FREEDOMWORKS 02/17/2015

1. Many ObamaCare Enrollees are Finding Out That They Owe the IRS a lot of Money - by Jason Pye As the second ObamaCare open enrollment period came to a close over the weekend, more Americans learned that they owe Uncle Sam money because they received subsidies that were too great, in many cases because they had underestimated their income levels for 2014 when they applied for coverage through the health insurance exchanges. Tax experts and preparers have, over the past several months, warned that the tax filing season would be challenging and hectic due to ObamaCare, largely due to confusion over the subsidies. It appears that many, if not most, enrollees don't know that they have to update their income information whenever it changes to ensure that the subsidies they receive remain accurate. Read more here... 2. How Government Ruined Your Kids' Textbooks - by Logan Albright Common Core education standards have attracted criticism from across the political spectrum due to lack of choice and competition inherent in a top-down, federal mandate. Students succeed when parents and teachers have flexibility to tailor their education programs to individual children, celebrating rather than ignoring their differences. But the lack of choice in America’s education system is not unique to one policy. It’s an institutional problem that requires broader reforms than the repeal of a single law. Across the board, choice is sacrificed for uniformity thanks to misguided government policy. One of the areas that receives too little attention is the textbook monopoly by publishing giant Pearson. Read more here... 3. Senators Patrick Leahy and Mike Lee on Email Privacy & Civil Liberties In a great show of bipartisanship, Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) sit down with FreedomWorks to discuss the importance of Leahy's ECPA (Electronic Communications Privacy Act) Amendments Act to keep government out of Americans' private lives. Learn why "it's not a Democrat or Republican issue -- it's an American issue." Watch here... 4. House Hearing on Civil Forfeiture - by Michael Greibrok Imagine this, you are moving from Michigan to California to start a new life and your dad gave you $2,500 to help you start out on your feet. While driving through Nevada you get pulled over by a deputy sheriff and he asks you how much money you have on you. You think to yourself, “that’s a strange question, but I’ve done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide,” so you tell the officer you have $2,500 from your dad. The officer then tells you he suspects your trip from Michigan to California is to acquire drugs with the $2,500 and so he seizes the cash, without arresting you, and tells you to go on your way. Welcome to the story of Matt Lee, welcome to civil asset forfeiture. Read more here... 5. The Battle for Internet Freedom is Not Over - by Logan Albright On February 26th, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), acting under the direction of President Obama, will vote on a 300-plus-page rule regulate the internet in much the same way it currently regulates utilities. The FCC’s new powers will be broad, and mark an end to the decades of unregulated internet service that has proven to be the greatest source of economic growth and innovation the world has ever seen. That the Commission will vote to pass the rule is all but a certainty. This is grim news indeed for those of us who value a free and unregulated internet. Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to assume that the fight for internet freedom is lost. There are still two major avenues to block the FCC from carrying out Obama’s plans for a government-regulated internet. Read more here... 6. Watch Deneen Borelli Debate Liberal Indoctrination on Hannity 7. Empower Member Karl Miller: Meeting the Real Challenges and Opportunities for Blacks in the 21st Century Black History Month draws focus on the sacrifices of leaders and achievements that have uplifted the black community over decades and centuries. It is also a reminder of the challenges the black community has endured over that period and some that still exists. Underlying this are inconvenient truths that today create barriers to breaking down those challenges and the need for the black community to take different approaches. Some of which may defy conventional ideas that have permeated in the community for decades under the guise of helping blacks through liberal ideas of big government. So much has been achieved by civil rights leaders of the past that we do not have to fight the same battles today, and the best way to honor such sacrifices is to move forward and build on the legacy of what these leaders fought to achieve. Most important among these goals is the equal liberty for blacks to prosper. Read more here... Make freedom work, Jackie Bodnar Director of Communications, FreedomWorks