Free Republic

VIDEO AT LINK........... Last night, it became certain that a wealth tax would be placed on the November ballot in California. I’m voting no. And I’m going to spend the rest of this piece telling you why, and what we should be doing instead. When 10% of the people in this country own two-thirds of the wealth, when we have minted the first trillionaire in human history, and yet your wages have stagnated, and your healthcare costs have skyrocketed, something is fundamentally broken. Over the decades, the American economy has been engineered for the very top, a story as old...

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) introduced legislation on Thursday to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $25 per hour through phased increases. The bill, titled the Living Wage for All Act, includes a companion measure in the House led by Rep. Delia C. Ramirez (D-Illinois). It aims to phase in the increase, starting with an initial jump to $12 per hour, reaching $25 over several years. Larger employers would face a shorter compliance timeline of about six years, while smaller businesses would receive up to 13 years. The proposal would also eliminate subminimum wages for tipped workers, youth employees,...

Californians can expect a wave of changes this summer, from classroom policies to grocery store shelves, as a slate of new laws takes effect.

On Thursday’s broadcast of Bloomberg’s “Balance of Power,” Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) responded to Sen. Chris Murphy’s (D-CT) proposal to raise the minimum wage to $25 an hour by saying that “I’m delighted that Sen. Murphy is talking about this and I think the voting record of a lot of us, the Democrats that had led on this before is we’re willing to do it, it was $15, plus inflation adjustments.” Co-host Joe Mathieu asked, “I want to ask you, quickly, with our small amount of time remaining here, Congressman, if you think raising the minimum wage would help. …...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a tax on America’s billionaires — while remaining in steadfast opposition to the very same levy on the wealthiest in his state. After California’s own billionaires tax was approved for the November ballot, Newsom announced Friday that he supports a national billionaires tax “that ensures the people at the very top pay at least the tax rate their own workers pay.” Newsom has long opposed the proposed California measure, which would hit the state’s wealthiest with a 5% tax to cover healthcare costs in the state. He failed to broker a last-minute deal to keep...

California is a blue state, and one of the manifestations of its political orientation has been a tolerance for one of the nation’s highest levels of taxation. The state’s tax rates on retail sales and personal and corporate incomes are among the highest of any state. Although tax rates on real estate are relatively moderate, high property values still translate into high bills for their owners. Specific taxes, such as those on fuel, utilities, cigarettes, liquor, medical care, gambling, guns and ammunition, contribute even more. Overall, state and local governments and school districts collect around $400 billion in taxes every...

Political analyst Mark Halperin joins Michael Smerconish to discuss what recent Democratic primary results could mean for 2028, why Bernie Sanders may still be a major force in Democratic politics, and whether the party's energy now belongs to its progressive wing. The conversation explores Josh Shapiro, Gavin Newsom, AOC, Ro Khanna, Democratic Socialists, Israel, generational divides, and the battle for the soul of the Democratic Party.

Gavin Newsom’s carefully guarded wine empire is still netting a pretty penny while he’s in the governor’s office. Details of the governor’s sprawling network of wineries, hotels and booze ventures are revealed in the California governor’s economic disclosures. Federal Department of Justice probes involving Newsom’s wife, associates and family tax issues has ramped up scrutiny of the governor’s personal assets as he pledges to eventually release his tax returns to the public.

California’s powers-that-be have steered more than a half-billion dollars of other people’s money to their favorite charities and causes since 2011, and way more than half of that haul came at the behest of Gov. Gavin Newsom. That includes millions donated to nonprofits tied to Newsom’s wife, which may have something to do with the federal investigation into Newsom and first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. These donations often come from businesses and people hoping to influence elected leaders, steer public policy, demonstrate their stellar citizenship to the masses, or perhaps a bit of all three. While state law sets caps...

The FBI is now investigating voter fraud in Los Angeles. Federal agents descended on the streets of Skid Row in downtown LA Thursday following allegations that the homeless had been paid to vote in the June 2 primary. About 20 agents swooped in on the notoriously blighted area after homeless people staying there claimed they’d been bribed with cash to sign multiple registration forms, forge signatures, and fill out voter information for the mayoral and gubernatorial primaries. The California Post looked on as plainclothes agents questioned Skid Row residents, asking them if they were paid to vote or were aware...

Democrats, among them some of the most recognizable names in politics, have accepted millions of dollars in campaign contributions from top employees at firms the Pentagon recently designated as "Chinese military companies" operating in the U.S. The Department of War on June 8 designated Alibaba, Baidu and BYD as "Chinese military companies," meaning that the three firms, in the eyes of the U.S. government, are providing assistance to the People’s Liberation Army through its military-civil fusion strategy or other means. Senior employees at these companies, including executives, have donated roughly $2.6 million to Democratic political committees since 2020, a Fox...

Days after the June 2 California primary election, it was announced that a large mail-in ballot dump from Los Angeles Skid Row favored District 4 Democratic Socialist City Councilwoman and mayoral candidate Nithya Raman. It was not long before Raman suddenly pulled ahead and overtook viral candidate Spencer Pratt for the Top 2 slot, edging him into third place and out of the running. p>The legacy media did what they do: parrot and cover up. However, the L.A. voters who supported Pratt (and some who did not) clamored for a real investigation into this suspicious and mathematically impossible occurrence. As...

The Los Angeles City Council took one step closer toward possibly giving noncitizens the right to vote in city elections, agreeing to put the measure on the Nov. 3 ballot. The measure is part of a package of proposed charter changes that will go before voters later this year. In a decisive 10-5 vote, the council on Wednesday approved a proposal introduced by Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez to implement noncitizen or "residential" voting for city and Los Angeles Unified District elections. Soto-Martinez emphasized individuals with some form of legal status such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Temporary Protected Status holders,...

Anger and anxiety filled a packed town hall Tuesday as hundreds of Altadena residents pushed back against proposals that could transform single-family neighborhoods devastated by the Eaton Fire. Nearly 450 people attended the meeting, where residents learned that 49% of properties sold in the burn zone since the wildfire have been purchased by developers, a revelation that drew an audible gasp from the crowd. The debate centers on California housing laws, including SB 9 and SB 1123, which can allow developers to build up to 10 housing units, as high as three stories, on a single residential lot. Residents warned...

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California shows what happens when one party gains total control: soaring costs, shrinking opportunity, and a government that no longer serves its citizens. By any measure, California is a failed state—and a national embarrassment. Taxes? It has the highest income and gas taxes in the nation. Roads? A Reason Foundation survey ranks it 49th among the states. Mass flight? Between 250,000 and 350,000 more Californians leave the state than move in each year. Housing, gas, insurance, and electricity prices? The highest in the continental U.S. Illegal aliens, the poor, the homeless, the foreign-born, and welfare recipients? The largest numbers in...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that the Department of Justice is investigating him, claiming that President Donald Trump is targeting a “political enemy” despite no evidence the Democratic potential 2028 presidential contender has committed a crime. Newsom said in a video posted to social media that Trump’s administration is also targeting his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.

Kamala Harris remains the clear favorite among Democratic voters eyeing the 2028 presidential race, according to a new national survey. The latest Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll found the former vice president backed by 27% of left-leaning voters, nearly doubling the support of her nearest rival, fellow California native governor Gavin Newsom, who came in second at 14%. While Harris maintains a sizable advantage, the poll suggests her grip on the party’s electorate may be loosening somewhat. Her support has slipped from 33% in October and 31% in March to 27% in the latest survey. Newsom has also trended downward,...

Talking points went out and lemmings-like Democrats proved to all that they know nothing about wealth creation. All they have is their greed for other people's money. Once upon a time, Americans celebrated success. Some still do. After developing reusable rockets, planning a trip to Mars, launching more satellites than anyone in history, and rescuing stranded American astronauts from outer space, Elon Musk launched an IPO of his SpaceX company, and a lot of people decided to invest in the new stock. That made the man who laid out the capital and took all the risks, Elon Musk, a trillionaire....

Americans are struggling to pay for groceries and gas while Elon Musk becomes a TRILLIONAIRE. When the federal government is for sale, the rich get richer and everyone else gets shafted. The system is rigged.