Author name: Jean Lee

“Indeed, it has been said Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” –Winston Churchill “No man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session.” –Gideon Tucker We all often like to think we are living in historic […]

Smith-Free Group would like to congratulate our friend and colleague, John Christie, and his bride, Paloma Perez, on their recent nuptials.  John, a valued member of our team, exchanged vows and tied the knot with Paloma in a beautiful, intimate ceremony on October 7.  Smith-Free is thrilled to share in the happiness of John and

“I don’t know what to say to my fellow Republicans other than you are gonna eat a shit sandwich, and you probably deserve to eat it.” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) in a recent FOX News interview “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” Haruki Marukami Welcome to the end of the 2023 fiscal year and a

Congress returns from its annual August break this week, and we expect lawmakers to focus sharply on budget matters as the September 30th deadline for FY24 spending measures approaches. Below is our assessment of the current state of political play as well as a handful of policy measures. Political Overview By definition, each election cycle

“The largest single-employer strike in American history now appears inevitable.”       –Sean O’Brien, Teamsters General President, June 28, 2023 Political Environment Despite increasing speculation in the press about the president’s age and capacity to mount another presidential campaign, a serious intra-party threat has yet to emerge.  Ironically, the son of the last man (Robert F.

Smith-Free applauds Kroger‘s recent announcement to donate 10 BILLION meals 2030! For perspective, that’s enough food to feed every individual in Seattle, Denver, Chicago, and Boston for every meal, every day for almost two years!!! Smith-Free is proud of the work Kroger will do to help communities in need across our country. June 22, 2023 Kroger to Donate

“Public sentiment is everything.  With it, nothing can fail, without it, nothing can succeed.”             –Abraham Lincoln Political Overview As presidential campaign efforts intensify, the Biden campaign has done a fine job at leveraging the power of incumbency to ward off potential primary challengers.  The party apparatus is as united as it can be behind

“We’re in the end game now.”  –Dr. Strange, “Avengers: Endgame” We wrote a few weeks ago how the discussions around the debt ceiling had moved, to borrow a metaphor from the game of Chess, into the “middle game”, an interim but necessary phase of the negotiations. On Monday night, the one-on-one meeting between President Biden

Following Treasury Secretary Yellen’s recent letter pegging a potential “X Date” for Treasury hitting the debt ceiling, there has been renewed vigor in public and private discussions surrounding the matter.  The White House meeting tomorrow with the president and the four congressional leaders is the next step in the ongoing drama. We see the Yellen