Free Republic

Here it is.

The University of Michigan Survey of Consumer Sentiment rose to its highest point since the beginning of Q4 2007. But bear in mind that Q4 2007 is where the housing market fell off a cliff. So, I wouldn’t place too much confidence in this index. After all, US recession probability (blue line) is up. Still, declining mortgage rates, declining gas prices, 171,000 jobs created and a stabilizing housing market led to rising consumer confidence. And the government’s food stamp program (SNAP) rose to 47,102,780 persons as of the end of August, an all-time high! And the increase from July to...

Barack Obama has already done great damage to this country. He will do much more damage over the next four years John Galt Calling: Had Enough? By Doug Patton Thursday, November 8, 2012 “They believe in free stuff. We believe in free people.” - U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, 2012 vice presidential nominee When I heard Congressman Ryan utter those words during his speech to the Republican National Convention in Tampa last summer, I thought they would define the 2012 race for the White House. No statement so clearly describes the deep division between the earners and the takers in...

The CEO-in-waiting of the defense contractor who declined to issue WARN Act layoff notices on the urging of the Obama administration — sequestration-related notices mandated by law that would have gone out just before the election — has resigned, citing an affair. Christopher E. Kubasik, 51, today resigned from his role as vice chairman, president and chief operating officer (COO), effective immediately, Lockheed Martin announced. Kubasik was set to become CEO in January. He “resigned after an ethics investigation confirmed that he had a close personal relationship with a subordinate employee. His actions violated the company’s Code of Ethics and...

The network of the Republican Party and the conservative movement suffered a major embarrassment on election night. For weeks prior to the election, Fox News has been giving valuable air time to pollsters and pundits who predicted a Romney “landslide.” These projections were in stark contrast to reputable poll results that were used in other media outlets; however, Fox News viewers were led to believe that the other polls were “skewed” against Mitt Romney. It turns out Fox News was skewed toward self-promoting “experts” who were universally wrong about their predictions.

The economy has taken a toll on two long-established family businesses in Luzerne County. Bartikowsky Jewelers, a landmark business in downtown Wilkes-Barre for 125 years, will close its doors in January and is starting a "going out of business" sale on Tuesday, owners Lynn and Mac Ahmad said today. Twenty-five people will lose their jobs and many of them have been employed by the business for decades, they said. Penn Refrigeration in Hanover Township, which has been in business for 68 years, is laying off about 30 employees as of 3:30 p.m. today, co-owner Al Finarelli Jr. said today. He...

For the most part everything played out as I feared in this February 16th, 2010 article Coming Sequel to the Romulan-GOP Schism. The thesis of our party splitting our conservative votes over multiple candidates, thereby electing the ONE weak candidate in the race became the reality. The pundits of Fox News who are mainly responsible for this outcome are now telling us we need to further abandon the fundamental principles upon which our party was founded. We need to further -become- the Democrat Party to defeat them as though this were simply a sporting event devoid of any moral rectitude....

Over the days following President Obama's re-election, the US stock market has undergone a two day sell-off resulting in a loss of over 400 points. On Wednesday, immediately following the election, the market suffered it greatest single day loss of the year. While numerous experts point to the Europe debt crisis or an approaching fiscal cliff in the US as the culprit, many business owners have indicated Obama's re-election as a direct cause of the faltering business climate and loss of confidence. One Las Vegas business owner, after having warned his employees of a certain lay-off if Obama were re-elected,...

Despite the strong emotions of the moment, the reality is that we have to get through this. Whether we are in for a short or a long winter is unknown, and dependent entirely on the mercy of God. Still, it should be the objective of each of us to not merely survive, but to flourish during these dark times. With that in mind, I have a question for our financial experts. I am being given an opportunity to convert a service annuity into a lump sum payment. The lump sum is equal to twelve years of pension payments. I hope...

A long-time FReeper here, thinking about making a brief shopping excursion into West Virginia. Looking for retail recommendations -- dealers known for quality, selection, and value. "One-stop shopping" for the Christmas goodies that a Constitution lover would want and need for 2013. Recommendations? Thank you!

In the future, when I receive requests in the mail from organizations who want a donation, I will return the following note to them in their OWN postage paid envelope: Sir: The US government has hired people to take my money from me FOR you. As a result, it is impossible for me to continue contributions to charities of MY choice. If you need assistance, I suggest you contact the people the government has hired on your behalf. Thank you.

I am sure you’ll get a kick out of this. There is a big push around here to get us to contribute to United Way… their annual coercion to make us ‘give’. Let me see if I get this right: Americans just elected a guy whose party has ALWAYS screamed: ‘The government can spend your money better then you can, get more out of your money than you can, provide more efficiently for the needy and disabled, assure that EVERYONE gets his/her fair share, etc…. and on and on’!!! NOW they think, after they virtually enabled the government to rape...

" Run for your life from any man who tells you that money is evil. That sentence is the leper’s bell of an approaching looter.  The man who lets a leader prescribe his course is a wreck being towed to the scrap heap.  It only stands to reason that where there’s sacrifice, there’s someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there’s service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master.  A government is the most dangerous threat to man’s rights: it holds a legal...

Greek unemployment rose to 25.4pc in August. Youth unemployment rose to 58pc. Under the official forecast, the economy will contract by a further 4.5pc next year, so it fair to assume that lots more people are going to lose their jobs. It is certainly not going to improve in any meaningful way for years to come. This is what happens when you lock into the wrong currency and block the escape routes – or join a "burning building with no exits" in the words of William Hague. Even if Greeks comply with all demands, public debt will reach 179pc...

House Speaker John Boehner wouldn't go so far as to say that he and his Republican colleagues won't waste time trying to overturn President Obama's healthcare law, but the Representative did tell ABC News' Diane Sawyer that the signature legislation is "the law of the land." "It's pretty clear that the president was reelected, Obamacare is the law of the land," he said, before adding, "I think there are parts of the healthcare law that are gonna be very difficult to implement. And very expensive." Asked, "You won't be spending the time next year trying to repeal Obamacare?" Boehner responded,...

Research in Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, did a layoff at its U.S. headquarters in Irving Wednesday, a source familiar with the situation said. The source, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed that a majority of those affected were call-center staffers. There was speculation that approximately 200 staffers were let go, although the source could not confirm a number. RIM employs in the ballpark of 700 people in Irving, the source said. In an emailed statement, a RIM spokesman declined to comment on the layoff. The company is reducing its global workforce by...

Exide Technologies announced Thursday that it will be idling its lead recycling operations in Laureldale and laying off 150 workers, effective no later than March 31. Idling means that all of the permits and approvals will be kept to date and the plant will be maintained in case Exide wants to reopen it at a later date, according to Susan Jaramillo, spokeswoman for Exide. The plant has been operating since the 1930s. The company will continue to operate its plastics recycling business with about 24 employees. "This decision was based on several factors including the dramatic swings in the lead...

Literally, an organization in San Fran Freakshow and George Soros spent millions to libel and defame our venerable patriot Allen West here in FLORIDA. Unacceptable. This is WAR.

TE Connectivity, which makes electrical connectors for appliances and other devices, will close its factory in north High Point and eliminate 620 jobs, according to a company official. The closure and layoffs will happen in phases through the end of 2013, said Tom Peacock, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania-based firm said. TE Connectivity (NYSE: TEL) was known as Tyco Electronics until a name-change in 2011. Peacock said the closure of the facility will not impact the company’s other Triad facilities, and 50 employees from the closing factory will be transferred locally. TE Connectivity has three other Triad facilities. Peacock said...

MUCH of the coverage of Tuesday’s results has focused on the strength of Barack Obama’s coalition — minorities, women and young voters. But that analysis misses the real point. The contours of the 2012 presidential race were shaped less by the country’s changing demographics than by the underlying attitudes and values of American voters, who are always far more complex than they appear to pollsters. The president’s victory was a triumph of vision, not of demographics. He won because he articulated a set of values that define an America that the majority of us wish to live in: A nation...