Free Republic

The International Monetary Fund is warning that the world is in for a rough ride, with more than a third of the global economy forecast to contract over this year and next amid a cost-of-living crisis fueled by inflation and exacerbated by factors such as Russia’s war in Ukraine. For most people, it will feel like a recession. “The worst is yet to come,” said the fund’s Chief Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas. Speaking to a packed press conference Tuesday to launch the latest World Economic Outlook, he had a grim warning on global inflation, saying it is expected to peak at...

Under the guise of "economic development" and the promise of "jobs, jobs, jobs", large corporations are cheating American taxpayers when they relocate/expand their businesses across state lines (or exert pressure on their existing state/city by threatening to exit and take their jobs elsewhere). The most visible example of this scam was Amazon's highly publicized search for a second headquarters in 2017-2018. Read the excellent Wired Magazine story, Why Amazon's Search for a Second Headquarters Backfired, which highlights Amazon's abuse as it played states against each other to extract the maximum incentives for itself. The truth is, in most cases,...

The 12th edition of Rich States, Poor States, written by White House Advisors Arthur Laffer, Ph.D., Stephen Moore, and Jonathan Williams, chief economist for the American Legislative Exchange Council, pinpoints why some states in the union grow and prosper while others shrink and fail. Based on the authors’ collective research, appropriate regulations, competitive tax rates, and wise government spending yields greater opportunities for all Americans. In particular, citizens in states where lawmakers are focused on establishing long-term prosperity benefit the most. This is especially true when those citizens trust the judgment of their political leaders and have witnessed the wisdom...

COLUMBIANA, Ohio -- The thing about a city earning a title such as the "nicest place in America" is that outsiders often assume the people who live there don't have to work at being nice. Well, anyone in this lovely city that straddles both the Mahoning and Columbiana Counties would say you do have to work at it. But like anything worthwhile in this world (including warmth, generosity, common courtesy and the selfless notion of paying it forward), it starts to come more easily with time. It also helps that Columbiana has a deep sense of community, which means it...

The United States must revamp policies toward Africa on improving trade, fighting terrorism, and providing financial assistance to stave off the growing influence of China and Russia on the continent, White House national security adviser John Bolton said. “Great power competitors, namely China and Russia, are rapidly expanding their financial and political influence across Africa,” Bolton said Thursday in an address at The Heritage Foundation in Washington. “They are deliberately and aggressively targeting their investments in the region to gain a competitive advantage over the United States.”[snip]“The predatory practices pursued by China and Russia stunt economic growth in Africa; threaten...

Ambassador John Bolton, the President's national security adviser, unveiled the strategy in remarks delivered at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C. "Under our new Africa strategy, we will target U.S. funding toward key countries and particular strategic objectives," Bolton said. "We will make certain that all aid to the region—whether for security, humanitarian, or development needs—advances U.S. interests," Bolton said. Currently, the U.S. sends more than $8 billion annually to African countries, though Bolton, citing a "longstanding pattern of aid without effect," indicated that amount may soon be slashed. "Unfortunately, billions upon billions of U.S. taxpayer...

Facing numerous analyses showing his signature jobs programs misallocated resources and put few New Yorkers to work, Gov. Andrew Cuomo argued today that any such assessments are only a matter of political point of view. Speaking after an unrelated event in the Bronx, the governor defended his attacks last week on state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who released unflattering audits of two Cuomo programs this summer. The governor again insisted that those findings were just DiNapoli’s opinions, opinions which are open to debate given the comptroller’s history as an assemblyman from Long Island. […] … (Cuomo’s) Startup NY initiative, which grants...

Never one to bemoan an increasing amount of options in 22LR, I am pleased to see Savage releasing the Landry Signature Series Rifles. Modeled with input from Troy, Jacob, and Chase Landry (from Swamp People), the Landry series rifles feature a synthetic stock with a transferred gator camouflage pattern.

Economic Systems: The alarmists keep telling us their concern about global warming is all about man's stewardship of the environment. But we know that's not true. A United Nations official has now confirmed this. At a news conference last week in Brussels, Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of U.N.'s Framework Convention on Climate Change, admitted that the goal of environmental activists is not to save the world from ecological calamity but to destroy capitalism.

There is nothing new under the public policy sun. Gov. Rick Snyder announced last week a government reorganization that will marry Michigan’s existing “economic growth and job training efforts under one department.” They’ve been married before and didn’t work well then either. The fact is, corporate welfare doesn’t work and no amount of reorganizing will make it so. Michigan had a similar system when economic development efforts and job training efforts were both run out of the Michigan Jobs Commission. Governor Engler split job and talent training up from economic development because he thought it would improve the state’s economic...

All politics are local! The libs in Falls Church, VA are out in force! They oppose the conversion of a Post Office and vacant lot into a wonderful mixed use development, filled with rental apartments and a large Harris Teeter supermarket. Falls Church has the highest property taxes in Northern Virginia, in large part because of a lack of commercial properties. Visit FCNP.com and scroll down to the Question of the Week (right side) to cast your vote in support of economic development, free markets, and lower residential property taxes. Your support is appreciated!

LEVELLAND, TX (KCBD) - Levelland is leading the way by investing millions to develop the new Levelland Industrial Rail Park. The "LIRP" will connect businesses to suppliers and customers globally, while contributing to a cleaner and greener environment. According to golevelland.com, Levelland's rail customers are served via the West Texas & Lubbock Railway (WTLC) which consists of 107 miles of railroad on two lines extending from Lubbock, TX to Seagraves and through Levelland to Whiteface, TX. Purchased in 2002 by the Permian Basin Railways (PBR), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Iowa Pacific Holdings (IPH), the WTLC underwent major renovation with the...

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about California’s economy? If it’s the high unemployment numbers or the budget deficits in Sacramento, you are not alone. But it’s also true that California, in spite of its problems, remains one of the ten biggest economies in the world and America’s leader in categories like industrial research and development and attracting foreign direct investment. California cannot allow the past few years of recession to threaten our state’s economic standing on the world stage. We must do everything we can to make sure our state remains an attractive place...

Today, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal put out an op-ed piece touting Louisiana’s economic gains in an otherwise-rough year...

Louisiana has come a long way since the mid-1990s. Back then we remember a couple of years when the biggest job deals were new Wal-Mart stores. Those days are gone, replaced by a Louisiana economy that is as vibrant as any in the South. In fact, over the last three years no state in the South has performed better than Louisiana, as evidenced by 2007 and 2009 "State of the Year" honors and an "Honorable Mention" in 2008. This year Louisiana is sharing “State of the Year” honors with Tennessee. Louisiana led all Southern states in the all important points...

The 2007 Human Development Report says Iceland now leads annual United Nations Index. Iceland has narrowly passed Norway to take the top spot on the Human Development Index (HDI), according to the 2007/2008 Human Development Report (HDR) released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today. Norway had held the number one ranking for the previous six years. This change in ranking is a result of new estimates of life expectancy and updated GDP per capita figures, stress the Report authors. Introduced with the first HDR in 1990, the HDI assesses the state of human development through life expectancy, adult...

Why Nicolas Sarkozy cannot afford to yield to French strikers THE effervescent French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has been on the road a lot recently—in Morocco, Chad, America, Russia and Germany, among other places. There has been much approving commentary about how French foreign policy has been freed of the reflexive anti-Americanism it so often bore under Mr Sarkozy's predecessor, Jacques Chirac. Yet for the future of his country, and of his presidency, Mr Sarkozy's foreign policy is not what counts most. A far bigger test confronted Mr Sarkozy at home this week, as his much-vaunted economic reforms provoked a string...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2007 – Recent strides in Iraq’s economic development, including the reopening of a flour mill last week, are occurring as Iraqi and coalition forces disrupt al Qaeda and other terrorist elements, a senior military spokesman in Iraq said today. “Local production of flour in a previously dormant mill is a small but meaningful step in Baqubah that demonstrates that as al Qaeda in Iraq is driven out, economic growth emerges,” Navy Rear Adm. Mark I. Fox, deputy spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, said at a news conference. The flour mill in Baqubah, closed for nearly a year,...

New research shows us that people around the world, including in the West, are satisfied with their lives and are enjoying a rising quality of life. So why are westerners so pessimistic, asks Nima Sanandaji, of think-tank Captus. Our planet is a happier place these days. That, at least, is what the Pew Research Center is telling us. Their latest survey of global attitudes in 47 nations has found a number of trends that are worth analyzing. According to Pew, people in the developing world are growing ever more satisfied with their personal and financial situations. In Latin America, 59...

FEW people in Africa would get to see Al Gore and his troupe of rock-star ecologists strutting their stuff last weekend - because most have neither television nor electricity. That's just as well, because they would be aghast at LiveEarth's bizarre message. In Africa, we have much more serious things to worry about than climate change. Indeed, if they achieve their objective, the concerts will have done harm to the people of Africa. Britain's former Secretary of State for the Environment, David Miliband, recently said that the rest of the world cannot aspire to the UK's standard of living because:...