Free Republic

Democrats think they have the issue of the 2016 election: income inequality. The theory is that so few Americans control so much of the wealth in the country that the rest of us, the “99 percent,” will rise up and demand “fairness.” It’s jealously, plain and simple. And its success, as much as there has been, is based on ignorance.Bill Gates is worth more than you or I ever will be. Actually, he’s worth more than you, me, and pretty much everyone we know ever will be. But he’s not rich because we’re poor. In fact, we’re not poor at...

Here's a series of charts from reader Tim Wallace on various aspects of employment, labor force, and population. The charts use seasonally unadjusted data, July of 2014 compared to July in prior years. click on any chart for sharper image Age 16 and Over Age 16 and Over Full-Time Employment Percentage Age 25-54 Age 25-54 Full-Time Employment Percentage Age 55 and Over Age 55 and Over Full-Time Employment Percentage Mish Notes Because of the aging workforce, the first chart in each series has a slight negative bias. For example: Note a relatively small decline in population in age group 25-54...

Brace yourself… Skepticism, doubt and criticism of Obamanomics (all of which are, undoubtedly, based in racism) will be cast aside. Why? Because, according to the 20-something-year-old White House intern that is in charge of the official White House twitter account, “Our businesses have added nearly 10 million new jobs over the past 52 months.” I know, right? Pretty awesome statistic. (Gloss over the fact that the President is referring to private enterprise as “our businesses”.) But before you rush out to slap an Obama ‘16 sticker on your car (are those stickers available yet?), you may want a little bit...

As long as one sorely needs a certain additional amount, that man isn’t rich. Seventy times seventy millions can’t make him rich, as long as his poor heart is breaking for more. I am just about rich enough to buy the least valuable horse in your stable, perhaps, but I cannot sincerely and honestly take an oath that I need any more now. And so I am rich. But you, you have got seventy millions and you need five hundred millions, and are really suffering for it. Your poverty is something appalling.—Mark Twain to Cornelius Vanderbuilt He lies in little...

~ EXCERPT ~ **snip** The sane among us recognize that in a free society, income is neither taken nor distributed; for the most part, it is earned. Income is earned by pleasing one's fellow man. The greater one's ability to please his fellow man, the greater is his claim on what his fellow man produces. Those claims are represented by the number of dollars received from his fellow man. Say I mow your lawn. For doing so, you pay me $20. I go to my grocer and demand, "Give me 2 pounds of steak and a six-pack of beer that...

The 2008 financial crash originated with a housing bubble. Not long ago, the cheap-money policies of the Federal Reserve, the infusion of trillions of dollars in new foreign investment, and the misguided policies of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae all conspired to extend to millions of Americans lots of easy credit for houses whose inflated prices they could hardly afford. Owning a house was seen as a “right” rather than the just rewards of household sacrifice, delayed gratification, and budgetary discipline. Builders, lenders, realtors, and bureaucrats all got in on the easy-money Ponzi scheme — until a few noticed that...

Is Obama's Manufacturing Fix too Late?by Alan Tonelson Opinion/Analysis Will the Obama administration's new blueprint for "Revitalizing American Manufacturing" be a case of "better late than never" ... or "too little, too late"? Two weeks after the document's release, the "late" part is the only certain characteristic. After all, the ongoing economic crisis stems ultimately from chronic U.S. underproduction. Therefore, truly healthy growth (as opposed to the artificial, unsustainable, government-generated variety) won't return until the nation greatly boosts genuine wealth creation. Manufacturing dominates the segment of the economy that creates real wealth (as opposed to the paper variety to which...

It is hard to imagine we’ve heard the last of Barack Obama’s interactions with William Ayers and Jeremiah Wright. But lately John McCain seems much more interested in talking about another Obama encounter. It’s the now infamous conversation Obama had with “Joe the Plumber”--and one particular phrase that Obama uttered in the course of it.For those who may have been in hibernation the last few days, Joe the Plumber--whose real name is Joe Wurzelbacher--met Obama during an Ohio campaign event last weekend. Wurzelbacher was concerned about Obama’s tax plan, which would raise taxes on wealthy Americans. In the course of...

While Central American exporters celebrate the passage of CAFTA, local reaction remains cautious and disappointed. Hoyt Bailey, former executive vice president of Dover Textiles and president of the Dover Foundation, said he was not surprised the Central America Free Trade Agreement made it through the House of Representatives. “The big surprise to me was making China a most favored nation,” Bailey said. “CAFTA is miniscule compared to making China a viable trading partner. [CAFTA] is just another way of taking American jobs away from real, working-class people. It’s very discouraging to see our manufacturing strength go to other countries.” One...