Free Republic

The average American farmer is 58 years old, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture. Farmers over 55 control more than half of the country's farmland, and one in two is likely to retire in the next decade. Combined with a three-decade-long decline in the number of new farmers joining the ranks, it's becoming more difficult to find workers. When it comes to hiring, it's no surprise that a popular credential to look for is military experience. We had a client recently hire a senior-level military captain to fill an operations role on a farm focusing on developing structure, process...

Off-duty police officers and security guards are common sights at many QuikTrips, but soon the company hopes to hire “hybrid employees” who can work at the convenience store while armed to deter crime and help customers feel safe. QuikTrip spokesman Mike Thornbrugh said the need for increased security is a result of the high volume of crimes reported at QT locations. “We have a lot of stores, and not just Tulsa, where we have had and still will have off-duty police officers helping out, and a lot have full-time outside security,” he said. “I wish we didn’t have to, but...

Published in 1818, Horace Smith’s “Ozymandias” imagines a London long-since abandoned—the English civilization is gone. Collapsed. The city is a new Rome. A half-forgotten memory like Babylon. Troy. "…We wonder—and some Hunter may express Wonder like ours, when thro’ the wilderness Where London stood, holding the Wolf in chase, He meets some fragment huge, and stops to guess What powerful but unrecorded race Once dwelt in that annihilated place." Perhaps this is London’s destiny—perhaps it’s ours too. After all, many of America’s greatest cities are decaying before our very eyes. Consider Detroit. Its population plummeted by 63 percent since 1950,...

I am working 2nd shift (1PM to 10 PM local AZ time) so I was running my errands in the late morning. When I spotted the Weinermobile, and the driver exiting, I saw he was going to have his lunch at Culver's, a place that doesn't even sell hot dogs, much less Oscar Meyer hot dogs. For those unfamiliar with Culver's, it is a fast food hamburger/chicken/fish/sandwich/custard joing that is headquartered in Wisconsin. Founf in the midwest, SE, and now SW. It is a couple of notches above McDonald's etc. in quality, presentation and cleanliness. It was also rated...

The ABC is being slammed, yet again. This time for their most recent episode of Q&A, where sexologist Nikki Goldstein suggested socially inept people could benefit from sex bots. “I feel like there are people who really do struggle to have these intimate connections,” Goldstein said. “I’ve interviewed people before that go to brothels, and they feel that the only way they can have this girlfriend experience is to be paying for it. They don’t necessarily want to be there.” “Now when I think of sex robots and where we’re going with A.I. technology, I feel like that’s the perfect...

The sun sets on a cool autumn Sunday afternoon but the action is just getting started at one of Seoul's oldest establishments - the Gwangjang Market. The century-old market began its life as the Joseon dynasty was coming to an end with merchants looking to counteract the increasing influence of their Japanese counterparts. It survived the Japanese colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910-1945, but part of the market was destroyed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. What survives today is a bustling market that offers traditional clothes and persimmon-dyed fabrics. Fresh fish, local meats, rice cakes, and huge vats...

By now, just about everyone has watched one or more local stores close their doors for good. Lowe’s, a hardware and home improvement store that has been around for 72 years, is closing around 50 of their locations just after Christmas. They’re the most recent victim of the retail apocalypse. Thousands of brick and mortar stores closed their doors this year as executives tried to staunch the bleeding in some companies and othersHere’ went bankrupt. Buyers are flocking to the internet to purchase their goods from companies with lower overhead (and thus lower prices.) And the economy, despite claims of...

There is only so much we faithful, native Californians can take. How much beautiful weather is worth this leftist insanity, and/or before this leftism turns into liberty crushing authoritarianism? Just sayin... The midterm elections have turned out as most observers expected, nationally, statewide, and in Sacramento. By historical standards, nationally, the Democrats underperformed and lost a number of high-profile races. There was no Blue Wave—more like a blue ripple. However, California is another story, remaining as blue as can be, and headed right into insolvency. In the contest for governor, California voters chose Democratic politician Gavin Newsom over Republican businessman...

Big Oil has poured a lot of money to defeat energy-restricting ballot initiatives in various states in the midterm elections, and it succeeded in two key votes. Voters in Colorado were asked to vote on a ballot proposition to increase the setback distance for drilling oil and gas wells by five times to 2,500 feet, which would have put a lot of land off limits for new developments. Voters in Washington State voted on a proposal to instate a U.S. first state-wide carbon tax. Both initiatives failed, and both ‘no’ camps were supported by Big Oil. In Colorado, Proposition 112...

In judging the political climate these last two years there is one dynamic in particular that I would like to focus on, that speaks volumes, and transcends all other appeals from the many politicians pandering for your vote, and that is this; There has been more constructive and productive work done in these last two years to benefit workers, entrepreneurs, and unemployed people than has been done in a very long time. In fact, what is happening in the country right now, would have never happened, nor would have ever been attempted if Hillary Clinton won the 2016 election. This...

Good Morning. A couple of important things to remember. The poll that counts is of course today when we vote and polls including exit polls done today cannot be trusted to be accurate reflections of what is really going on.....

Colorado voters will decide the future of the oil and gas industry in their state on Tuesday, as they contemplate requiring greater distances between them and drilling operations. There are more than 150 voter initiatives on the ballot in 37 states on November 6, ranging from healthcare to marijuana legalization, from voting rules to criminal justice reform. There are also a series of votes that will affect the oil and gas industry. Voters in Washington State will decide on passing the nation’s first carbon tax, while California will weigh a repeal of a gasoline tax. But the vote in Colorado...

To my Conservative Friends: Donald J. Trump is not on the ballot tomorrow, technically. However, this midterm election is Lock, Stock & Barrel ALL about President Trump.  His agenda, his policies, his vision for America and most importantly his inspiring, unwavering and amazing ability to fight back! I supported Trump from the day he announced his candidacy in 2015 despite the push-back that I received from so-called conservatives.  Go read my article from August 2015 on this page if you don't believe me. But the reason I tell everyone why I support him now more than ever is that...

President Trump rallying massive crowds in Macon, Georgia and Chattanooga, Tennessee ahead of the mid-term elections. The Republicans are planning a final rally tonight in Cape Girardeau, Missouri with talk show host Rush Limbaugh coming back to his hometown.... A very interesting political development in the UK over the weekend with Friday's revelation by London' top cop of a criminal investigation involving members of the Labor Party.... In Germany politicians in the government parties, the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats, are calling for the government's domestic intelligence agency to monitor the anti-mass immigration Alternative for Germany.... In Japan the party...

Everyone not named Franklin D. Roosevelt hates Daylight Saving Time. The constant back and forth is confusing, especially for those who have an early Sunday morning commitment. The Standard Time Act of 1918 gave the federal government power to oversee national time zones. That power was extended with the passage of the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which allows the Department of Transportation (DOT) to set Daylight Saving Time for the entire country. Why DOT? Because "time standards are important for many modes of transportation," or something like that. Despite decades of observance, however, more and more Americans are rebelling...

In what she hopes will be a clinching argument for voters to give Democrats the majority needed to control Congress, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif) vowed that “strengthening penalties against those who oppose the LGBT agenda will be a top priority.” “Our society is stained by continued resistance to the rights of the LGBT community,” Pelosi complained. “We see religious adoption agencies insisting on placing children in homes with both a mother and a father. We see schools that bar boys who see themselves as girls from using the girls locker room. We see small businesses trying to get...

Nutramax Laboratories Inc. will become Lancaster County’s largest manufacturer when it completes a $20 million expansion and adds 225 jobs near the city of Lancaster. The additional jobs will bring Nutramax employment to 600 in two buildings in Lancaster Business Park. “They are our premier manufacturer,” says Jamie Gilbert, executive director of Lancaster County Economic Development. In addition, the Henderson family has quietly made Lancaster County its headquarters for the entire company, relocating from Edgewood, Maryland. “This is a reflection of free enterprise and shows the American success story is alive and well in our country,” says Todd Henderson, president...

LAS VEGAS - Mamma mia! Park MGM is holding a large hiring event Monday to fill more than 500 positions at its new Italian-themed dining complex, Eataly. Eataly promises to bring classic Italian food to the Las Vegas Strip with both upscale and casual dining. It features a variety of products, a cafe, restaurant, and live cooking demonstrations. Eataly is set to open at the Park MGM in December. Representatives are hosting at hiring event at Park MGM, Monday, November 5th, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., inside the Park MGM Presidio Ballroom. A representative from MGM Resorts said they...

You've heard the "stuff" dished out about foreign influence on our elections....Russia, Russia, Russia. But Vice-President Mike Pence had a much broader list than that when he spoke recently citing Russia, China and Iran, along with "other nations". And he's dead on right. There's been a lot of griping from people who do business and make bucks dealing with China over the tariffs President Trump imposed to force fairer trade. I heard this kind of *itching from a trade association of adult beverage manufacturers in Kentucky when I listened to the radio down there during my summer vacation. But there...

<p>President Trump was in Columbia, Missouri last night on his pre mid-term election tour speaking at an airport rally.....</p> <p>Among the other US Senate races an unusual one in Mississippi where there's an "open primary special election" being held next Tuesday. Two Democrats and two Republicans are running with the top two finishers set for a runoff three weeks later.....</p>