FREEDOM WORKS 09/04/2014

1. Real Talk with Julie Borowski: How to Fight Common Core
Common Core is becoming increasingly unpopular. A recent poll shows that the majority of Americans oppose Common Core educational standards. What can we do to fight it? Download the We Will Not Conform action plan to learn how! Watch here...


2. Regulations are Stifling Economic Growth - by Wayne Brough
As the size and scope of government have expanded, regulators have come to play a much larger role in our day-to-day lives. The advent of the administrative state has created a web of regulations covering everything from design standards for electric appliances to new rules that require hotels and restaurants to accommodate miniature horses as service animals. All too often, common sense is being replaced with exacting statutes and regulations that dictate very specific forms of compliance.
While not as widely reported, regulations can be just as damaging to the economy as taxes. Eliminating excessive regulations and unnecessary compliance costs cannot be overlooked when addressing the issue of economic growth. To the extent that tax reform can provide greater incentives to work, save and invest, regulatory reform is imperative to ensure that businesses have the flexibility to absorb the new economic capacity. Tax reform that offers better incentives for economic growth will yield little if investment and employment opportunities are strangled by red tape and regulation. In this sense, regulatory reform serves to amplify tax reform by creating a marketplace more conducive to economic growth. Read more here...
3. FreedomWorks Endorses Brat in Race for Cantor's Old Seat - via Washington Times
Republican Dave Brat secured his second endorsement in two days from a leading national conservative advocacy group, with FreedomWorks for America lauding him Wednesday as a “liberty candidate” in the race to replace former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
“In order to preserve the economy for future generations, we need people in Washington who actually understand how the economy works,” said FreedomWorks president Matt Kibbe. “Dave Brat is a liberty candidate who pledges to fight Common Core, defund ObamaCare, audit the Federal Reserve, protect civil liberties, and return power back to the states in every way possible.” Read more here...

4. Will American Politicians Adapt to Economic Reality? - by Ted Abram

American politicians know our tax system is broken. A recent example is the 35% corporate tax rate plus taxes on American companies' profits working outside of America. Currently, America’s corporate tax rate is the highest in the world, and other major-industrial countries do not tax profits outside their home country. To counteract this punitive tax burden, American companies have been buying foreign companies and moving their headquarters out of America, which is called inversion.
Rather the legislating economic reality – money will be invested for the safety and best profit – our politicians demagogue against said companies. President Obama called the companies moving their legal address out of America “corporate deserters” and his Secretary of the Treasury stated they were “unpatriotic.” Senator Durbin (D-IL) used coercion to stop Walgreens from moving to Switzerland. The Wall Street Journal reports, “In his latest missive, Durbin used a mix of derision, moral suasion and sarcasm in addressing Greg Wasson, the Walgreen chief executive.” Read more here...

5. FreedomWorks University Civil Liberties "At School"
In the era of No Child Left Behind and Common Core standards, parents are becoming increasingly concerned about their children's education, and their rights within the walls of their schools. In the sixth part of FreedomWorks University's Civil Liberties series, we take a look at what parents can do to make a difference, and preserves their children's freedom. Watch here...

6. Senate Must Pass a Clean Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act - by Wayne Brough
FreedomWorks has signed onto the following coalition letter, drafted by Americans for Tax Reform, to urge the U.S. Senate to pass a permanent extension of the ban on internet access taxation. The House passed such a bill earlier this year. The federal ban on internet access taxation will expire on November 1st if Congress fails to act. Read more here...
7. Hagan Hides from Obama - by Easton Randall
Senator Kay Hagan is trying to prove she can be tough on the president, (although voting with the president’s agenda 92% of the time makes it hard to believe) by issuing a harsh statement about his commitment to and treatment of veterans. Senator Hagan released a statement minutes after it was announced that President Obama was going to speak at the American Legion’s 96th National Convention. The senator states, “I hope to hear the president address these challenges at the American Legion’s National Convention in Charlotte. I will be there to discuss some of the steps I want to see taken in Washington to uphold the commitment our government has made to North Carolina’s veterans.” She goes on to brag she is Member of the Armed Services Committee and that she “comes from a strong military family.”
It is well documented how badly mismanaged the VA system has been, with these reports giving the country an disturbing glimpse into what it is like to live under a federally managed health care system. Congress has a duty to hold up its commitment to veterans, but Congress also has a duty to uphold its commitment to every American as well. Hagan’s eagerness to fight for better health care for veterans is admirable, but why doesn’t she feel the same compulsion to fight for every citizen in North Carolina? Read more here...
8. New York Rallies Against Common Core - by Tom Borelli
New York is a deep blue state but having a liberal voter base is not translating into automatic support for Common Core.
In fact, the political momentum in the Empire State is rapidly shifting against the education standards.
The growing resistance to Common Core in New York was summarized by Slate’s political reporter David Weigel after he analyzed a recent Siena poll: Read more here...
9. Take Action Now: End Obama's Crony Bank

In Liberty,
Jackie Bodnar
Director of Communications, FreedomWorks