Free Republic

A recent ruling by the California Labor Commissioner’s Office could change the way that popular ride-sharing services such as Uber operate. The Seattle Times noted the decision that classified one of Uber’s drivers as an employee “may turn out to be an even bigger roadblock to the company’s business than regulatory changes because it could change Uber’s cost structure, requiring it to offer health insurance and other benefits, as well as paying salaries.” What does this mean to those who love the low-cost, innovative, and job creating service? Most likely, if courts uphold the decision, higher costs and possibly less...

In 2012, the state of Michigan distributed $2.96 billion in assistance to lower income families through what is probably the government's best known welfare program — food stamps. However, the public is less aware of two small state welfare programs that distribute cash subsidies though what may seem an unlikely vehicle, the state income tax code. These are called the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Homestead Property Tax Credit (HPTC). According to the Michigan Department of Treasury, in 2012 the two programs redistributed a combined $245 million to individuals with very low wage income and families with limited...

This model is carrying the "edgy" cell phone holder in about the worst or *best* way to make it sensational.  The choice of black holder, black phone and black shorts does the most to make the holder look as though a pistol is in the back pocket.  It does not hold up to close inspection.   From japantrendshop.com: More a piece of equipment than a regular "cover," the Gun Grip Case transforms your iPhone 5 into a handgun! Available in black, white or pink, this fake "pistol" works with an app so you can interact with a digital version of...

When Scott Walker formalizes his presidential run Monday with a long-anticipated announcement, he will have at his side a seasoned veteran of Republican politics and an architect of the modern conservative movement. THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned that Walker is expected to name Michael Grebe as campaign chairman as early as Friday. Grebe’s role, while not unexpected, is nonetheless a coup for Walker, who has firmly established himself as a first-tier candidate for the 2016 Republican nomination. Grebe served as chairman of both of Walker’s bids for governor, as well as Walker’s 2012 recall election – so he knows the...

Peter St. Onge writes: The job-threatening rise of the machines is an economically illiterate meme that refuses to die. We’re actually probably in the early stages of it, a bull-market in neo-luddism, if you will. Bastiat’s “Candlemakers Petititon” answered this one long ago, but today I’ll run a little thought experiment that owes it all to good old Bastiat. Let’s say Weird Al Yankovic invents a machine capable of making everything with a single push of a button. The first thing he does is print up a bunch of machines and sell them for a ton. Weird Al is now...

ORLANDO, Fla. — A day after Disney's Hollywood Studios removed a Bill Cosby statue, Disney's Epcot has removed a Confederate flag that was hanging at the theme park's American Adventure theater. Robert Niles from Theme Park Insider writes: The flag removed from Epcot is not the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia most commonly associated with the Confederacy, thanks to its adoption in early 20th century by the Ku Klux Klan and later revival in the 1950s and 60s by southerners in opposition to the civil rights movement. The flag that had hung in the American Adventure was...

“We need to create jobs for Americans, not Washington; it is time for America to be back in business,” Donald Trump said as he announced the main planks in his platform to become America’s next President! “It is time to Make America Great Again,” is his campaign’s theme statement. Continuing with his IT’S THE ECONOMY mission statement, Trump, now trending number one in some recent polling, stated: “We need economic growth for everyone, not just Wall Street and the special interests.” “I promise to bring jobs back home and ensure our trade agreements benefit the American worker and protect our...

It would appear that the insiders at General Motors do not have as rosy a view on the financial outlook for the company as they would have the rest of the public believe. The well-paid executives at GM sold out of another $2.8 million worth of shares in June according to Yahoo Financial statistics. Of course, the sales of shares are pure profits for the higher-ups at GM, considering that the elite group of executives receive millions of dollars’ worth of GM shares for free through stock options. So, what have the highly-paid executives at GM done to earn...

On Wednesday, July 1, 2015, a young American woman – Kathryn Steinle, age 32 – was shot in the back as she and her father were strolling on a pier in San Francisco. She died in his arms, pleading “Help me, help me!” The facts in the case are plain, and undisputed. We don’t even need to fill the story with the adverb “allegedly,” since the demon who did it has admitted to have done it (though he claims it was accidental, in alternate moments claiming either that the gun went off on its own or that he was just...

Just when you thought you were safe, a new hacking toy comes along and rocks your world. Imagine a tool exists that lets hackers pluck encryption keys from your laptop right out of the air. You can’t stop it by connecting to protected Wi-Fi networks or even disabling Wi-Fi completely. Turning off Bluetooth also won’t help you protect yourself. Why? Because the tiny device that can easily be hidden in an object or taped to the underside of a table doesn’t use conventional communications to pull off capers. Instead it reads radio waves emitted by your computer’s processor, and there’s...

Swiss Post, Swiss WorldCargo and Matternet are jointly testing the commercial use of logistics drones. The three companies are investigating specific uses of drone technology and examining the cost-effectiveness of these business ideas. They will be carrying out drone tests in July 2015 for this purpose. The widespread use of drones is not expected within the next five years. The focus is primarily on their use in exceptional cases or the transport of special items. In spring 2015, Swiss Post, Swiss WorldCargo (the air freight division of Swiss International Air Lines) and Matternet (a logistics drone manufacturer based in California)...

Matthews: No one enforces immigration law because they want cheap labor - and votes for Dems Obviously, we’re used to a steady stream of crazy coming from the fine folks at MSNBC. Chiefest among the network’s primetime calamities is Chris Matthews, whose career is basically one, long, barely-coherent rant. Every now and then, though, it feels like one of his handlers stuffs his meds into a wad of peanut butter and Chris comes through with something approaching an actual truth. HTML5 video is not supported! Special: New Probiotic Fat Burner Takes GNC by Storm This, it seems, is one of...

Oil’s oversized reaction to negative news from Greece and China on Monday should really have come as no surprise with the value of 20/20 hindsight. I have been writing for some time now that the commodity would break out of its narrowing range and that the more times it failed to break the resistance point at $62, the more likely it was that that break would be in a downward direction. It is logical that the longer that it took, the more violent that break would be. Traders were looking for excuses to sell and last weekend gave them plenty...

Brooks' Place, a BBQ restaurant decided to promote itself and the second amendment at the same time.    Brooks' is located at 18020 Fm 529 Rd Cypress, Texas, NorthEast of Houston.   From facebook.com/BrooksPlace: Present your CHL this Saturday the 4th of July and receive a FREE SANDWICH with your purchase of a sandwich or anything higher. Have both CHL and CONCEALED GUN and dessert is FREE too. The results were entirely predictable. What a Historic Day at Brooks' Place today. By the looks of the support we may have just started something. Brooks' Place 1st Annual CHL and CARRY...

Self-repairing pipes. Printed organs. Bulletproof t-shirts. Seriously?In April I was asked to speak at the annual TED conference in Vancouver (following Bill Gates…gulp) on the topic of 3D printing production and its implications. I have detailed my thoughts on why the shift to 3D printing production is not only likely but inevitable in articles one, two and three in this series for Forbes. Now, let’s take a step into a fascinating future, where daily life will be shaped by several powerful forces directly related to 3D printing production. What it will be like to live in a 3D-printed world? Imagine...

MONTPELIER, VT -- All food and beverages sold through vending machines are now subject to Vermont's 9% meals and rooms tax, effective July 1. A 6% sales tax on sugary drinks is also in effect. The new levies are part of a tax package that lawmakers passed in May to raise a $30 million in new revenue. Lawmakers expect the sales tax on soft drinks to raise about $8 million a year, and applying the meals tax to vending machines to add about $1 million a year. Exempt from Vermont's sugary drink tax are products that contain milk, soy, rice...

Don't Give Money to People Who Hate You, Shop Small Business and Become Independent, Build Likeminded Communities, Focus on the family Lately I’ve been looking at Organic Opposition instead of Organizational Opposition. The latter is still important, but people are rightly disappointed and angry with everything from the GOP to assorted national groups and bewildered by a wide array of candidates. Organic Opposition doesn’t require organizations or a movement. It’s about living in ways that naturally oppose the left. Most of the people here already live in ways that the left resents without even thinking about it. Organic Opposition is...

Michigan paid out $245 million more than it collected in 2012 to nearly one-third of state income tax filers, which were the people who reported incomes of less than $16,000. At the other end, the state collected $1 billion from the fewer than 1 percent of households who reported earnings of $500,000 and above. The information is included in the tax return data recently published by the Michigan Department of Treasury. It sheds light on an ongoing debate about who pays the approximately $7 billion in annual state income tax collections. Of the 4.6 million people who filed state tax...

TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Okay, let's move on now, back to Donald Trump and the immigration situation. We have even worse news. "A six-time-deported illegal immigrant is charged in the felony hit-and-run of an Arizona mother and her two young children. The man allegedly admitted to being high on marijuana while causing the severe lacerations to a five-year-old boy. The five-year-old and a two-year-old were both taken to an area hospital. This tragedy comes within one week of two separate incidents involving previously deported illegal immigrants allegedly murdering women in two US states: California and Texas." By the way, I have a...

On the morning after a financial collapse things will look almost exactly as when you went to sleep. The elm tree and mailbox will stand where they were, the scene will appear unchanged all the way to the horizon. On the Day After the outward world is unchanged. What will have altered beyond all recognition are the invisible claims on that physical world. The homely mailbox, for example, may no longer be yours, nor the land on which the elm tree is growing. It could have reassigned while you were sleeping. If one can imagine the world in terms of...