Free Press Commentary - Chattanooga Times Free Press

Free Press Opinion: A gas tax holiday is good politics but bad economics

Even as the U.S. and Iran wrestle over an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, surging gas prices have turned the government's attention to a perennially popular fiscal scam: Ease the pressure on household budgets with a gas tax holiday.

By The Editorial Board / Bloomberg Opinion (TNS) May 28, 2026

Photo by Mario Tama via Getty Images/TNS / High gas prices are displayed at a Chevron gas station near the Pacific Ocean on April 8, 2026 in El Segundo, California. California imports approximately 75 percent of its crude oil with nearly one-third of the crude supplied from the Middle East as prices at the pump in the state are averaging $5.93 per gallon today amid the war in Iran.

Free Press Opinion: Better leadership is possible in LA

The outcome of the Los Angeles mayor's race will determine how many people opt to escape from the city.

By The Editorial Board / Las Vegas Review-Journal (TNS) May 27, 2026

Photo by Eric Thayer via Getty Images/TNS / California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass tour the downtown business district of Pacific Palisades as the Palisades Fire continues to burn on Jan. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles, California.

Free Press Opinion: Fraudsters run amok in federal aid programs

At first, it didn't sound right. Someone must have miscalculated. How could there be so much fraud that has robbed taxpayers of billions of dollars without anyone seeming to notice? Worse, it appears they didn't seem to care.

By Cal Thomas May 27, 2026

Photo by Andrew Harnik via Getty Images / U.S. Vice President JD Vance (C) is joined by (L-R) Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice's National Fraud Enforcement Division Colin McDonald, White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Andrew Ferguson and Executive Director of White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud Scott Brady as he speaks during a roundtable discussion in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus on May 26, 2026 in Washington, DC. Vance is hosting a roundtable on anti-fraud initiatives with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Andrew Ferguson and state attorneys general.

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Free Press Opinion: Being wrong means never having to say ‘sorry’

It's so easy and comfortable being a liberal. You never have to admit you're wrong when you're demonstrably wrong.

By Cal Thomas May 25, 2026

Photo by Drew Angerer via Getty Images / Environmental activists rally for accountability for fossil fuel companies outside of New York Supreme Court on October 22, 2019 in New York City. Tuesday is the first day of a trial where New York's attorney general is taking on ExxonMobil in a landmark case that accuses the oil corporation of misleading investors about the companys financial risks due to climate change.

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Free Press Opinion: Democrats’ redistricting antics prove they are unfit to lead Tennessee

For nearly two decades, Tennesseans have made one thing clear at the ballot box: They want conservative leadership grounded in faith, freedom, fiscal responsibility and common sense.

By Chris Todd May 25, 2026

AP Photo by George Walker IV / Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, blows an air horn on the House floor during a special session of the state legislature to redraw U.S. Congressional voting maps Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn.

Free Press Opinion: America — The real crouching tiger, hidden dragon

One American view of China — now increasingly popular on the left and the right alike, especially among the hate-Trump crowd — is that the communist colossus will be forever ascendant, with continued astonishing levels of food production, ship construction and industrial output.

By Victor Davis Hanson / Tribune Content Agency May 24, 2026

Free Press Opinion: Most college degrees still carry a financial benefit

For many high school students, a career in the trades has become more attractive due to the soaring cost of a college education and the looming disruption of artificial intelligence in the white-collar world.

By The Editorial Board / Las Vegas Review-Journal (TNS) May 24, 2026

Photo by Mario Tama via Getty Images/TNS / People walk outside Royce Hall, the site of 2024 pro-Palestinian protests, on the UCLA campus on July 30, 2025, in Los Angeles.

Ron Hart: Trump’s Happy Meal trip to China

In a spectacular ceremony at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, President Trump received an extravagant welcome to China last week.

By Ron Hart May 21, 2026

Evan Vucci/Pool Photo via AP / U.S. President Donald Trump gestures towards Chinese President Xi Jinping while leaving after a visit to the Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing, Friday, May 15, 2026.

Free Press Opinion: A lesson in how to prosper for the likes of AOC

I am not an economist, but I do have some personal experience with the principles of economics and the rules that allow especially Americans to prosper while becoming more self-reliant and less dependent on government.

By Cal Thomas May 19, 2026

Photo by Tom Brenner via Getty Images / Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks during a news conference on April 29, 2026 outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. House Democrats from the Progressive Caucus spoke on camera to roll out a new affordability strategy for Americans.

Community Voice: Planting seeds today to grow Chattanooga’s firefighters of tomorrow

When it comes to recruiting across many industries, especially in the fire service, we've learned that one size does not fit all.

By Capt. Damien Vinson May 17, 2026

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