexual men and women in uniform make our military stronger and America safer," said the president. ...

ednesday night's Republican presidential debate is on CNBC, whose business-minded moderators have asked questions to Donald Trump, Ben Carson, and Ted Cruz challenging the wisdom of their approaches to the federal budget. Trump and Carson have proposed massive tax cuts that nonpartisan and even conservative analysts have said would raise the deficit by trillions of dollars. Cruz has famously pushed the U.S. to the brink of defaulting on its debt, which almost everyone—including the leaders of his own Republican Party—agrees would be a catastrophe. CNBC also asked Marco Rubio a pointed question about his frequent, well-documented absences from the Senate,...

Chucking a barf bag at a taxi driver has landed a Calgary woman in trouble with police. According to cops, a taxi picked the woman up on Aug. 23 in the area of 1 St. and 4 Ave. S.E. It was around 3:20 a.m. The woman upchucked inside the cab en route to a home in Sandstone. The driver offered the woman a bag, which she used. Police say the vomiting continued on the exterior of the cab when they reached her destination. When the driver requested a clean-up fee — city council last year approved a $100 levy to...

Today, comedian Rosie O’Donnell said “women’s rights“ are under attack in America and that politicians are undoing all the advances abortion activists have made. The Hill reports that O’Donnell told Jenny Hutt on SiriusXM’s radio program that she believes there is a war on women. She said, “Bigger than any specific people, there is a war on women that is happening in this country. Women fought for equality in this country, and right now, politically, it’s being taken away from us.”Then, unbelievably, O’Donnell said she would like to do this to pro-lifers: “I’d like to take my period blood I...

It's inevitable: At some point, teenage kids just aren't that into their parents anymore. Parent Barack Obama, who happens to be president, set out to combat that trend by hanging out with his teenage girls on a New York overnighter. The trio, plus some of the girls' friends, seemed intent on packing a lot into their 24 hours together in the city. But no one was out of the hotel door too early on a rainy Saturday morning after zigzagging around Manhattan in dad's motorcade into the wee hours on Friday night. They finally emerged about 11:30 a.m., as the...

A married Army general on Tuesday introduced his spouse at a Pentagon event that featured lots of top brass, including Defense Secretary Ashton Carter as the keynote speaker. What made this seemingly routine introduction noteworthy is that Brig. Gen. Randy S. Taylor introduced his husband, Lucas. “My husband Lucas is sitting up front here,” Gen. Taylor said of the man in the same row as Mr. Carter, Army Secretary John McHugh and other senior officials. He said Lucas has subjugated his own career to support the general’s frequent moves over an 18-year relationship.