Free Republic

Let’s clear something up right away—tariffs aren’t just about economics. They’re not some wonky tax on imported widgets that only policy nerds care about. They’re a statement. They are an attempt to change bad behavior. A line in the sand. Tariffs are about protecting a nation’s backbone—its ability to stand on its own two feet. In a world that’s grown dangerously dependent on global supply chains, the idea of sovereignty is starting to hit home. National security begins with self-reliance. Think about it: how secure are we, really, if we’re relying on adversaries for essentials like steel, aluminum, pharmaceuticals—even ships...

Twitter founder Jack Dorsey has admitted he regrets his involvement in creating a centralised internet."The days of usenet, irc, the web...even email (w PGP)...were amazing," he said in a tweet on Sunday."Centralizing discovery and identity into corporations really damaged the internet. I realize I'm partially to blame, and regret it."As Affirm CEO and co-founder Max Levchin points out in replying to Dorsey's tweet, the internet "changed from arthouse to blockbuster because it needed to gain an audience and make money".Dorsey continued saying that "perhaps greater emphasis on protocol first and then interface would have helped"."I agree there was less technology...

Barack Obama, speaking at a Friday afternoon news conference, maintained that the "core" of al Qaeda is "on its heels" and "has been decimated" while admitting that regional elements of the terrorist organization can still "pose a threat" to American interests. ABC News's Jonathan Karl asked the president still believes that al Qaeda has been "decimated," as he said in a speech last May. Watch Obama's response below:

According to last Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, pets who rely on drugs approved for people are likely to suffer now that nearly 200 of these are in short supply, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. So you understand, only a fraction of the drugs veterinarians use on animals are actually approved for use in veterinary settings. That’s mostly because it’s expensive to get drugs approved for specific uses in specific species (as the FDA requires for each individual drug). Luckily, the federal government makes exceptions for what’s called "extra-label" drug use. This means that when a critical mass...

Cheques are likely to be abolished following a vote today to end the 350-year-old means of payment. The Payments Council is due to decide whether to abolish the national cheque clearing system, a move which would effectively make all cheques redundant. The change would be phased in over several years and completed by 2018. Despite growing reliance on debit cards, almost 4 million cheques are written every day in Britain. However, this is still two-thirds less than two decades ago, and numbers are expected to continue to decline, dropping to 1.6 million by 2018. The move is likely to anger...

Equipped with an abundant knowledge of history, Michael Tuggle has cast a discerning eye on the trends of the present. Not the 'trendy' trends but the real ones, those which can guide our steps into the future (as far as the future can be known to us mortals). The trends suggest to him something very hopeful - the probability and suitability of a change in the principle by which human affairs are governed. We have been living for a long time by the organising principle of command from the top down - something the American Founding Fathers decried as 'consolidation'-...