Free Republic

Chelsea Clinton says if you want a raise, you should ask for one. And if you need time to yourself, take it. In fact, she’s gotten very far in her life without ever having to worry about being turned down or told no, so why should you worry about getting fired from your job for being greedy? Chelsea sat down with Levo, a female-oriented online leadership training and mentoring program that connects women in business with other, more famous women in business.

Like most good Southern yarns, the Fred Thompson story is steeped in legend. His small-town upbringing in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., is humble and distinct on a campaign trail worn by front-runners in suits that match their polished images. In his methodical drawl, the Republican mentions his early years at every opportunity -- from his announcement speech Sept. 7 in Des Moines, Iowa, to his Oct. 15 appearance on Fox News. The details sometimes differ, but the effect is the same. "My story is an American story," Thompson, 65, said in Des Moines, "one that's happened many times across this great nation...

The Death of Horatio Alger by PAUL KRUGMAN [from the January 5, 2004 issue] The other day I found myself reading a leftist rag that made outrageous claims about America. It said that we are becoming a society in which the poor tend to stay poor, no matter how hard they work; in which sons are much more likely to inherit the socioeconomic status of their father than they were a generation ago. The name of the leftist rag? Business Week, which published an article titled "Waking Up From the American Dream." The article summarizes recent research showing that social...

Last week the Pew Research Center came out with a study of the American electorate that crystallized something I've been sensing for a long time: rich people are boring, but poor people are interesting. The Pew data demonstrated that people at the top of the income scale are divided into stable, polar camps. There are the educated-class liberals - antiwar, pro-choice, anti-tax cuts - who make up about 19 percent of the electorate, according to Pew. And there are business-class conservatives - pro-war, pro-life, pro-tax cut - who make up 11 percent of voters. These affluent people are pretty well...

<p>Of all the 19th-century strivers who dreamed of a life transformation like those depicted in Horatio Alger Jr.'s novels, perhaps none was as disappointed in that fantasy as Alger himself.</p> <p>Alger's name is often used to describe people who have risen from poverty to success, using bootstraps, hard work and fair play. Contemporary figures who have been honored by the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans include Jack Kemp, Oprah Winfrey, Clarence Thomas, Carol Burnett, Tommy Thompson, Bob Dole and Tom Selleck.</p>

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) --  More than two-thirds of American teenagers feel closer to their families since the Sept. 11 attacks and remain hopeful about the country's future, a private survey finds.</p> <p>"Coming out of Sept. 11 these kids recognize that the world is different -- it's smaller and more challenging," said Peter Hart, whose research company studied adolescents' attitudes and goals. "As difficult a year as they've gone through, they remain optimistic and upbeat."</p>