Free Republic

Annually and increasingly, tens of thousands of people are leaving blue states because of politics. If you’re old enough, you’ll recall the 1961 Berlin crisis. I recall it subsequently, when schools taught real history. That crisis happened during the Cold War’s peak years. In brief, Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev wanted the U.S. out of West Berlin. There were multiple reasons, but, chiefly, access to West Berlin allowed East Germans to escape communist rule. According to the National Archives, by 1961, as many as four million Germans had escaped East Germany using West Berlin. With tensions rising, and the hemorrhaging increasing,...

“The world sees you now: not as compassionate warriors, but as spoiled, entitled, reality-denying tyrants in yoga pants, wielding guilt and hysteria like switchblades.” —LHGrey on "X". The political grandstanding started way back in 1973 when the irascible Marlon Brando stayed home from the Academy Awards but sent an Apache princess, one Sacheen Littlefeather, to the podium to decline his award (Best Actor for The Godfather) on account of the 71-day standoff at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota between federal agents and Oglala Lakota activists who had seized the little town of Wounded Knee. After that, political...

Buffett had largely avoided commenting on politics during the afternoon part of the annual meetings Q&A and seemed reluctant to directly address a question on what he thought about Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s efforts to cut government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. What Buffett did say was Congress isn’t doing its job to reduce the fiscal deficit. “We are doing something that is unsustainable,” he said. Buffett said the gap between revenue and spending was about twice as large as what can be maintained and that the more the gap widens, the more risk of it...

Washington CNN — Multiple leading Democrats tell CNN they feel caught in what one described as a “doom loop,” with every move to keep President Joe Biden in or push him out further destroying their chances against Donald Trump. It’s breaking the resolve of even staunch allies. It’s feeding bad polls. It’s turning off more donors. It’s sustaining a media atmosphere where no matter what Biden does, he comes off looking like a failure. And for those who were hoping Biden would quit, the public and private pressure, several top Democrats worry, has been backfiring. “His last act will not...

The Senate on Wednesday has devolved into chaos as lawmakers cannot pass legislation that handles the border crisis, aid to Ukraine, or both as a package. Senate Republicans blocked a supplemental spending package that included aid for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and attempts to increase border security. The bill failed to advance after it did not receive 60 ayes during a procedural vote.

Rising interest rates, the remote work trend, and the dominance of e-commerce sellers have combined to hammer the commercial real estate market over the past few years. Sky-high office and retail space vacancies are plaguing owners in this new environment, rents are plummeting, and borrowing costs have soared. As a result, U.S. commercial real estate prices have fallen 11% since the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates in March 2022, the IMF reported last week, the worst decline in over 50 years. The outlook for the sector is now so bleak that Cantor Fitzgerald’s billionaire chairman and CEO Howard Lutnick...

A San Francisco city official who organized a walking tour meant to showcase the “squalor” of downtown is resigning, Mayor London Breed’s office confirmed to SFGATE. Earlier this month, a posting appeared on Eventbrite that promoted a “Downtown Doom Loop Walking Tour,” angering local residents and raising questions about the event’s seriousness and the identity of its anonymous organizer, who described themself as a city commissioner. The tour was scheduled for Saturday but was canceled by the organizer Friday, which prompted some Eventbrite ticket holders to seek a refund. Alex Ludlum, who served as the vice chair on the city’s...

We’ve covered the idea of an urban doom loop in places like San Francisco and New York. Today the Washington Post has a story up which argues that it’s actually midsized cities which are in the most danger of falling into a doom loop.In Indianapolis, the technology giant Salesforce is paring back a quarter of its office space in the tallest building in Indiana, where it has been a key tenant for the past six years. In Atlanta, the private investment giant Starwood Capital defaulted on a $212 million mortgage on a 29-story office tower. And in Baltimore, a landmark...

Free walking tours are a common sight in San Francisco. Whether by Coit Tower, Union Square or Fisherman’s Wharf, the City by the Bay draws plenty of tourists angling for a firsthand look at San Francisco’s iconic views and landmarks. Later this month, however, a walking tour aims to bring attention to the “squalor” on San Francisco streets. Set to take place on Aug. 26, the tour plans to lead participants from City Hall to SoMa, the organizer, SF Anonymous Insider, said on Eventbrite. There is a charge of $30 for general admission to the tour. San Francisco Doom Loop...