Free Republic

Performance reviews ... Senior Executive Service, top bureaucrats serving throughout the government and across administrations, swelled to around 8,000 under Biden. Most live in Washington, D.C. They typically earn an annual salary between $183,000 and $250,000. An overwhelming majority, 96% .. receive above-average performance ratings even as public trust in government continues to crater. But standards will soon tighten. It is called “forced distribution.” The new OPM rule .. eliminates Biden-era requirements that evaluated executives based on their promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The stated goal is instead an evaluation of job performance, not political ideology. Now only top...

After suffering alarming spikes in violent crime, some cities are now reporting better news. Washington, D.C., is reporting a 35% decrease in violent crime for 2024. That’s after a 39% increase in crime in 2023 and the most murders in 25 years. But how likely are we to get at the truth when it comes to crime statistics? Questions were raised about possible manipulation of the number when the FBI released its annual crime data in 2023, going into the election year. The statistics showed a 2.1% decrease in violent crime in 2022 under the Biden administration. To many, the...

The university's VP of Academic Affairs said the changes will no longer 'mask' students' 'demonstrated abilities'.. An Oregon university announced they will abandon failing letter grades, citing a "GPA fixation" that negatively impacts students. Western Oregon University issued a news release earlier this month that revealed the school would be replacing "D-" and "F" grades with "no credit" to discourage undergrads from dropping out. ... The difference is that the grade of NC will not negatively impact student GPAs, ... the decision came after data from the university showed that 65% of freshman students who dropped out had earned at...

When people think of elite higher education, we think of Harvard University. But, if one academic trend is anything to go by, Harvard is turning into a joke. A recent column in the Harvard Crimson makes it clear that the university is becoming a glorified academic daycare where every student gets a trophy or, in this case, an A. The average GPA at Harvard is now 3.8 ... out of 4.0, according to Crimson data analyst Aden Barton. That’s up from 3.3 in 1991. Are we supposed to believe that college students are just that much smarter now than decades...

Ok all...now that the NFL, MLB and NBA have became TOTALLY "woke" what is everyone's new "GO TO" sport?

As the summer rolls on, the American economy is staying hot. That’s the main takeaway from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ reports on Friday, which shows that the economy added 164,000 jobs in July. That lined up for the most part with expert predictions. The economy is showing signs of resiliency economy due to sound policies like deregulation and tax cuts. Nonetheless, it’s time to get real about the negative impacts that tariffs and out-of-control spending will have on long-term growth. In July, we saw that the historically low unemployment rate went unchanged, hovering at 3.7%, while the labor force...

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 213,000 in June, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.0 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

Any mystery about Alabama's runner-up trophy from last season was answered Thursday. It exists no longer. A video posted from the Instagram account of Crimson Tide receiver Jerry Jeudy shows strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran destroying the hardware. He raised the trophy above his head and threw it to what appears to be the locker room floor. Cochran finished off the remains with a sledgehammer. The language was not suited for all ages. Alabama lost 35-31 to Clemson in last season's national championship game. The Tide plays Georgia on Monday night for this season's title. Watch the full video...

The winless San Francisco 49ers asked fans if they actually care that much about winning. A survey sent to fans was tweeted out by Twitter user “BozTank,” who wrote, “I’m a lifelong @49ers fan and that doesn’t change when they are 0-7, but this survey they just sent me hurts. ‘So, if we lose, do you care?'” " I’m a lifelong @49ers fan and that doesn’t change when they are 0-7, but this survey they just sent me hurts. “So, if we lose, do you care?” pic.twitter.com/UshqrhLhcZ " — Boz (@boztank) October 23, 2017 It is never, and I mean...

Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said the economy added 209,000 jobs in July; the number of employed people jumped by 345,000 to 153,513,000 in July, setting a third straight monthly record; the number of Americans counted as not in the labor force, meaning they don't have a job and are not looking for one, dropped for a third straight month to 94,657,000; and the nation's unemployment rate also dropped a tenth of a point, to 4.3 percent. The labor force participation rate.. was 62.9 percent in July, slightly better than it has been in recent months, but still close...

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 222,000 in June, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 4.4 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

Americans feel government doesn’t serve them, their voice isn’t heard. Most solutions focus on the next political battle. While short-term battles are important, we need long-term solutions more profound than better policies, politicians or parties; we need a better political system. Technology has been blamed for our current political environment; for social and economic disruption that led to disaffection, for spreading fake news. Well-designed technology offers the best chance of creating the political system needed: more participatory, responsive, informed democracy. It just hasn’t been built yet. Silicon Valley invested billions designing technology to improve industries; commerce, communications, travel, transportation. Less...

It started with this Instagram post, and turned into a national conversation on our obsession over self-esteem. James Harrison certainly has earned his share of trophies and accolades … but that’s Harrison’s issue with the trophies his sons received just for showing up. Harrison, who fought to find a place on an NFL roster before beginning his future Hall of Fame career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Harrison, who came back to the Steelers after a season in Cincinnati and a brief retirement to resume his dominating presence, wants his sons to understand that trying is not the same as succeeding,...

“While I am very proud of my boys for everything they do and will encourage them till the day I die, these trophies will be given back until they EARN a real trophy,” the 37-year-old member of the Pittsburg Steelers wrote in an Instagram post. “I’m sorry I’m not sorry for believing that everything in life should be earned.” ... “I’m not about to raise two boys to be men by making them believe that they are entitled to something just because they tried their best,” the five-time Pro Bowler continued, adding, “(because) sometimes your best is not enough, and...

Last Friday’s employment numbers where the subject of a lot of spin from the White House to make them sound good and from Republican politicians to make them sound bad, but almost no one talked about the most important finding from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And that finding was that, since the start of the recession in 2007 (which allegedly ended in June 2009) the number of foreign workers employed in the United States rose by 1.7 million, while the number of American-born workers employed decreased by 1.5 million. About the only one in Washington talking about this astonishing...

Fans of Fifty Shades Of Grey, you've been warned: leave those whips and riding crops at home on your way to the movies next week. AMC, Regal Entertainment and Cinemark have banned movie goers from bringing naughty props to the cinema in anticipation of the hotly awaited world premiere of Fifty Shades Of Grey. The film adaptation of EL James' steamy best-selling erotic romance starring Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele hits the big screen on Valentine’s Day, February 14.

Survey was nowhere close to confirming the Establishment Survey data, suggesting jobs rose only by 4K from 147,283K to 147,287K, and furthermore, the breakdown was skewed fully in favor of Part-Time jobs, which rose by 77K while Full-Time jobs declined by 150K.

A mid-west, religiously conservative church-population was evaluated for the impact upon a subject’s Biblically based depth of religious adherence on quality of life. A survey was distributed on self-reported adherence to basic activities and knowledge of faith and perceived well-being. Of 303 included subjects we found differences between adherent and less-adherent groups in each of 7 questions (P≤0.01). The strongest separation between groups resulted from: if they met the needs of another Christian, studied the Holy Scriptures or praised God. Religious adherence may promote a sense of well-being in those who profess Christian faith.

There was, however, a big problem. Because while according to the BLS survey employers have almost never had more open positions, they have also decided to put an abrupt stop to hiring, something which certainly points to a major disconnect in the US labor market.