Free Republic

Take a Walk Down the Atrocity Covered in Wallpaper "The simplest explanation is usually the correct one." ~ Occam’s razor "Why can’t you get things? It is very difficult to explain. I understand you are upset, but you can’t give the oligarchy the upper hand. It’s a matter of being united … another economy is an option, the community economy, the one stemming from small producers … do not give these racketeers (the entrepreneurs) resources. You have to wait in line with us as well, but at least in the end you don’t pay as much." The above message is...

A massive $2.8 billion annual corporate tax hike is likely headed to Oregon voters in November, a move that could create the most aggressive tax climate for big business of any state in the nation. The ballot proposal comes as raising taxes on the wealthy and large corporations is at the forefront of a national debate — especially among Democratic progressives such as Bernie Sanders and much of Oregon’s electorate — about how to close the gaping economic disparities between rich and poor in a post-Great Recession era. The proposal’s labor-union backers are just one step from getting the measure...

May 23 (Reuters) - The Venezuelan bottler of Coca-Cola has halted production of sugar-sweetened beverage due to a lack of sugar, a Coca-Cola Co spokeswoman said on Monday. Venezuela is in the midst of a deep recession, and spontaneous demonstrations and looting have become more common amid worsening food shortages, frequent power cuts and the world's highest inflation.

The U.S. Embassy in Venezuela has temporarily stopped scheduling appointments for first-time visa seekers because of the consular staff is insufficient to serve the overwhelming demand, the consular office announced. The measure applies to all new tourist and business visas, for which an average of 1,800 applications were being filed daily. "We had to make this decision because in the last eight months [Venezuela's] Foreign Ministry hasn't responded to various requests to increase personnel," said Lola Petrova, the embassy spokeswoman. She said that with the current number of employees they can handle 800 daily appointments at the most. In an...

In 2004, Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro launched the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our Americas, a regional alliance of leftist leaders designed to subvert a hemispheric free trade agreement that the United States had been pushing for a decade. Today Latin America's leftist ramparts appear to be crumbling because of widespread corruption, a slowdown in China's economy and poor economic choices. For the most part, leaders failed to create diversified economies capable of withstanding slumps. The welfare and pension programs that kept voters loyal proved unsustainable. Leaders in Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia flouted democratic traditions by expanding or...

Insurers on the New York health exchange are requesting rate hikes averaging in excess of 17%, with UnitedHealthcare going as high as a whopping 45.6%. UnitedHealthcare has already announced that they would exit most of the Affordable Care Act state exchanges in which they operate in 2017, New York being one of the few exceptions. The biggest health insurer in the country announced that it lost $475 million on the ACA exchanges last year and could lose another $500 million this year. They explained that states in which they would continue to serve – like New York – would be...

I'm praying that Venezuela can find a way back from this. And that the United States isn't dumb enough to go down the same road In case you haven’t heard, Venezuela went all in on feeling the Bern more than a decade ago. Socialism has been about as complete a disaster there as it’s possible for a thing to be. Just to give you one example: How does a country with more oil reserves than Saudi Arabia end up with a gas crisis? I’ll tell you how: A corrupt central-planning government mismanages its resources while making it impossible for anyone...

“[T]he only way of getting rid of Christianity is to allow it to die little by little.” – Adolf Hitler Yes, there have been evil men who have done evil things in the name of false Christianity. To a limited degree, Adolf Hitler was one such man. Still, and as even he frequently admitted outside the public eye, he was no Christian. As a counterweight to stigma associated with the tens of millions slaughtered in the 20th century alone under the atheist regimes of Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, et al., the secular left is quick to thunder, “But what...

The EU would have “the second most powerful military” in the world if its members pooled its resources, insisted the co-director of the Institute of Studies on Conflict and Humanitarian Action in an interview with EurActiv Spain. “If we added the capabilities we have in the EU together, we would automatically become the second most powerful military force on Earth and the reason we aren’t is because there is no political will. This is because each national government would rather be the head of a mouse rather than the tail of a lion,” said Jesús Núñez, a conflict analyst. …

We know that Venezuela’s headlong plunge into the socialist experiment has turned into a total nightmare. Food shortages have led to mass looting and the eating of dogs, cats, and pigeons to abate the wave of hunger that’s set in, as supermarkets are not being regularly stocked. The Venezuelan Chamber of Food reported on April 27 that the country’s producers only have about 15 days worth of inventory left. Toilet paper is now a luxury item, and the rolling blackouts from the energy shortage is also a major problem, especially for those working in the hospitals. Right now, there’s an...

They have a socialist paradise in Venezuela! People there receive "according to their needs". But you'd better not need much in Venezuela Lest you find your self buried under weeds. Oooooooooohhhhh! They're cooking cats on every corner in Caracas. In Maracaibo they make a meal of mud. Palmasolans put pepper on their pooches. Hugo Chavez sure turned out to be a dud! The professors in their classes in the US Tell their students that socialism is great. But I don't think they'd be asking for seconds If Spot and Mittens were cooked and on their plate! Oooooooooohhhhh! They're cooking cats...

In 2016, a majority of Americans (60%) have a positive image of capitalism, while only 35 percent have a positive image of socialism, a recent Gallup poll shows. According to Gallup, “Americans’ image of socialism is no better now than it was six years ago.” Indeed, it is slightly worse. Back in 2010, a greater percentage (36%) of Americans had a positive view of socialism than do today (35%), and in 2012, 39 percent of Americans had a positive view of socialism, denoting a four percent drop between then and now. Meanwhile, capitalism saw only a marginal drop over the...

Disease is the absence of health. Although many diseases still have the potential to end our life we have found ways to combat them and avoid the deadly pandemics of the past. History tells us between 75 and 200 million people died in Europe during the middle years of the 14th century. It took just six years to sweep across the continent and reduce the population by at least 1/3. Those who survived were emotionally and financially destroyed. Because of modern medicine and a clearer understanding of the how and why of epidemics we are at much less risk of...

An Avowed Socialist is a Viable Candidate for President of the United States Let that headline sink in for a moment. I know what you’re thinking: Senator Sanders doesn’t have a chance. Before you get too much solace from that denial ridden and self-comforting thought, you’re missing the point. Put aside your desire to soothe your jagged nerves and consider that for the FIRST TIME in American history, an avowed socialist is a VIABLE candidate for President of the United States. How did we get here? Well, to begin with, Baby Boomers are no longer the largest demographic group in...

In his craving for power, the late Hugo Chávez pledged to redistribute Venezuela’s wealth to the poor masses. The god-father of “21st-century socialism” seems to have been unaware that the resources he promised to shower on his people had to first be produced. Fifteen years into the Bolivarian revolution, Venezuela is facing dire food shortages. Among the many stupidities that socialism promotes is the idea that by imposing price controls and forbidding profits, government can make food both cheap and widely available. The opposite is true, and Venezuela proves the rule.

The Venezuelan economy is buckling1 under the weight of its severe socialist policies, and even as its president admits to a nationwide economic emergency2, the government continues to affirm the drivers behind the collapse, blaming low oil prices and global capitalism instead. This was supposed to be the dawn of “21st-century socialism,” as the late President Hugo Chavez proclaimed3 over 10 years ago, complete with the right tweaks and upgrades to its materialistic, mechanistic approach to the human person. “We have assumed the commitment to direct the Bolivarian Revolution towards socialism,” he said, “and to contribute to the socialist path, with a...

The situation in Venezuela has been steadily declining in the past couple of years, but in the past few weeks, it has become so dire and disturbing that scenes coming out of the socialist country are said to mirror the apocalypse. News reports have surfaced of people having to eat their own pets in order to survive, due to a lack of food in the country. Currently, 75 percent of Venezuelans live in poverty, a stunning increase from the 25 percent rate just two years ago.

The conflagration that is the collapse of a socilaist utopia continues to escalate in Venezuela today. With morgues overflowing, medicines running out, and apocalyptic scenes playing out across the nation, Venezuelans took to the streets of Caracas today - at the behest of the opposition - demanding a recall referendum to end Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's socialist rule. The troubled nations leader was not happy and security forces fired tear gas and shut subway stations to block the thousands of protesters. Over the last two weeks, several provinces have hosted scenes of looting in pharmacies, shopping malls, supermarkets, and food...

It was around noon when a food truck rolled up to a Venezuelan state-subsidized supermarket in the town of Guarenas just east of the capital. But, to the fury of the long line of people waiting out front, the cargo wasn't unloaded. Instead soldiers took it away. "We want food!" the crowd roared in protest, to no avail. Some tried to run after the truck. Under the state of emergency imposed by President Nicolas Maduro, the military, along with government-organized civilian committees, ensures that food packets are delivered door-to-door in order to -- as officials say -- cut out black...

Ironically I was having a discussion this morning about Franco, Pinochet and Diem with two of my employees as to whether or not it was right to support them and other dictators simply for being anti-communist. After watching this movie, we all agreed it was for the best.