Free Republic

As we all begin to filter the impact of a historic Donald Trump victory, perhaps it is important to remind ourselves what should be the primary filter for perspective.. …the economics. For the first time in many decades the chief executive of the United States will walk into office concerned about the fiscal stability of the United States.  For the first time ever, a titan of American Main Street is going to be in the oval office. Do not downplay the significance of this aspect. Money makes the world go ’round. Every single global leader and politician is reviewing the U.S. election...

Prematurely accelerating the implementation of fully autonomous trucking (no driver in the cab) seems like an idea that could be fraught with risk. While driverless long-haul trucks have the potential to increase economic productivity by enabling more cost-effective transport of goods, the technology is not yet ready for prime time. There is growing pressure, however, to make it a reality sooner rather than later – particularly as long-distance trucking faces a worsening driver shortage. At the same time, highway infrastructure in many parts of the country is clearly inadequate even for today’s traffic, let alone a mixed bag of driven...

Hidden among all the recent great news affecting Birmingham’s amazing rebirth is the story of the long-awaited opening of I-22, or Corridor X. That’s a shame, because no single success in our recent past may prove to be more important and have greater long-term favorable impact on this region than today’s ribbon cutting. Since the days of the Roman Empire and the famous Appian Way, roads (and particularly crossroads) have always played a critically important role in the economic growth and prosperity of cities. In the earliest days of our country, waterway intersections were the places where communities grew into...

Investors in the transportation sector are facing a sea of change thanks to the rise of online commerce. A major part of that change is Amazon.com, and the firms move towards using in-house transportation portends of more evolution to come. With thousands of shipments daily, Amazon.com is leading the way in creating its own in-house transportation via airplanes. This could potentially pave a path for other online retailers, as well as for the future development of other devices like drones which threaten companies that may not have the available funds to invest in them.

Over 22,000 bottles of alcohol were seized from a drug dealer and later during a raid on a Saudi-owned warehouse in Riyadh on Tuesday, the General Directorate of Narcotics Control said. The directorate’s spokesman, Col. Abdulaziz Kadasah, said the Saudi owner was apprehended following leads from the arrest of a drug dealer who was caught in possession of 2,735 alcohol bottles. Another Saudi and two Pakistanis were arrested during the warehouse raid wherein 19,600 bottles of alcohol were seized. Penalties for the possession of, or trade in alcohol are severe in Saudi Arabia. Both result in prison sentences.

U.S. retail sales unexpectedly fell in March as households cut back on purchases of automobiles, further evidence that economic growth stumbled in the first quarter.The Commerce Department said on Wednesday that retail sales declined 0.3 percent last month after being unchanged in February. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast retail sales edging up 0.1 percent last month. Retail sales excluding automobiles, gasoline, building materials and food services ticked up 0.1 percent last month after an upwardly revised 0.1 percent gain in February. These so-called core retail sales correspond most closely with the consumer spending component of gross domestic product. Economists...

When PayPal announced plans to expand in Charlotte, it made headlines by promising 400 jobs and millions of dollars in payroll. Now PayPal is making bigger headlines nationwide as it backs out of the deal with Charlotte, citing the recently passed House Bill 2. PayPal said the law violates their values and principles concerning equality... Congressman Robert Pittenger...released a statement saying, “PayPal does business in 25 countries where homosexual behavior is illegal… yet they object to the North Carolina legislature overturning a misguided ordinance about letting men in to the women’s bathroom? Perhaps PayPal would like to try and clarify...

...U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv The U.S. Embassy in Israel is currently in Tel Aviv. Cruz wants to move it to Jerusalem, Israel's "once and eternal" capital.Commerce DepartmentIn a piece for the National Review, Cruz said shuttering the department would "close the congressional cookie jar" and promote free trade.Education DepartmentAnother standard line from Cruz: "U.S. Department of Education, which should be abolished." Cruz is a states' rights guy -- he wrote his college thesis on the 10th Amendment -- and wants to give control of schools to states or localities....Energy DepartmentCruz has said the country needs an "energy renaissance." .......

Here is a Ted Cruz ad showing Trump making deals with John Boehner, Hillary Clinton, and Chuck Schumer No More Deals!

The nation's struggling media, which has gone all-in on digital platforms to stay alive, now faces a new threat, easy-to-install ad blockers that are expected to wipe out $20 billion in all online publishing revenue next year, according to a sobering new report. The group PageFair, which helps publishers fight ad blocking, revealed that the use of the money-robbing practice has surged in the United States and globally, and is expected to cost U.S. online publishers and advertising-supported sites $10.7 billion in "unrealized revenue" this year. That is expected to double next year. The report said that ad blocking is...

It's sad watching most Republican candidates promise to make cuts in federal spending without ever actually telling us where the cuts would occur... All that changed last night, however, when Ted Cruz called for the elimination of the Departments of Energy, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Commerce, and Education, as well as the IRS. The liberal media will be focusing on the fact that he mentioned eliminating Commerce twice. I prefer to focus on the merits of what he has announced. The Department of Energy. We have a Department of Energy that generates no energy. Instead, the DOE distributes nearly...

Despite growing public support for legalizing marijuana, a lawsuit filed by Nebraska and Oklahoma shows that at least two segments of American society are prepared to fight the idea before the nation’s highest court—social conservatives and law enforcement. The lawsuit seeks to overturn Colorado’s experiment in legalized recreational pot, alleging that the two conservative states are being overrun with Colorado marijuana that is making it harder for them to enforce their own drug laws. …

If eggs are a staple in your family’s diet and you’d like to keep it that way, now would be a good time to get a few laying hens. Next month, beginning January 1, 2015, the chicken-and-egg production in the United States is in for a big shock. That’s when California’s new regulations on egg-laying hens goes into effect. And the effects of those regs on eggs will be felt nationally, even globally. The incredible, edible, prolate spheroid-shaped poultry product, which has long been one of the most affordable sources of high-quality protein, is certain to become significantly more expensive.In...

"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas Frieden began his grilling Thursday on Capitol Hill with a stark admission that his agency is still searching for ways to combat the Ebola virus as it burrows into the United States. Two members of Congress are calling for his resignation, and the White House began the torturous process of throwing him under the disease-control bus on Thursday afternoon, saying that Frieden is 'taking responsibility' for his agency's screwups. 'We're always open to ideas for what we can do to keep Americans safe,' Frieden said in his opening statement, departing from...

MADISON – The campaign of Governor Scott Walker issued a new campaign ad on Monday accusing former Commerce Secretary Mary Burke of a botched deal that may put taxpayers on the hook for $25 million dollars. More: Burke Campaign Issues New Ad over Outsourcing Charge The ad called “Bondoogle” expands off an earlier ad issued by the Walker Campaign that blasted Burke for engaging in a deal with Abbott Laboratories valued at $12.5 million in an attempt to create jobs in Wisconsin. The lot of vacant land that was part of the deal remains vacant to this day according to...

by Brian Hayes | Top Right NewsFurious over his support for amnesty for illegal aliens, conservative activists gave Rep. Eric Cantor a rough "welcome" in his own district -- sending a message that the House GOP leadership would be wise to heed before they hand Barack Obama a victory on "immigration reform". Cantor (R-Va.), the House Majority Leader was "heckled and booed" by conservatives and Tea Party activists at the 7th Congressional District Convention held in Richmond Saturday.  — and that wasn’t even the worst of it.

Land Management: A Chinese solar farm that fries birds is OK, as is redrawing tortoise habitat boundaries to benefit political donors. But an American rancher grazing his cattle brings feds with sniper rifles. It appears Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy has, at least temporarily, wonhis "range war" with the paramilitary wing of the Bureau of Land Management. Fearing another Waco, BLM has announced it will no longer enforce a court order and stop stealing Bundy's cows, called "trespass cattle" by the feds, accused of grazing free on part of the 84% of Nevada that is federal property.

Last month, BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) activists slammed Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas for not joining in with them to boycott Israel—and on Monday, the PA revealed just how uninvolved it was in the BDS movement. According to a PA report, 70% of the PA’s imports were from Israel, with imports worth $3.5 billion entering the Authority from Israel. It should be noted that Israel generally does not restrict imports of consumer goods to the PA, and that Israeli goods compete on Palestinian store shelves with goods from Arab countries and Europe as well as from the PA. It is...

IMMIGRATION: America has had the opportunity to grow and thrive because we have attracted and welcomed the most talented and the hardest working people to our shores. The U.S. Chamber has collaborated with a variety of odd bedfellows including faith organizations, law enforcement, and ethnic groups to build a movement for commonsense immigration reform that strengthens border security, expands the number of visas for high- and lesser-skilled workers, makes improvements to the federal employment verification system, and provides an earned lawful status for the undocumented with no future bar to citizenship. The door to the American dream must always remain...

Yesterday we shared the story of the CoC announcing their intention to spend $50 million in order to protect and maintain establishment Republicans. Yesterday the SCF (Senate Conservatives Fund) also sent out a distribution letter notifying supporters of the same issue. However, the SCF misses the point when they note: “The Chamber is pro-bailout, pro-stimulus, and pro-debt so it’s no surprise they want to elect more liberal Republicans.”