Free Republic

Across America, cattle ranchers and farmers are struggling to sustain their way of life. The cost of land, equipment, and fertilizer has steadily increased, making it hard just to break even, especially when the payoff for raising a cow is nearly impossible to predict.Those market pressures are squeezing the nation’s ability to feed hungry consumers. In 1975, the national cattle herd amounted to more than 132 million head. Now, just over 86 million cattle roam America’s farms and ranches. And consumers are feeling the pinch. The average cost of a pound of ground beef hit $6.89 this year compared to...

America's negative equity problem is entering a more expensive phase. While the share of underwater trade-ins toward new-vehicle purchases has edged down since the start of 2026, it remains higher than a year ago and has increased year over year for four consecutive years. Meanwhile, the average amount owed on those vehicles has reached its highest Q3 level in at least a decade, making it increasingly costly for buyers to carry that debt into another purchaseIn Q3 2026, 29.1% of trade-ins with outstanding loans toward new-vehicle purchases were underwater, down slightly from 30.9% at the start of the year but...

In my post of October 7, I asked “How Can Democrats Possibly Run On Affordability?” The post specifically focused on energy affordability, and on consumer electricity prices, because, for reasons that I don’t understand, the price of electricity seems to be a big issue for Democrats in the upcoming elections. The post cited easily-available data from the federal Energy Information Administration showing that, among the contiguous 48 states, there is a sharp divide between states run by Democrats — which have the highest prices — and those run by Republicans — which have the lowest prices. The six states with...

The number of Americans dining out just hit a new low. In the early days of the pandemic, restaurants went into survival mode to stay afloat. It may be safe to grab a bite to eat out of the house these days, but with fewer Americans able to afford the luxury of eating out, business is drying up again. The percentage of Americans who say they dine out at least once a week slid almost 10% between 2022 and 2026, according to a new Gallup poll. In 2019, just prior to the pandemic, more than half of people surveyed reported...

Brent crude oil rose to a six-month high on Friday, as investors increasingly expect the U.S. to resume strikes on Iran in the coming weeks. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. was not negotiating with Iran and something would happen “fairly soon.” His cryptic remarks came as U.S. officials told The New York Times that the U.S. and Israel have plans for fresh strikes on Iran after the midterm elections.

Zillow and Thumbtack found property taxes, maintenance and insurance now add $1,380 a month beyond mortgage payments ... The hidden costs of homeownership are rising and have increased by nearly one-third in the last five years as expenses like insurance, maintenance and property taxes take a bite out of homeowners' budgets. A new report by Zillow and Thumbtack found those costs amount to about $16,566 per year, which amounts to roughly $1,380 a month in addition to a mortgage payment. Within the $16,566 total cost, the typical U.S. homeowner faces about $11,171 in annual maintenance, $2,266 for homeowners insurance and...

During an appearance on Fox Business Network’s “Big Money,” Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) weighed in on his contest against Kansas Democrat nominee Adam Hamilton. Latest polls show a single-digit contest between Marshall and Hamilton. According to incumbent Marshall, gas prices are keeping the race close. “Why then is this Senate race as close as it is, Senator?” FBN host Taylor Riggs asked. Marshall replied, “Well, no, I think it’s the price of gasoline. It’s that simple, and I’m not sure it’s as close as what the national polls are showing. Six years ago, I was an open seat. The poll...

"Affordability" is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot without being well-defined, but we all have a general idea of what it means. Every election year, the economy, and by extension affordability, is always at the top of voters' concerns. Most years it is #1, and it is always in the top three, and for good reason: when we think of the "American Dream," we most often think of an ever-rising standard of living for families and their children. As Reagan put it succinctly, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"Many government policies...

You can’t open a newspaper or watch cable news these days without seeing a story about the pain and suffering Americans are feeling at the pump, with scary headlines such as “no relief in sight” and “the worst is yet to come.” Actually, when it comes to gas prices, the worst has come and gone – three times – all while Democrats were in the White House. Not that you’d ever know that from the mainstream media. Shortly after those headlines ran, gas prices started to moderate. AAA says they are down by about 10 cents a gallon from a...

Millions of Americans spend decades preparing for retirement, only to discover one of the biggest expenses isn’t housing, travel, or taxes. It’s healthcare.A new estimate from Fidelity suggests that a 65-year-old retiring today should expect to spend $185,500 on healthcare throughout retirement. That’s a 7.5% increase from last year and the steepest annual jump in more than a decade.Even more concerning, more than half of Americans approaching retirement don’t realize Medicare leaves them responsible for thousands of dollars in costs.Retirement Healthcare Costs Just Hit a New HighAccording to Fidelity’s 25th Annual Retiree Health Care Cost Estimate, a typical 65-year-old retiring...

Health care represents a major share of consumer spending in America, but the amount spent per resident varies considerably by location.New data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis highlights the differences in per-capita health care spending across the country in 2024.The map below, via Visual Capitalist's Srijaa Chatterjee, ranks every state using the latest Personal Consumption Expenditures by State data from the BEA. Figures are reported in current dollars and allocated according to residents’ state of residence.Which States Spend the Most on Health Care?Below is a ranking of states based on per-person health care spending:RankStatePer-Capita Health Care Spending1Alaska$14,0442District of...

U.S. oil just topped $90 a barrel and Brent crude is passed $100 a barrel. A number of new factors could mean this crude comeback has legs. For example, what happens if all Iranian oil suddenly went offline? It’s an outlier thought. Maybe it’s crazy. While we can’t all agree on much, can we at least agree that maybe now is the exact right time for crazy, outlier thoughts? Before I get to that, here’s a quick synopsis of where we stand right now with the nearly hour-by-hour headlines around Hormuz and energy. Angry militants in Iran continue to risk...

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Mortgage rates continued their ascent this week, climbing to a new 11-month high, as the escalating conflict in the Middle East put upward pressure on oil prices, sparking renewed inflation fears and leading investors to reassess the odds of a Federal Reserve rate hike. The average rate on 30-year fixed home loans reached 6.58% for the week ending July 23, up 3 basis points from 6.55% the previous week and the highest since early August 2025, according to Freddie Mac. For perspective, rates averaged 6.74% during the same period in 2025. "The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.58% this week," says...

It’s hot NILF summer for American workers. The number of adults who are “not in the labor force” (NILF) surged to an all-time high in June to 105.8 million, according to figures from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The record comes after a massive surge of 832,000 workers dropping out of the labor force in June alone. The overall number of NILFs is higher than at the height of the Great Recession or the COVID pandemic. The definition is broad — it covers all Americans age 16 and over who aren’t currently working, including retirees and students. Leading...

Video Transcript SummarySummary of the Alex Jones interview with pollster Mark Mitchell (omitting ads/promotions):Mark Mitchell, who rebuilt Rasmussen Reports' accuracy and methodology before leaving, launched HonestPoll.com after being silenced for critical commentary on Trump. He describes pressure from PACs/Trump donors after his polling and analysis warned against certain policies. He positions himself as committed to honest voter representation (in the George Gallup tradition) over pleasing clients.Key Polling Findings & WarningsIran War/Military Action: Mid-January polls (delivered to the White House) showed weak support for using U.S. military force to overthrow the Ayatollah — only 17% strongly approve, 21% somewhat approve, with...

This bill slashes barriers to building homes, modernizes outdated Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs, bolsters community banks, and stops big institutional investors from crowding out American families. It is unapologetic America First policy that proves Republicans can deliver results even when Congress moves slower than molasses. ... It even halts any Federal Reserve central bank digital currency until 2030.