Free Republic

This could really take a bite out of the Big Apple. The secondhand apparel industry may be dodging duties on imported goods – but the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on thrift shops may still bring a wrecking ball to businesses across the city, resellers told The Post. “There’s a lot of rhetoric that everybody’s going to turn to second-hand [clothing] when wallets tighten,” said Alexis Krase, owner of plus-size secondhand store Plus BKLYN in Greenpoint. “But overall, I think that ultimately means people are also being more critical of spending dollars in general: Overall sales will be down.” Krase,...

Here we go...again.. Here we go again. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has imposed a sweeping ban on poultry and dairy cattle exhibitions, this time citing fears of H5N1 avian influenza. If this feels like déjà vu, that’s because we’ve seen this playbook before. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government shut down businesses it arbitrarily deemed “nonessential,” crippling livelihoods and communities under the guise of public safety. Now, they are targeting farmers, youth organizations, and small-scale agricultural exhibitors. ... This isn’t just about bird flu—it’s about a growing pattern of overreach where freedom is sacrificed for an...

President Biden took to social media to promote Small Business Saturday and his administration’s efforts to boost small businesses, including investing more than $50 billion into the space. “Every small business is an act of hope,” he wrote on social platform X. “This Small Business Saturday, we’re celebrating all small businesses, including the 20 million new business applications — 20 million acts of hope — since I took office,” he added.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) offered his thoughts on Democrats’ losses in this year’s elections in a Sunday thread on the social platform X. “We are out of touch with the crisis of meaning/purpose fueling MAGA,” Murphy said in the thread. “We refuse to pick big fights. Our tent is too small.” The Connecticut Senator noted multiple issues he thinks the American left is struggling with when it comes to reaching voters, including having “never fully grappled with the wreckage of fifty years of neoliberalism” and moving “past the way people are feeling (alone, impotent, overwhelmed) and straight to uninspiring solutions.”...

The small town of Logansport, Indiana, has not been spared the disastrous effects of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s border crisis. Logansport is truly in the middle of “nowhere” in the rural midwestern state of Indiana, but despite being hours away from any major metropolis, the small town has still been targeted by the Biden regime. The small town of Logansport, Indiana, has not been spared the disastrous effects of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s border crisis. Logansport is truly in the middle of “nowhere” in the rural midwestern state of Indiana, but despite being hours away from any major...

The cost of living is up, prompting a growing number of Americans to flee big cities and opt for small-town life instead. A tiny, tight-knit community might seem like heaven to those who want a slower pace of life, but that doesn’t mean that smaller towns are sleepy, cultural wastelands. Many towns across the country offer the same top-notch amenities found in larger cities—they just come with a more laid-back, know-your-neighbors vibe at an affordable price tag.

The Democrat mayor of Atlantic City’s home was raided by armed police officers last week in what he now calls a “political” attack as police investigated a “family matter.” Mayor Marty Small Sr. said Monday he was approached by two Atlantic City Prosecutor’s Office officers while he was helping his mother-in-law into the car so his wife could take her to get bloodwork done at around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Fox 29 reports. The officers then presented him with five search warrants on Small’s home and vehicles as part of an ongoing investigation the mayor said he had been aware...

Vice President Harris announced Friday that the administration would invest $125 million to help small businesses in underserved communities. The investment will go to 43 small business accelerators, chosen because they support entrepreneurs specifically in underserved communities. “As Bidenomics continues to demonstrate, when we invest in the dreams, the ambitions of small business owners and entrepreneurs, it creates opportunity and prosperity for us all,” Harris said during remarks in Washington, D.C. Harris said part of the funding will “help connect enterprisers and small business owners with the support and the guidance they need to break into the clean energy economy.”

While it doesn’t look like Donald Trump will show up at the first GOP primary debate, Ron DeSantis is now set to face a different debate challenge. The Florida governor, while appearing on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, officially accepted an invitation to debate Gavin Newsom. BREAKING: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) accepts California Governor Gavin Newsom's (D) debate challenge. pic.twitter.com/dhZiJBCG9e — Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) August 3, 2023 When asked by Hannity what his answer was to Newsom’s offer, DeSantis responded: “Absolutely, I’m game.” “Let’s get it done. Just tell me when and where we’ll do it,” DeSantis said as...

Chris Christie Town Hall

Warning signs of a potential credit crunch were flashing even before Silicon Valley Bank's stunning collapse, as this year sees record high bankruptcy filings by small- to mid-sized private businesses, according to UBS. Financial markets this month were whipped around after the biggest bank failure since the global financial crisis highlighted worries about the impact of tighter credit conditions for American businesses and consumers. ["We] believe one of the more underappreciated signs of distress in US corporate credit is already emanating from the Small and Mid-size Enterprises sector," Matthew Mish, head of credit strategy at UBS, wrote in a recently...

The V8 engine is probably the most popular engine configuration around, mostly because it has been around for decades. However, if you've been wanting to build your own remote-controlled car powered by a V8, your choices for a model V8 engine are thin and most of them are pricey. Toyan, a company known for making scale model engines, has released a V8 engine that's relatively affordable. Currently selling for a promo price of $1,799.99 at Stirlingkit, the Toyan FS-V800 can be bought as either a DIY kit or a pre-assembled version on a 1/10 scale. The video atop this page...

The findings, published Tuesday by Boston-based business tracker Alignable, illustrate the stark effect inflation is having on everyday Americans The survey of 4,789 small business owners saw more than half of respondents say their rent is at least 10 percent higher than it was six months ago If you go back seven months, the majority said rents have increased 20 percent The study found that roughly 37 percent of small businesses - almost half of all Americans working in the private sector - were left unable to pay rent in October Compounding concerns is the fact that several states, such...

15 Sep 20220 On Thursday’s “CNN Newsroom,” Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA) reacted to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) sending migrants to Martha’s Vineyard by stating that Martha’s Vineyard is “very small” and so there are “absolutely no resources to deal with this.” Keating said, “That’s part of the cynical nature of this. Martha’s Vineyard is a very small populated island. People commute from the land just to work there because there’s no housing. So, there’s absolutely no resources to deal with this. But fortunately, religious community members and local officials and now state officials are springing into action to deal...

Seventy-five percent of small businesses are being pounded by the supply chain crisis and thirty-year high inflation, a CNBC survey revealed Tuesday. While many big businesses have expanded their profit margins in the face of supply chain woes and inflation, small businesses are struggling to serve their local communities.

COVID shutdowns championed by U.S. governors and D.C. bureaucrats are responsible for destroying nearly 40% of small businesses since the virus was unleashed on the world—and we know now that it was for little to no damned good reason. A study by the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences revealed recently that shutdown orders made little to no difference in COVID’s impact. ... While bureaucrats gave Walmart, Costco, Lowe’s, and other big-box stores “essential” status, allowing them to stay open during the COVID pandemic, 38.9% of America’s small businesses, the providers of most of the country’s jobs, were forced...

The growth of small businesses in the U.S. was held back in April because small businesses could not find enough workers, the National Federation of Independent Businesss said Tuesday. “Small business owners are seeing a growth in sales but are stunted by not having enough workers,” said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg. “Finding qualified employees remains the biggest challenge for small businesses and is slowing economic growth. Owners are raising compensation, offering bonuses and benefits to attract the right employees.”

President Joe Biden gave his first primetime address to the nation on Thursday night, in which he said that “if we do our part,” then “there’s a good chance” Americans will be able to have “small” events by Independence Day. “This doesn’t mean large events with lots of people together,” Biden said.

How pandemic policy has benefited the corporate elite.. If one were to consider the upward transfer of wealth and market share to Big Business since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, one would think such economic changes were intended. After all, it’s no secret that the interests of politicians and the corporate elite align more often than not. As we near a year of lockdowns and sheltering in place, the long-term effects of pandemic policy on the economy are becoming clearer. Almost every piece of legislation ostensibly designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus and protect workers has wreaked...

Over a quarter of small businesses in New York and New Jersey, areas hit hardest by the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, have not reopened this year, according to a report from a Harvard-run database. The database, TrackTheRecovery.org, revealed that 27.8 percent of small businesses in New York have not reopened following the mass shutdowns that occurred in the state this year, as of November 16. Even more businesses remained closed in New Jersey — 31.2 percent.