Free Republic

Over the past two years, the Biden administration has repeatedly insisted that job growth is amazing, and that the administration has "created" millions of jobs. In reality, of course, much of the job growth that did exist was the predictable job growth that came with the end of forced business closures and lockdowns. Job growth was also fueled by rising aggregate demand fueled by runaway growth in government spending. After all, during 2020 and 2021, the regime's easy money policies meant that the central bank and private banks created approximately seven trillion dollars during that period. Since early 2021, however,...

Employers in New York City must require COVID-19 vaccinations for their workers under new rules announced Monday by Mayor Bill de Blasio. This is the first-of-its-kind mandate for private employees, CBS New York reports. The vaccine mandate for private businesses will take effect December 27 and is aimed at preventing a spike in COVID-19 infections during the holiday season and the colder months, the mayor, a Democrat, said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "We in New York City have decided to use a preemptive strike to really do something bold to stop the further growth of COVID and the dangers it's...

In a brief, six-minute address to the nation, President Biden on Thursday said that his private-sector COVID-19 vaccine mandate will take effect “soon” to address the “unacceptably high number” of people who don’t want to be vaccinated. But he took no questions from reporters, for a second straight day after a major address, amid nationwide concerns about rising inflation and a supply-chain crisis that has left store shelves bare and threatens the delivery of holiday gifts as prices for most goods go up. On COVID-19, Biden said that “we’re making progress. Nationally, daily cases are down 47 percent and hospitalizations...

The Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic will be debated, analyzed, and investigated for decades. It’s also unlikely the critique of President Trump and his administration is fair, given the already highly politicized coverage in most media outlets. Congress is getting into the action too by starting to call upon administration officials to testify and requesting documents and reports relating to the federal government’s efforts to combat the deadly virus. This effort appears to be an attempt to win political points for the Democrats leading up to the election. There are many unintended consequences of partisan fishing expeditions, but...

While elected officials and bureaucrats go about shutting down business, entrepreneurs and the private sector will lead America and the world out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Case in point are companies such as Pulmotect Inc., a Houston-based bio-pharmaceutical company that develops products to reduce death in patients at risk of severe respiratory diseases. Pulmotect in late January announced that experiments involving its PUL-042 immune system drug showed promise in protecting against both lethal SARS-associated coronavirus and the MERS-associated coronavirus. PUL-042 is delivered as an aerosol. In tests involving mice, a single inhaled dose was shown to protect the host from...

American entrepreneurs are finding new ways to manufacture essential masks, ventilators, and other virus-fighting tools. We need to count on them if we want to win this war against the pandemic. As confirmed Wuhan coronavirus cases in the United States surpass 60,000, our nation is in war mode. Winning a war requires all hands on deck. It appears American businesses and innovators are up to the challenge, however, as more and more private companies are contriving creative ways to play a part in beating this pandemic.In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been making apparent his state’s dire need for...

Editor's Note: This piece was authored by Young Voices contributor James Czerniawski. The coronavirus pandemic has certainly thrown the world for a loop. Governments are at a loss on how to effectively address the issue, making policy decisions like statewide shutdowns that send local economies into a tailspin. This isn’t a surprise, since the government is pretty prone to mishandling crises.  But the good news is that the private sector is stepping into the gap. Technology companies, for instance, have been playing an increasingly important role in responding to crises. The government can help—by getting out of their way. One of the...

Managing dual health and economic crises, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will invoke emergency powers that allow the government to marshal the private sector in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Trump, now describing himself as a “wartime president,” said he was employing the Defense Production Act “in case we need it” as the government bolsters resources for an expected surge in cases of the virus.

The most interesting observation I made with the President's announcement today was the legion of private sector business leaders he had there to discuss their ideas and cooperation to overcome this disease. Seems historically politicians have 'so & so ' from the department of this or that representing government aid. I am of the persuasion using the private sector will greatly decrease the danger of this scourge.

What if climate change could be fixed without destroying the fossil fuel industry and without putting the coal miners and natural gas frackers on the street? It turns out we can address carbon dioxide emissions without taking away their livelihoods or spending trillions of dollars.The most unsettling aspect of the various versions of the Green New Deal, whether it is the one proposed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or the one proposed by Bernie Sanders, is not their immense multitrillion-dollar cost. The most awesomely frightening feature of the ideas to do battle with climate change advanced by the Democratic presidential candidates...

In late April, President Trump and Democratic congressional leaders finally found something they agreed on: infrastructure. Outside the White House after a meeting with the president, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat, issued the pronouncement, “Big and bold.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the Democrat from New York, echoed the takeaway: “We agreed on a number, which was very, very good, $2 trillion.” Trump himself has been publicly quiet but didn’t dispute that he told the Democrats he “like[s] the number.” By May, this renewed spirit of cooperation had fallen apart, at least temporarily, with a second meeting collapsing...

The recent Supreme Court ruling in Janus vs AFSCME ended a practice of abuse of public sector employees by their unions. The decision prevents unions from forcing the payment of dues by non-members and is a major victory for our civil servants. Now it is time to stop similar corrupt tactics used by unions to force private sector non-union employees to pay dues. Thanks to a hand-out by the Obama National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), unions can collect involuntary dues from former members who recently cancelled membership. In 2013, the NLRB overturned the 1962 Bethlehem Steel decision, which set the...

If you're tired of the dysfunction in Washington -- the backbiting, the questioning of motives, the failure to agree on much of anything, the one-upmanship, the allegations about a "stolen" presidential election, Russian "collusion," the posturing and boorish behavior -- how about focusing on something that is working and benefits a growing number of people? Consider a company called Teladoc, which provides access to a doctor through a computer screen, telephone, or mobile app. The waiting time, a company official tells me, is between eight and ten minutes. That beats any doctor's office I have ever been in, even with...

Dozens of public transit projects around the country are in danger of stalling as the White House's plan to boost U.S. infrastructure fails to gain momentum - with thousands of jobs at risk. The uncertainty over these projects has worsened in recent days as President Donald Trump - who had vowed to make the week's focus infrastructure - faced a series of distractions, including a congressional hearing featuring former FBI director James Comey. The president, who had called for $1 trillion in new infrastructure programs to create millions of jobs, now faces an increasing probability that not only will his...

With public funding options limited, Alabama transportation officials are turning to the private sector for advice and creative solutions in paying for the massive Interstate 10 overhaul in coastal Alabama.John Cooper, director of the Alabama Department of Transportation, said Monday that state officials were interested in learning more about project plans from approximately 400 private sector attendees during the two-day Industry Forum at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center.That includes financing, which remains the biggest hurdle toward moving the project forward in the next year. At this point, no options have been settled including whether to institute tolls to...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- President Trump says he's creating a $1 trillion plan to rebuild America's roads, bridges and runways. "We will create the first class infrastructure our country and our people deserve," Trump said Wednesday in Cincinnati. "It's time to rebuild our country to bring back our jobs." Trump has dubbed this week as "infrastructure week." But an analysis of the Trump budget finds that it cuts infrastructure spending overall by $55 billion, according to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Budget Model, a non-partisan research organization. (Coincidentally, Trump graduated from the Wharton School in 1968). Over 10 years, Trump's...

Job gains in the private sector far outpaced expectations in May, payroll processor ADP said Thursday, adding to sentiment that the U.S. economy is seeing a rebound in the second quarter from a sluggish first three months of the year. The private sector added 253,000 jobs last month, far outpacing Wall Street expectations for a gain of 185,000 jobs. Business services, which includes technical services, management and administrative and support services positions, saw its strongest monthly increase since 2014, adding 88,000 jobs for the month, boosting the overall service-providing sector to 205,000 net new jobs. “Job growth is rip-roaring,” Mark...

PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump has proposed a $1 trillion plan to fix America’s infrastructure. It relies on public-private partnerships as its primary source of financing. Our country’s complex transportation network needs an overhaul, but private investment is not the answer, mainly because of the returns that investors expect. Public-private partnerships can be an excellent procurement tool, but selecting the right project is key. Virginia has been a national leader in such deals since the General Assembly passed the Public Private Partnership Act in 1995. The law was designed for the partnerships to be used as an option for certain projects if...

If recent votes are any indication, Texans don’t like toll roads, but they do like Donald Trump. At some point, maybe soon, they’re going to have to make a choice between the two. President-elect Trump in late October laid out some of his plans should he win the White House, among them the American Energy & Infrastructure Act, which he plans to pass in his first 100 days. In his action plan that includes abolishing the Affordable Care Act and restraining immigration, Trump said the infrastructure plan “leverages public-private partnerships, and private investments through tax incentives.” Over a decade, Trump...

While the nation’s private sector employment grew by a solid 172,000 jobs overall in June, according to ADP, the goods-producing sector lost a staggering 36,000 jobs for the month. The Roseland-based payroll and human resources company said in its monthly National Employment Report that the services sector grew by 208,000 jobs for the month, up from the 173,000 gained in May. But the goods-producing sector followed May’s loss of 5,000 jobs in May with an even bigger loss last month. […] Among industries, manufacturing suffered the most, losing 21,000 jobs in June. Construction also lost 5,000 jobs for the month....