Free Republic

I'm like most people I know;Wife, family, house and car and the expenses that come with those possessions and responsibilities . . .

The headline aptly describes what Obama’s second term will be. Damn the economy and full speed ahead with his progressive agenda. Obama successfully convinced 51% of the voting public to fear his opponent more than his record of failure. With the election past he has more flexibility to fundamentally change America.

SAN FRANCISCO – In a tongue-in-cheek call for immigration reform, farm workers are teaming up with comedian Stephen Colbert to challenge unemployed Americans: Come on, take our jobs. Farm workers are tired of being blamed by politicians and anti-immigrant activists for taking work that should go to Americans and dragging down the economy, said Arturo Rodriguez, the president of the United Farm Workers of America. So the group is encouraging the unemployed — and any Washington pundits or anti-immigrant activists who want to join them — to apply for the some of thousands of agricultural jobs being posted with state...

Still foolish enough to be in the private sector paying for the benefits of the public sector? I can’t remember exactly when I first encountered a pop-culture jetpack. Was it James Bond’s, courtesy of Q, in Thunderball? Or was it some comic book? At any rate, I no longer have to wait for mine. Martin Aircraft of Christchurch, New Zealand, have put one into production, for the cost of a top-of-the-line automobile—or about $100,000. It’s not clear to me where you’d be able to fly it, since government air-traffic agencies don’t seem eager to contemplate a world of individual human...

Wal-Mart Stores beat profit expectations Thursday but the company's revenue was slightly below forecast for its fiscal fourth quarter and issued cautious guidance for its fiscal first quarter. The company said it earned $1.17 a share in the three months ended January, up from $1.03 a share in the same quarter a year ago. That was higher than the $1.12 a share forecast by analysis. But revenue came in at $113.65 billion, shy of estimates of $114.35 billion. For the fiscal first quarter, the company predicts a profit of 81 to 85 cents a share. Analysts are currently forecasting a...

President Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and all the other left-wing wannabe socialists in D.C. have told us time and again that Health Care, and the socialization thereof, is the number one issue in America. Problem is you don’t agree. Not even close. In November of 2008, 64% of you said, “It’s the economy stupid.” A mere 5% of you went to the polls in 2008 to cast your vote for “Hope and Change” in regards to Health Care. Today, despite all the infomercials and Mr. Obama’s Network Tour-de-farce on national television (for which he’s probably been nominated for an...

Many of us Europeans wish to see McCain as the next president of the United States of America, even though we who do may not constitute a majority. While electing the next president itself, naturally, is a solely American business, I think it's worth pointing out that many aware and well educated Europeans DO NOT support Obama even though he, undeniably, is the the favourite candidate of most PC European politicians and journalists - and most of our politicians and journalists are appallingly PC. The article by Swedish politician Mathias Sundin: "As Americans everywhere prepare to go to the polls,...

NEW YORK - It looks like a cause for celebration: The Dow Jones industrial average surged from 12,000 to 13,000 in just six months. But appearances can be deceiving, and there may be more reason to worry rather than rejoice about Wall Street's latest accomplishment. Stronger-than-expected profits from several large companies helped push the stock market to historic heights. But many big corporations, including the Dow components, made a chunk of that money overseas, where economies are growing faster than in the U.S. And many of the same worries that weighed on investors earlier in the year remain: rising energy...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Economic worries have decreased over the last six months as the American public has shifted its concern more to the war in Iraq and problems faced by political leaders, AP-Ipsos polling found. The economy has been showing signs of strength in recent months. But the violence in Iraq has continued, before and after the latest round of elections in mid-December. And high-profile politicians in this country have been ensnared by scandal. When people were asked in an open-ended question to name the nation's top problem, 25 percent named war, close to the level in October, but up...

Statewide unemployment rates, including those in New York City, have dropped to their lowest levels in three years, state Labor Department data released Thursday shows. State unemployment dropped to 5.6 percent in August, down from 5.9 percent in July, hitting the lowest level since November 2001. New York City's unemployment rate was 6.7 percent in August, down from 7.5 percent in July. The August rate was the lowest since September 2001. Statewide, private sector jobs grew in August for the 12th straight month, adding 6,100 jobs. That reflects a growth of 0.1 of 1 percent, according to the data. The...

Since Drudge is using three different news articles to work this I will just post the links to the articles. CONSUMER PRICES DOWNFACTORY OUTPUT UPHOUSING STARTS JUMP 8.3 PERCENT

<p>With a gigantic IRS 1040 income-tax form covering a slightly ajar door presumably leading to a room filled with tightly guarded information, the headline of Newsweek's current cover story screams: "The Dirty Little Secret of the Tax Cut: Why It's Smaller Than You Think." Inside, the article greets the reader with the bold assertion: "Why Your Tax Cut Doesn't Add Up." But the only thing that doesn't add up is the article itself. It is replete with misstatements and distortions masquerading as the real-life experiences of Americans since President Bush's tax cuts were enacted in 2001 and 2003.</p>

The Crucible The long American presidential campaign is a crucible for the candidates — stressful, physically exhausting and demanding. That's one reason the outcome is not so predictable, despite an excess of polling and running commentaries. Howard Dean's candidacy might well have crashed in Iowa, not because of his third-place showing, but because of his reaction to it. His speech to his supporters was about as damaging a performance as I've ever seen. He gave the impression of a boy, hurt and disappointed to the point of tears, trying to hide the hurt with bluster, bravado and bombast. Unless he...

I recently had an opportunity to hear testimony by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan at a hearing of the Joint Economic committee. I always relish the opportunity to question Mr. Greenspan at such hearings, because I disagree so strongly with Fed policies. Mr. Greenspan is a remarkable man, with a background as a devotee of novelist Ayn Rand, a supporter of the gold standard, and a fervent advocate of capitalism. So I’m at a loss to explain his metamorphosis into a believer in fiat currency and centralized economic planning. Of course capitalism is based on the premise that centralized economic...

Did anyone just hear that lunatic on with Rush a few minutes ago? She was whining about Rush using President Kennedy's words about tax cuts against the democrats. She said that Rush couldn't use Kennedy's words because he was a beloved President and Republicans are bad. Incredible.

| WASHINGTON, DC George Bush's radical new budget would make Ronald Reagan smile Get article background FOR the past two decades, Ronald Reagan's budgets have set the standard for radicalism in American fiscal policy. Conservatives eulogise the Gipper's tax cuts; Democrats decry the deficits that exploded on his watch. If the budget that George Bush unveiled on February 3rd is enacted in anything like its current form, it will match Mr Reagan's efforts for boldness. With little fanfare (since it was overshadowed by both Columbia and Colin Powell), Mr Bush's third budget proposes a radical reform of America's tax code...

GOP ready to take the reins 01/05/2003 By DAVID JACKSON / The Dallas Morning News CRAWFORD, Texas - Welcome to the brave new Republican world. President Bush and a GOP-led Congress will converge on Washington this week to confront an age of anxiety, one layered with pessimism over the economy, terrorism, and confrontations with Iraq and North Korea. And Democrats, with little chance to enact an agenda of their own, are reminding Mr. Bush and Republicans of the perils of getting what you asked for. They plan to hold the GOP majority that Mr. Bush fought so hard to...

Bush, Democrats in election gear after vote on Iraq 10/12/2002 By DAVID JACKSON and G. ROBERT HILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News WASHINGTON - Moving on after congressional authorization of military force against Iraq, President Bush and Democratic leaders pursued separate paths Friday, heading toward the Nov. 5 elections. Mr. Bush and his diplomatic team, a strong, bipartisan vote in hand, turned to the United Nations, struggling for international support to force Saddam Hussein to disarm or face war. The president also is stepping up his personal diplomacy. He'll confer at the White House on Wednesday with Israeli Prime...

Midterm elections are almost always tough on the party in the White House. A key reason these elections have been hard on Republicans is the economy.The U.S. has had recessions and rising unemployment in four of the last five midterm election years in which a Republican was in the White House: 1970, 1974, 1982, and 1990. Although the economy was not in a recession in 1986 it was the weakest election year during the 1980s expansion.The Democrats, by contrast, have had a consistently favorable economic environment. Their midterm years — 1962, 1966, 1978, 1994, and 1998 — all had...