Free Republic

Following Chief of Staff Ron Klain's logic, 1929 wasn't all bad if you somehow overlook the stock market crash that led to a 10-year global depression. And 1968 wasn't all bad if you overlook the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy, the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, and riots in the streets all over America. Likewise, 2021 wasn't all bad if you overlook a plethora of problems. So who would write the latter article? None other than liberal shillmeister Al Hunt. And what is really funny is that Hunt's article, which was originally published in The Hill...

I have set up a folder on the cloud for Preppers and SHTF situations. Right now it has almost 900 files and is about 7GB in size, with sections on prepping, homesteading, gardening, survival, etc. It is a labor of love, something to keep me busy while I was organizing my stuff. Hopefully it is just a beginning and it will end up as a knowledge base for those who like to get ready for the coming storm. It is on a protected site so you need a decryption key to get in. You will also need some basic files...

Poverty is no mystery, and it's easily avoidable. The poverty line that the Census Bureau used in 2016 for a single person was an income of $12,486 that year. For a two-person household, it was $16,072, and for a four-person household, it was $24,755. To beat those poverty thresholds is fairly simple. Here's the road map: Complete high school; get a job, any kind of a job; get married before having children; and be a law-abiding citizen. How about some numbers? A single person taking a minimum wage job would earn an annual income of $15,080. A married couple would...

Bergoglio is the master. And he's trolling us like a boss: The Pope said people can 'sniff out' priests or bishops who are 'lying spellbinders' and 'narcissists' He also said bishops must not get caught up in a game of numbers with vocations, but focus more on quality and forming mature priests, who are not slaves to their personal vices and weaknesses... “The world is tired of lying spellbinders and, allow me to say, ‘trendy’ priests or bishops. The people sniff them out – they have God’s sense of smell – and they walk away when they recognise narcissists, manipulators,...

A majority of Americans believe the country will be better off four years from now, while 41% say it will be worse. But this level of optimism is down considerably from four years ago, following President Barack Obama's first election victory, when 65% said the country would be better off in four years, and prior to his first inauguration, when 72% said the same.

(Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve's journey to the outer limits of monetary policy is raising concerns about how hard it will be to withdraw trillions of dollars in stimulus from the banking system when the time is right. While that day seems distant now, some economists and market analysts have even begun pondering the unthinkable: could the vaunted Fed, the world's most powerful central bank, become insolvent? Almost by definition, the answer is no. As the monetary authority, the central bank is the master of the printing press. It can literally conjure up money at will, and arguably did...

There's an enormous yet simple reason why America will remain an extremely powerful nation out to 2050. It's demographics. Thanks to a relatively high fertility rate, plus a rich culture of immigration, America is set to grow its population by another 100 million people through 2050. This is based on U.S. census projections and is supported by other projections as well via New Geography. Over the next four decades, America will grow its labor force, ie. its productive population, by a whopping 42%, as shown below. Meanwhile, China's labor force will shrink by 10%, Europe's will shrink 25%, and that...

How’s the economy, you ask? I have the proverbial good news and bad news, but in this case, they’re exactly the same: The U.S. economy appears to be hitting bottom. First, the good news. Right now, it looks like second-quarter GDP growth will come in only slightly negative, and third-quarter growth will finally turn positive. Compared to the catastrophic decline we recently experienced—with GDP dropping at roughly a 6% annual rate in the fourth quarter of last year and the first quarter of this year—that would be a gigantic improvement. Furthermore, there is a reasonable chance—not a certainty, mind you,...

I watched parts of the Democratic presidential debate, then downloaded the transcript. Of all the column fodder it contained, I was particularly taken by two responses of John Edwards that, I believe, fairly represent the Democratic Party's wrongheaded foreign policy worldview. His statements were at the beginning and end of the evening, and served as figurative bookends that nicely frame the Democrats' curious attitude toward this great nation they seek to lead. They tell us all we need to know about these would-be commanders in chief: that we cannot afford to have them anywhere near the Oval Office, especially as...

A Mexican customs facility planned for Kansas City's inland port may have to be considered the sovereign soil of Mexico as part of an effort to lure officials in that country into cooperating with the Missouri development project. Despite adamant denials by Kansas City Area Development Council officials, WND has obtained emails and other documents from top executives with the KCSmartPort project that suggest such a facility would by necessity be considered Mexican territory – despite its presence in the heartland of the U.S. The documents were obtained with the assistance of Joyce Mucci, the founder of the Mid-America Immigration...

The Hugh Hewitt Show is heard on 112 radio stations nationwide. You may obtain information about affiliates by e-mailing: johagan@hughhewitt.com. Location Call Letters Frequency Show Times Ashburn, GA WTIF 107.5 6-9 PM Sat., Sun Atlanta, GA WLTA 1400 AM 10-12 PM WNIV 970 AM 10-12 PM WGKA 1190 AM 6-9 PM - "Best of" 7-10 Sat. Bakersfield, CA KNZR 1560 AM 7-10 PM Baltimore, MD WITH 1230 AM 6-9 PM Bartlesville, OK KWON 1400 AM 7 PM Black Mountain, NC WFGW 1010 AM 6-9 PM Boone, IA KFFF 1260 AM 99.3 FM 5-8 PM Boston, MA WTTT 1150 AM 6-9...

Al-Qaeda's Completed Warning Cycle - Ready to Attack?   03/03/2005 - By Michael Scheuer DCI Porter Goss's testimony before Congress on February 16 that Soviet nuclear material could be in al-Qaeda's hands is a troubling coda to speeches by Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri in late 2004. Bin Laden's October 30 speech was treated by the media as an attempt to influence the election. Most post-speech commentary also claimed the speech moved bin Laden away from war and toward political discourse. That the speech was directed to the American people is clear. What received little notice, however, is that...

Friday’s job report shows that White House economist Greg Mankiw was very nearly right when he projected almost a year ago that jobs could rise by 2.6 million in 2004. Of course, he was widely ridiculed inside Washington after making this statement, and at one point even the White House turned its back on the Harvard professor’s estimate. But the Labor Department’s latest employment release shows the yearly gain for nonfarm payrolls coming in at 2.3 million. That’s close enough for government work. It’s also the best jobs performance in five years. Why so good? The labor market responded powerfully...

If the economy's so bad, why is it so good? Crashing dollar, twin deficits, rising gold, foreigners selling our assets -- the list goes on and on for members of the negative and pessimist mainstream media. But unfortunately for them, and fortunately for the rest of us, the economy is in excellent shape.  According to the latest report from the Commerce Department, real gross domestic product rose 3.9 percent in the third quarter of 2004. GDP is still the best overall measure of the economy -- that is, outside of the stock market, which is always smarter than the bean-counters....

One thing we all have to realize is that there is a conspiracy of sorts between the media, poolsters, and both candidates to report close races. Everyone wins. 1. The media wins because ratings are much higher in a close race than a boring blowout. Ever been to a 40-10 football game? Yawn. 2. Pollsters win with close polls because people on both sides frequently check when a race is "close." Been to RCP lately? Only about every 5 minutes. 3. Bush wins because complacency is a winner's biggest enemy. Ever see a loser in a football game come back...

After the revelations of today, 10/29/04, where a US Army Major revealed that his unit had destroyed 250 tons of munitions at the Al QaQua facility, and after the latest Osama bin Laden video...I am revising my election prediction upward for Bush. I honestly believe that many more Americans will vote for Bush after Bin Laden spouted the Kerry/DNC/Michael Moore talking points, and after Kerry's knee jerk reation regarding the munitions have been wholly discredited. Here's my original projection from 10/15/2004. BACK TO JEFFHEAD.COM

This Presidential Race Has Never Been Neck and Neck By Debbie Daniel October 27, 2004 How about defining it as being cut off at the knees . . . and then told to run? How about hands tied behind the back . . . and then expected to lead the nation? Now I know why George Bush calls on the name of Jesus. George Bush has been brought to his knees since Al Gore called him back on election night 2000 to say, "I've changed my mind, I'm not conceding the race." And from that point on . . ....

President Bush demonstrated a steady command of every issue last night. All I see on Fox is a simple quote about being steady in the war on terror. But they keep playing Kerry's laundry lists of complaints. And everyone is manufacturing discussion of how Bush "jumped" up to answer questions, etc., even though the President behaved as a gentleman and statesman.Bush made numerous points against Kerry's record and proposed plans. I am not seeing those either. It's as if Bush had no memorable lines, and he had many. And they are not touching Kerry's pathetic statement that Sadamm would "not...

It is unfortunate when people confuse relentlessly negative critical comments as intellectual sophistication. There is this strange fascination with a certain segment of Freepers. They seem to think if they are playing devils advocate ALL the time and making constantly critical comments about their own side, it makes them seem thoughtful and intelligent. Maybe we should have a term for this? Call it "McCainism" A metal defect that requires the victim to constantly critize their own side while NEVER pointing out where the other side blew it. Mccainism does not make you look smart. See REAL intelligence would be to...

I've seen a lot of self-congratulatory posts lately in light of the Time and Newsweak polling data as well as other sources showing Bush up by large margins. This has me very concerned, as nothing can lead to low voter turnout faster than a presumption that victory is a forgone conclusion. Now is the time to fight harder than ever if we hope to win this one. Whether it's just talking to friends and trying to influence them with good conversation over a beer or getting involved in your local GOP to help with the "get out the vote" effort,...