Free Republic

Critics of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, such as Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, were convinced months ago that it would harm the United States... ...International Trade Commission (ITC) was mandated to deliver its verdict... ...the findings landed with a thud. That was only partly because the document was 792 pages long; it also foretold of modest results. It predicted that, by 2032, U.S. real income would be 0.23% higher with the agreement than without and employment would be .07% higher (128,000 full time jobs). Hardly earth-shattering... ...There are limitations to these workhorse trade models... ...Few -- if any --...

There is quite a bit out there about making "black lists" of Trump supporters. I support Ted Cruz for the nomination. I have what I believe are legitimate concerns with Donald Trump. Nonetheless, I will express those concerns at the ballot box, as part of the democratic process. If Mr. Trump should attain the nomination fair and square one has the right to withhold their support, sit it out, vote for Hillary whatever floats their boat. I myself will not. I plan on supporting him. If I held my nose and supported Romney, I think I can manage some support...

Twenty years after the "return to Europe" championed by former President Václav Havel, who died on December 18, the debate about the Czech Republic's relationship with the EU is dominated by two political camps that are both devoid of real ideas about the union's future. Celebrating the start of the Czech Presidency of the EU on 1 January 2009 Josef Mlejnek Jr.“Back to Europe” was the election slogan of Civic Forum [a political movement in the Czech part of post-89 Czechoslovakia] in 1990, a slogan that supporters of European integration have frequently quoted in recent years in arguments with the...

Government is not the enemy. Not always. Don’t believe that right-wing malarkey. In fact, for millions of Americans down on their luck and at the end of their rope, they can quickly find that government is their last friend left. Governmental assistance can prevent the certainty of a hungry night and a homeless tomorrow. It can mean the difference between the comfort of stability and the ravages of poverty. This function is now more important than ever, even as it is under more pressure than ever. We learned this week that not only are there more poor people in America...

Bernanke’s Plot To Overthrow The US Dollar By Bill Bonner 09/30/11 Paris, France – Where’s the Bastille…? The Dow got a boost yesterday — up 143 points. Gold remained where it was — about $1,617. Dear Readers know what we think. The Great Correction has a lot of work to do — there are so many things that need correction. And it will take time to do it. Meanwhile, your goal as an investor is to lose less money than everyone else. He who loses least wins! Stocks should go down. Real estate should go down. Even gold should go...

Higher education universities must face fiscal reality.

Outcasts: Tonight Tens Of Thousands Of Formerly Middle Class Americans Will Be Sleeping In Their Cars, In Tent Cities Or On The Streets... Economic despair is beginning to spread rapidly in America. As you read this, there are millions of American families that are just barely hanging on by their fingernails. For a growing number of Americans, it has become an all-out battle just to be able to afford to sleep under a roof and put a little bit of food on the table. Sadly, there are more people than ever that are losing that battle. Tonight, tens of thousands...

Writing a syndicated column in 2011 is night and day different from when we started writing for publication in the 1990's. The overriding change is the volume and immediacy of feedback. In the 1990's we would receive the occasional letter applauding or challenging our thesis, facts and motives. Today we find our email inbox and comment sections so full it is difficult to read it all. We take our readers seriously, and even if we don't personally respond, we read and ponder their many times insightful thoughts. Ironically, as hard as we work to provide clarity through our own words,...

Washington, D.C.–Nevada Senator Harry Reid made the following remarks today on the Senate floor on Republicans’ willingness to risk a default crisis to protect tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:Yesterday my Republican counterpart said the debate over how to avert the looming default crisis is really a debate over what kind of country we are going to be. I agree.So, will we be the kind of country that protects tax breaks and giveaways for the richest people and corporations, while sacrificing seniors and the middle class? That is the America my Republican...

In its most recent report, Blue Chip Economic Indicators predicted that the nation's unemployment rate would fall to 8% by the end of 2012. That might seem like good news, considering the fact that unemployment now stands at 9.1%. But it is not good news for the President. Barring some cataclysmic event ("wag the dog") that would rally the country behind him, Obama's reelection rests on the health of the economy and especially on employment. The problem for this President is that unemployment rates during the second and third quarters of 2012, when undecided voters will make up their minds,...

From the article... "There have been an endless amount of tax-reforming legislation passed into law going back for decades. All that happens is the opposite. More tax law, more special-interest group provisions, more pork, more lobbyists, more regulation, more penalties, more destruction of the U.S. trade relations, more incentive for business to move jobs or the company itself out of America, more loss of liberties of the taxpayers, and more corruption of the Congress and the President."

Lou Dobbs Poll: Which possible Republican Presidential candidate do you think has the best chance to beat Pres. Obama in 2012?

I'm looking to form a fantasy hockey league with 15 or 16 other Freepers who follow the great game of hockey! Further details are inside.