http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/capitalism/ en-us Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:11:48 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3030556/posts Iowa Governor Terry Branstad signed what he said was the biggest tax cut in the state's history into law on Wednesday, saying it will spur growth in the state's economy. The law is expected to provide at least $4 billion in property tax relief over a decade. In 10 years, both agricultural and residential property taxpayers will be saving about $500 million annually because of a reduction, to 3 percent from 4 percent, in the growth of property assessments. The bill also includes nearly $90 million of annual cuts to income taxes, Branstad, a Republican, said in a statement. "I... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3030556/posts#comment Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:11:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3027647/posts Why does a large portion of the population choose not to work when there are many jobs available? The answer is simple. If you can receive 2-3 times as much money from unemployment, disability, and/or welfare benefits (subsidized housing, food stamps, free cellphones, etc.) as you can from a temporary or part-time job, and live a life of leisure, why work? In 2011, the U.S. government spent over $800 billion[1] on this “welfare,” exceeding expenditures on Social Security or Medicare. In the Denver arena where Mr. Obama gave his DNC 2008 acceptance speech, a woman in the audience became overwhelmed... Ludwig von Mises Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3027647/posts#comment Wed, 5 Jun 2013 17:41:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3026668/posts Swedish repay their mortgages so slowly that it will take 140 years on average, according to the IMF. The International Monetary Fund lamented Friday that Swedish households pay their mortgages so slowly that they are planning to do an average of 140 years. "Financial stability is [...] reinforced by a steady reduction in repayment schedules - that exceed an average of 140 years," the IMF said in a statement after a mission in Sweden. This statistic was revealed in March by a government agency, the inspection of the financial sector. It covers loans considered relatively safe, those where the real... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3026668/posts#comment Mon, 3 Jun 2013 13:00:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3025935/posts In South Portland, Maine, Dr. Michael Ciampi has done more to cut the cost of health care than anything any Democrat has done in the last 200 years. He has stopped accepting insurance and slashed his prices. The price for an office went from $160 to just $75, and patients that need a quick diagnosis for a specific problem like an earache or sore throat, will only pay $50. At the end of last year, I lost my health insurance, and immediately discovered a whole different world where everything medical-related is much, much cheaper. Upon learning I had no insurance,... Breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3025935/posts#comment Fri, 31 May 2013 21:01:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3025688/posts The White House proposed legislation on Thursday to cap the pay of federal government contractors at no more than the U.S. president's annual salary, saying it wanted to stop "wasteful expenditure." The president makes $400,000 a year and the current cap on pay for executives at federal contractors is due to be raised in the coming weeks to about $950,000 from $763,000, the White House Office of Management and Budget said. "This wasteful expenditure of taxpayer resources must stop," OMB official Joe Jordan said. Jordan said the cap on contractor pay has climbed so steeply because it is pegged to... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3025688/posts#comment Fri, 31 May 2013 04:05:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3024622/posts The language of budget cuts, austerity, and sequestration seem to dominate the media's landscape these days, instilling fear into Americans of vital government services being cut and chaos ensuing if governments aren't allowed to spend and borrow infinitely. Conservatives decry supposed cuts to the military-industrial-complex, and liberals bemoan that without government welfare transfer programs, there would be social Darwinism. ... Leaving aside the details on whether the U.S. budget is actually shrinking, one needs to look no further than the city of Detroit to find the spontaneous order, civic cooperation, and peaceful market forces that take over when government simply... PolicyMic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3024622/posts#comment Tue, 28 May 2013 16:51:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3023647/posts So this is what socialism looks like: Private companies competing for people's business in an open marketplace. Californians got their first glimpse Thursday of what insurers plan to charge for coverage to be offered next year to about 5 million state residents who don’t receive health insurance from employers. In southern Los Angeles County, for example, Health Net is charging $242 a month for one of its plans. Blue Shield is charging $287 and Kaiser Permanente $325 for the same coverage. … Critics of Obamacare have long warned of the dire consequences of reforming the U.S. healthcare system. The federal... Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3023647/posts#comment Sat, 25 May 2013 07:06:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3021713/posts Statism: Pope Francis seemed to have an economic blind spot, to say the least, when he urged more "state control" to cut global poverty Thursday. On the contrary — the biggest poverty-killer in history is free enterprise.Before we go further, let us say that we know that the pope does seem to have the best intentions and his devotion to the poor is indisputable. But it appears he has been infected by the local economic pathologies of his homeland, Argentina, and its liberation theology among the Jesuits, at least when he warned ambassadors about "the tyranny of money" and called... Investor's Business Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3021713/posts#comment Mon, 20 May 2013 18:41:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3020235/posts Pope Francis has called on world leaders to put an end to the "cult of money" He said free-market capitalism had created a “tyranny” and that human beings were being judged purely by their ability to consume goods. Money should be made to “serve” people, not to “rule” them, he said, calling for a more ethical financial system and curbs on financial speculation. The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3020235/posts#comment Thu, 16 May 2013 15:45:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3018154/posts "This is called slave labor," said Pope Francis. The Holy Father was referring to the $40 a month paid to apparel workers at that eight-story garment factory in Bangladesh that collapsed on top of them, killing more than 400. "Not paying a just wage ... focusing exclusively on the balance books, on financial statements, only looking at personal profit. That goes against God!" The pope is describing the dark side of globalism Why is Bangladesh, after China, the second-largest producer of apparel in the world? Why are there 4,000 garment factories in that impoverished country which, a few decades ago,... Real Clear Politics http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3018154/posts#comment Sat, 11 May 2013 11:18:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3015457/posts "This is called slave labor," said Pope Francis. The Holy Father was referring to the $40 a month paid to apparel workers at that eight-story garment factory in Bangladesh that collapsed on top of them, killing more than 400. "Not paying a just wage ... focusing exclusively on the balance books, on financial statements, only looking at personal profit. That goes against God!" The pope is describing the dark side of globalism. Why is Bangladesh, after China, the second-largest producer of apparel in the world? Why are there 4,000 garment factories in that impoverished country which, a few decades ago,... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3015457/posts#comment Fri, 3 May 2013 20:09:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3014005/posts Author's Note: If you don't get this, then you aren't reading enough Walter Williams. Of course, one can never read enough Walter Williams.I used to be caring and compassionate and liberal. I supported gun control and the “right” of the government to seize a large chunk of my paycheck in order to plan my retirement for me. But, somewhere, somehow, along life's twisted way, I became a greedy capitalist pig. And, truth be known, it's affecting my entire neighborhood. It all started on New Year's Eve when my friend Adam came by to help me with a small project inside... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3014005/posts#comment Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:24:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3011293/posts Every Fresh & Easy has been in the western U.S. Tesco seemed to want to avoid battling for customers with Walmart in its Midwest heartland, and also skipped over the East Coast, which is dense with shoppers and supermarkets alike. Instead, the approach was to primarily target neighborhood “food deserts,” which were sometimes in the literal deserts of Arizona, California, and Nevada. TIME Business and Money http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3011293/posts#comment Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:13:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3007782/posts A previously poor man who built up his seasoning business from scratch is now helping those less fortunate. Tran Trong Trung reports Sixty-four-year-old Huynh Van Be is well known across the southern province of Dong Thap for his famous seasoning. He was the pioneer who brought white salt from coastal regions to Dong Thap to process, and set up the successful "Ngoc Yen" brand name in his home town of Thanh B́nh. The main ingredients for processing his seasoning are sea salt, sugar, garlic, chilli and monosodium glutamate. His delicious seasoning has been praised by many consumers, particularly when sprinkled... vietnamnews.vn http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3007782/posts#comment Sun, 14 Apr 2013 18:51:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3005648/posts While most regular people don’t really know or care who he is, Rupert Murdoch is among a small handful of individuals who is most despised by the far left in this country. Unlike many others, he also has the great distinction of being loathed by exponents of socialism worldwide. After reading (or watching) the speech which he recently gave to an Australian think tank called the Institute of Public Affairs about the moral superiority of free markets, it’s not hard to see why those who would enslave markets because they believe them to be based on greed would despise Murdoch,... NewsBuster.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3005648/posts#comment Tue, 9 Apr 2013 02:52:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3003734/posts Environmental activists and politicians would like you to think that we must love their regulations -- or hate trees and animals. I love trees and animals. But you can love nature and still hate the tyranny that environmental regulations bring. The Environmental Protection Agency just announced it will boost gas prices ("only" a penny, although industry says 6 to 9 cents) to make another minuscule improvement to air quality. In New York City, my mayor wants to ban Styrofoam cups, saying, "I think it's something we can do without." Congress already dictates the design of our cars, toilets and light... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3003734/posts#comment Wed, 3 Apr 2013 17:46:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3002941/posts Folks, the pendulum is swinging in the right direction. In recent weeks, I’ve shared a bunch of examples to support my hypothesis that libertarians, small-government conservatives, and classical liberals are finally making some progress. This trend actually started with the fiscal cliff, though that was simply a smaller-than-expected defeat. Since then, we’ve enjoyed victories on the sequester, the IMF, and dynamic scoring. I’ve also posted some evidence showing that the Tea Party has made a positive difference and specifically shared data showing that the burden of government fiscal policy has been reduced since the 2010 elections. Well, here’s another feel-good... Townhall http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3002941/posts#comment Mon, 1 Apr 2013 15:18:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2999984/posts Politicians and basketball coaches know that you never answer the question a reporter asks you; you answer the question you want to answer. So it was with an opinion piece in the March 17 edition of The Washington Post titled “Is Capitalism Moral?” The newspaper assigned Steven Pearlstein, a business columnist who doesn’t seem to care much for businesses, to answer that question. But Pearlstein didn’t seem to want to. Instead, he made his piece broader, writing about the broad problems in American politics today. “Careening from debt-ceiling crisis to sequestration to a looming government shutdown, the nation is... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2999984/posts#comment Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:13:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2998425/posts WASHINGTON—The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday handed a setback to publishers, ruling in favor of a Thai student who bought inexpensive foreign-edition textbooks and resold them to U.S. students on eBay. The high court rejected arguments by publisher John Wiley & Sons Inc., which accused Supap Kirtsaeng, a former University of Southern California Ph.D. student, of infringing its copyrights on several works, including textbooks on physics, organic chemistry and engineering. The Asian versions of those books were marked with warnings that they were intended for sale only in certain foreign regions. U.S. law has long held that in principle, once... http://online.wsj.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2998425/posts#comment Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:37:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2993996/posts Somewhere in the first half of Moscow on the Hudson, a bedraggled Robin Williams huddles on the luxurious first floor of Bloomingdale's clamoring in an unconvincing Russian accent that he wants to defect. Standing between him and a furious KGB officer is a minimum wage store security guard in a red blazer. The KGB officer hisses that he protests the defection the name of the Soviet Union. The security guard retorts that his own jurisdiction runs "from Style Boutique, through Denim Den, all the way up to Personal Fragrances." And the Soviet Union and the KGB have no jurisdiction in... Sultan Knish http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2993996/posts#comment Wed, 6 Mar 2013 13:49:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2992832/posts Seagate Technology on Friday unveiled a $180 million cutting-edge research and development complex at the former Solyndra solar factory in Fremont, a site the company will use to invent next-generation disk drives. Up to 600 people could work at the facility, depending on product demand, Seagate executives said. "It's a big deal to be keeping high-tech research and development jobs in Silicon Valley," said Mark Re, a Seagate senior vice president and R&D executive. "This is going to be a state-of-the-art facility." Late Thursday, Seagate installed a huge sign with its name and logo on the side of the 411,000-square-foot... San Jose Mercury News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2992832/posts#comment Sat, 2 Mar 2013 16:58:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2991195/posts Start-up mania hits San Quentin prison as inmates turn entrepreneurs One by one, the entrepreneurs, clad in crisp blue jeans and armed with PowerPoint presentations, stood before a roomful of investors and tech bloggers to explain their dreams of changing the world. For these exuberant times in Silicon Valley, the scene was familiar; the setting, less so. With the young and ambitious flocking again to northern California to launch Internet companies, there were signs one recent morning that start-up mania has taken hold even behind the faded granite walls of California's most notorious prison. 'Live stream has gone mainstream. Mobile... Daily Mail (U.K.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2991195/posts#comment Tue, 26 Feb 2013 02:27:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2988429/posts History shows that the destruction of affluent societies is often self-induced. Why do once-successful societies ossify and decline? Hundreds of reasons have been adduced for the fall of Rome and the end of the Old Regime in 18th-century France. Reasons run from inflation and excessive spending to resource depletion and enemy invasion, when historians attempt to understand the sudden collapse of the Mycenaeans, the Aztecs, and, apparently, the modern Greeks. In literature from Catullus to Edward Gibbon, wealth and leisure — and who gets the most of both — more often than poverty and exhaustion, cause civilization to implode. One... National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2988429/posts#comment Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:01:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2986616/posts In the current economic climate, politicians and interest groups have encouraged the public to view businesses, especially corporations, as exploitative entities taking advantage of human suffering and even engineering the Great Recession. Thus, increased government intervention is necessary to “tame” the marketplace. Some consider the recent re-election of President Obama a vindication of this perspective. John Mackey, Co-CEO of Whole Foods, courageously shares an opposing view in his latest book, Conscious Capitalism, co-authored by Rajendra Sisodia. “We paint business for what it truly is: heroic,” said Mackey at a recent Cato event. “Business is the greatest value creator in the... Eagleye Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2986616/posts#comment Fri, 8 Feb 2013 19:11:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2984823/posts Our former U.S. Vice President Al Gore just sold one of his business holdings and earned a bit profit – and he contradicted himself while doing it. Gosh, I am shocked! Aren’t you? The headlines tell us that Gore is being pummeled with criticism from his fellow liberal-progressives because he sold Current TV, a television network that he co-founded, to Al Jazeera, a television network based in Qatar. In the liberal-progressive worldview, this transaction is problematic on two accounts. For one, Gore did business in an oil-producing country (Qatar), and for liberal-progressives, this is an un-forgivable sin. In their view,... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2984823/posts#comment Sun, 3 Feb 2013 13:12:44 GMT