Free Republic

Generation Z is taking over. In the rich world there are at least 250m people born between 1997 and 2012. About half are now in a job. In the average American workplace, the number of Gen Z-ers (sometimes also known as “Zoomers”) working full-time is about to surpass the number of full-time baby-boomers, those born from 1945 to 1964, whose careers are winding down (see chart 1). America now has more than 6,000 Zoomer chief executives and 1,000 Zoomer politicians. As the generation becomes more influential, companies, governments and investors need to understand it. Recent “research” from Frito-Lay, a crisp-maker,...

President Trump championed his import tariffs Saturday as an economic game changer — while predicting the upcoming midterm elections will hinge on “pricing.” The tariffs have brought in more than $200 billion this year, according to the Customs and Border Protection agency, but face the potential of being struck down by the Supreme Court. “Tariffs are creating GREAT WEALTH, and unprecedented National Security for the USA. Trade deficit has been cut by 60%, totally unheard of. 4.3% GDP, and going way up. No inflation!!! We are respected as a Country again,” Trump wrote Saturday morning on Truth Social. Trump has...

California’s richest residents could be slapped with a one-time 5% tax on their net worth if a new law makes it onto the ballot next year. The measure – called the “2026 Billionaire Tax Act” – seeks to counter $30 billion in potential federal funding cuts to California’s Medicaid program. Cash from the new tax could also pay for the Golden State’s struggling public education system, according to supporters of the act, which include the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). If passed and signed off by Gov. Gavin Newsom, California’s tech bosses like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Nvidia CEO...

In related news, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) called Elon Musk "one of the most unintelligent billionaires I've ever met or seen. The wealth doesn't match the wisdom. Sure, he's built rockets, electric cars, satellites, and AI. He's now the richest man in the world, but what has he done for others?" Musk pointed out that "I have created products that are in great demand. Customers willingly buy them. More than 150,000 people have jobs because of my entrepreneurship. This is what I have done for others. What have you done for others? You currently produce nothing that folks would...

BREAKING: Despite leftist attempts to cancel, jail, and bankrupt him for over a year now, Elon Musk is now worth an astounding $600 BILLION — the most of any individual in world history, per Forbes This absolutely DWARFS George Soros’ $7.5 billion. It’s game on 😏🔥

Recent survey data reveal that support for socialism is increasing in the United States. This may be surprising, given that socialism is a much-criticized economic system that has failed spectacularly everywhere it has been tried. The mounting support for socialism reflects a growing frustration with capitalism and the economic woes of an increasing proportion of the population that believes it has been left behind.The election of Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani as mayor of a city that is home to Wall Street is sobering. This pied piper of economic illiteracy has been swept into office by a majority of voters that...

It’s not so much the idea that rich Christians are bad people. It’s more the idea that we live in a land that is quite literally the richest nation that has ever been and yet, we are surrounded by a large population of people who lack basic necessities. It raises the question – Why? …It doesn’t matter if we are hearing prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah, or Jesus’ own words. The message is the same – God cares how the poor are treated and does not look kindly on those who exploit the poor for their own benefit because when...

If wealth were altogether bad, why would we give it to the poor? That would only make their situation worse, right? The very fact that God wants us to give wealth to those who do not have it proves it is intrinsically good. So we must affirm the “good of affluence,” as John Schneider has put it, even as we also reckon with its dangers. We can be “godly materialists” (again, Schneider) but must always remember that our godliness should drive and control our pursuit of and use of material things. It is possible to have holy ambition that is...

Tesla boss Elon Musk has become the first person ever to achieve a net worth of more than $500bn (£370.9bn), as the value of the electric car company and his other businesses have risen this year. The tech magnate's net worth briefly reached $500.1bn on Wednesday afternoon New York time, before dipping slightly to just over $499bn later in the day, the Forbes billionaires index reported. Alongside Tesla, valuations of his other ventures, including the artificial intelligence start-up xAI and rocket company SpaceX, have also reportedly climbed in recent months. The milestone further cements Musk's status as the world's richest...

I saw this a couple of days ago, and it was so intriguing, I had to hang on to it, figuring there would be a time it would come in handy.Little did I know our president would go into the United Nations General Assembly today with a flamethrower and give me the perfect opportunity to illustrate one of the scorched remnants of European superiority he left smoking on the expensive carpet in that room.When the man told them that their countries were going to fail.IF YOU DON'T GET AWAY FROM THE GREEN ENERGY SCAM, YOUR COUNTRY IS GOING TO FAILIF...

How does Ilhan Omar make her money? How does the Trump family make its money? Is money real? What is reality? These are the questions Cockburn is asking himself after this weekend’s financial news. First, let’s fly over Minnesota. Founding “Squad” member Omar, the Washington Free Beacon reported yesterday, is currently worth more than $30 million, despite telling the press earlier this year that it’s “categorically false” that she’s a millionaire. If by false, you mean “true,” then yes. The Free Beacon obtained Omar’s latest financial disclosure, which indicated that she and her husband, shifty “former political consultant” Tim Mynett,...

Whether they’re doing it on purpose or out of just plain ineptitude, Illinois’ political leaders have been slowly destroying this state. More recently, they’ve moved into overdrive.What we’re talking about is all the wealth the state is giving up by pushing out wealthier taxpayers and inviting less wealthy people in. Not to mention the flood of illegal immigrants that have been “welcomed” to Illinois, many fully dependent on the state.Not only is Illinois a net loser of people to other states, but the people leaving Illinois make far more than the people coming into Illinois, making things even worse.The taxpayers...

Republicans are trying to lock in Trump’s tax cuts and Democrats are resisting. We now know that DOGE is trying to end the wasteful spending in DC. But I would really like to see tax rates on the middle class fall. The wealth gap between the top 1% of taxpayers and the bottom 50% of taxpayers is enormous. And has gotten worse since 1990. Meanwhile. to fight off the temporary effects of the tariff war, Trump is urging Fed Chair Powell to cut rates. Powell will likely NOT cut rates. But what does “Lunatic Liz” Warren say about rate cuts??

The average American’s net worth across all states is nearly $595,000. However, wealth levels vary among states alongside cost of living and other factors. As Visual Capitalist's Alejandra Dander notes, according to anonymized data from nearly 2 million Empower Personal Dashboard™ users, we highlight the top ten states with the highest average net worth per person.A closer look at average net worthNet worth is calculated by taking what a person owns (their assets) and subtracting what they owe (their debts). Here are the leading states by net worth as of September 2024.Connecticut has the highest net worth of nearly $920,000,...

Washington state is grappling with a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, prompting some Democrats to propose a wealth tax as a potential solution. However, there is still no consensus on the exact size of the deficit or a clear analysis of how the state arrived at this point. Washington is facing a severe budget crisis, with the state’s deficit reaching billions of dollars after years of unchecked spending. Some Democrats are suggesting that a wealth tax could be the answer to this financial problem. However, there is still no agreement on the precise amount of the deficit, nor is there a...

As of 2025, Chelsea Clinton’s net worth is $70 million. She is the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and Hillary. Chelsea Inherited the majority of her wealth through a trust fund, which includes couple of expensive properties in Maui and millions in stock holdings. Chelsea Clinton receives an annually-recurring funding from USAID, allocated by Obama for her Foundation, which provides afternoon meals to children in Africa, India, and Bangladesh. However, as of today, the reported number of meals served stands at 11,886, implying an astonishing cost of $1,410 per meal.(snip) After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, USAID allocated more...

The top three states based on the median-sized worker paycheck are: Washington, DC: $100,800 Massachusetts: $75,700 Alaska: $70,000 DC residents also earn twice as much as the median earner in 13 states. New Mexico’s workers can’t be too happy. DC workers now make nearly two and a half times as much as the average New Mexico resident. And for what? Washington, D.C. produces almost nothing. There are no farms, no factories, no distribution centers, no manufacturing. The swamp does produce lawyers, lobbyists, regulations, rules, politicians, politicians’ minions, special interest groups, journalists, and bureaucrats. You’ve heard us say it many times:...

At one of the confirmation hearings in the Senate, for President Trump's nominee Robert F. Kennedy to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kennedy asked an interesting question, slightly paraphrased below: How is it that the wealthiest nation on the earth, the United States of America, is not the healthiest nation on earth? How is it we have increasing levels of Obesity, Depression, Diabeties, etc? The question assumes the wealthier a nation is, the healthier it should be. This is not necessarily true. Many of the problems noted by RFK Jr. are diseases caused by abundance. Wealth is the...

Unfair. Astonishing. Un-American. That is how tech entrepreneur Jeff Atwood sees the staggering wealth inequality in the U.S. today. In response, he and his family have pledged to give away half their wealth within five years, starting with $1 million gifts to eight nonprofits this month. His warning about the dangers of growing inequity was echoed by outgoing President Joe Biden in his final primetime speech Wednesday. “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get...

In ancient Egypt pharaohs were considered gods. They believed that when a pharaoh died, he would continue to lead them from the beyond, which partially explains why they had such ornate tombs. At roughly the same time, Japanese emperors were similarly thought to be gods, a practice that continued until 1945, when, after the war the emperor was required to explain to his people that he, in fact, was not a god. In the Roman Empire, while emperors were not considered gods while living, most were deified upon death. While living however they were thought to have authority that had...