Free Republic

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is making record-breaking progress in processing a backlog of veteran disability claims that mounted under former President Joe Biden, the agency told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The VA brought unresolved claims down from 264,717 to 198,378 — or by approximately 25% — since President Donald Trump returned to office, the VA told the DCNF. Trump’s VA has also hit the highest daily and monthly processing rates in the agency’s history while reversing a 24% increase in the backlog that occurred under Biden, the VA said in a statement. [snip] The last time the...

Harvard economist Benjamin Friedman's book, 'Religion and the Rise of Capitalism,' provides an illuminating, if not always convincing, examination of how theology influenced modern economic thought.“One of the fundamental elements of the spirit of modern capitalism,” German sociologist Max Weber wrote in his landmark 1905 book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, “of rational conduct on the basis of the idea of the calling, was born from the spirit of Christian asceticism.”Weber attributed the free-market success so prevalent amongst Protestant societies to its origins in Calvinist predestinarian theology: believers could never know for sure whether they had been...

SALCAJA, Guatemala -- Working and going to school have become optional in this highland Guatemalan town, thanks to a flood of U.S. dollars sent home by migrants living in the United States. The family-run mills that produce brightly colored, hand-woven traditional fabrics have fallen quiet as their potential work force -- mostly young men -- hang out at the town's pool halls or video game salons, living off remittances and waiting to make their own journeys north. "Kids have easy money, and the only thing they know how to do is spend it on video games," complained Salcaja Mayor Miguel...

A man who works at the front desk at a rock climbing gym said in a viral TikTok that people who work from home all day are now bringing "insane energy into public spaces." Speaking on behalf of fellow hospitality and retail workers, the TikToker Alec Flynn told 1.4 million viewers last week: "If you're working from home all day, you need to have at least one more conversation or interaction before you come to a public place."

Ruby Keeler was born into a catholic family in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, on this date in 1909. She worked hard in tough times: "Dancing in speakeasies was a job, and none of us knew for sure who were gangsters. No one told us, so how could we know? My mother used to come and take me home. We thought nothing of walking home together at two in the morning." She supported Eisenhower's campaign in 1952. In the movie “Dames”, Ruby Keeler’s character Barbara Hemingway said, “I’m free, white, and 21. I love to dance AND I’m going to dance.” Those...

The notion of waking up early and starting your day with the rising sun is often associated with productivity, success, and a strong work ethic. However, this seemingly innocuous concept is not without its historical and cultural implications. In this article, we will explore the origins of the early-rising narrative and how it is rooted in white supremacy, contributing to the perpetuation of racial inequalities. The Origins of the Early Rising Ideology The idea that waking up early leads to success and a disciplined life can be traced back to various historical and religious contexts. In the Western world, this...

...At 83 years old, she just crossed her 50th year working there, a career that started in the days when Ronald McDonald was the actual "burger king." "Nobody works for 50 years anymore, let alone a fast food restaurant," said Madeline Scales, a co-worker VonDielingen's and the wife of his grandson. "They worked with me when my kids were little, and I thought, 'Why should I walk out on them?'" VonDielingen said. Speaking of her loved ones, they've pretty much all worked at the McDonald's too. "I have three daughters that worked here," VonDielingen said. "I had two son-in-laws that...

The humongous bill that Democrats in Washington, D.C. are assembling this week is a slap in the face to Americans who work, pay taxes and support their families. The bill demeans work ethic and glorifies government handouts. It sends a message that work and self-sufficiency are for suckers. Better to climb on Uncle Sam's gravy train that will now provide cradle-to-grave benefits. The social spending bill will give monthly payments to almost all parents based on how many children they have, regardless if anyone in the family works. Democrats are also promising virtually free child care until kids reach age...

Despite a population that is now more prosperous and more educated by several orders of magnitude, we clearly have become more lazy.To celebrate another $1,400 in stimulus checks, a quickly withdrawn video from Wisconsin Democrats showed people dancing to a catchy rap song with captions of “$$$ IN THE POCKET” and “THANK YOU POTU$.” As Joy Pullmann noted, its release on the same day abysmal job numbers came out was a testament to Democrats’ blindness to economic reality. It also attested to our culture’s devolving expectation of something for nothing.America has definitely changed. Juxtapose that video with images from the...

Anew piece in the Wall Street Journal by CTUP’s Stephen Moore and Casey Mulligan reports that the “stimulus” bill will reduce employment by between 6 and 8 million jobs because it pays people not to work. The new bill will create one of the largest expansions in government welfare benefits since LBJ launched the failed War on Poverty (poverty won). The bill includes six months of weekly $400 bonus unemployment benefits on top of the normal weekly benefits, a $3,000 per-child tax credit, an expansion of food-stamp and rental-assistance benefits, $2,000 per person checks, and expanded health-care benefits. A family...

China’s Generation Z is setting its own rules in the workplace by encouraging a growing philosophy of being lazy. They call it “touching fish”, a term borrowed from a Chinese proverb that states “muddy waters make it easy to catch fish”, which means one should take advantage of a crisis to chase personal gain. The philosophy gained prominence in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic as the country struggled to deal with its economic fallout. Young people slack off by refusing to work overtime, delivering medium-quality work, going to the toilet frequently and staying there for a long time, playing with...

November 1, 2020 If he doesn't win, it won't be because he didn't try hard enough. "President Donald Trump is spending one of the last days before Election Day engaged in a five-rally blowout across several key states where he is either trailing Joe Biden or running narrowly ahead. After visiting Michigan, Trump will travel to Iowa, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida for events there later Sunday. Meanwhile, Biden is holding a pair of events in Philadelphia" (NBC News). So Biden is traveling about 30 miles from home to give 2 events, while Trump is traveling something like 3,000 miles...

Joe Biden is the least energized person to ever run for President. His work ethic is non-existent.— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) October 22, 2020

“With Gen Z … we have to show them rather than just talking about it,” said Michelle Jordan, an assistant vice president of HR development and college recruiting. Move over, millennials. The next generation is just starting to make its way into the workforce, and employers are taking note. The first wave of Generation Z, those born after 1996 and more than 60 million strong, will start moving from college to career this year. These newest workers come from the first post-Sept. 11 generation, one that’s grown up with social media and smartphones, watched their parents go through the housing...

Sorry for the rant/vent but I have had it. I am so sick of people talking about White Privilege. What exactly is White Privilege you may ask, well let me tell you my opinion of it. White Privilege is having a WORK ETHIC; a moral compass; and a desire to keep what one has worked for.

My friend was even annoyed by praises showered upon Billy Graham in response to his death. Though he would deny it, my friend has a deep hatred for whites. And yet I have witnessed God use him to bless people. I've come to realize that neither facts nor truth can penetrate my friend erroneously viewing white Americans as blacks' nemesis. Therefore, I am praying for God to heal his vengeful heart against white Americans. On the bright side, I caught an interview with black Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, a hero of mine. Justice Thomas said he is worn down...

Pennsylvania State University-Brandywine professor Angela Putman recently asserted in an academic paper that the notion “if I work hard, I can be successful” is merely a product of white ideology, reports Campus Reform. Angela Putman conducted a study to critique and examine “ideologies within college students’ discourse that are foundational to whiteness.” Her resulting conclusion published on Thursday was that “meritocracy”, or the belief that people should rise based on the fruits of their own labor, is a "white ideology." In her mind, this "white ideology" is unfortunately widely accepted in academia. But, Professor Putman argues that professors can change...

Calling in black is essentially an excuse for a day of self care, wrote Slack engineer Erica Baker in a Medium post called "Processing." ... "Sometimes, I don't want to deal with the emotional weight of having to explain my feelings to someone who couldn't possibly understand them, no matter how hard they tried," she wrote. ... The phrase "calling in black" has been around for at least a year, when "Evelyn from the Internets" posted a video on YouTube advocating the need for a mental health day. ...

Mike Rowe’s successful Discovery Channel show Dirty Jobs gained a following thanks to being exciting, vivid television: He joined workers as they wrestled alligators, cleaned septic tanks, and rounded up yaks on a ranch in Montana. But it also became something of a tribute to America’s blue-collar work ethic, and as Rowe finishes his second season with a new show on CNN, some can’t help but take exception to his hard-working creed. Rowe was recently moved to make the case for his message after getting a viewer e-mail: “Craig P.” was upset with Rowe’s constant “harping on the ‘work ethic’”...

It's not about finding workers; it's about finding the right workers.According to the latest supplemental survey from the New York Fed's manufacturing and business leaders surveys, employers in the New York area are facing two main problems: finding workers who can show up on time and workers who can hold a conversation.The survey showed that in April, 65% of manufacturing employers had difficulty finding punctual workers and 60% had trouble finding workers with interpersonal skills.Among business leaders, a broader survey group, 42% had trouble finding punctual workers while about 48% had trouble finding workers with interpersonal skills. These results also...