FREEDOM WORKS 04/09/2015

1. How Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are Shaking Up the GOP Presidential Nomination Process - by Matt Kibbe via Reason Magazine
Sen. Rand Paul's announcement today that he will seek the Republican Party's nomination for president punctuates a very real paradigm shift in the way the Grand Old Party will select its candidates for higher office.
For most of my adult life, Republican poobahs have decided for the rest of us, typically favoring the dusty candidate that has been standing in queue the longest. Think John McCain or Mitt Romney. Like a nightmare reinterpretation of the Bill Murray movieGroundhog Day, it seems that the GOP keeps nominating Bob Dole again and again, only to wake up the next morning to discover that their guy lost the election. Read more here...

2. Matt Kibbe on Rand Paul and Justice Reform

3. What Good is Health Insurance No One Can Afford? - by Logan Albright via Watchdog.org
The mantra that progressives used to pass ObamaCare was the constant call for “universal coverage.” Everyone, it was argued, should have a health insurance policy, and this goal was considered important enough to force everyone in the country to buy a product whether they wanted it or not.
But focusing on one goal to the exclusion of all others can lead to unexpected pitfalls, and now, as ObamaCare turns five, we are seeing that universal coverage is meaningless without taking into account the price and quality of the – now mandatory – insurance policies. Read more here...
4. Real Talk: The Patriot Act - by Julie Borowski

5. Why Won't Virginia's Top Republican Stand with Principled Conservatives?- by Jason Pye
While some Republicans on the national level -- such as Rand Paul and Mike Lee -- are working diligently to reform the nation's civil asset forfeiture laws, Virginia Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment (R-James City) has failed to protect innocent people and their property from this pernicious form of government overreach.
Civil asset forfeiture allows law enforcement agencies to seize property on the suspicion that it was used in some sort of an illicit activity. Though the owner is often never charged with, let convicted of a crime. Essentially, individuals may be innocent until proven guilty, but property isn't afford the same presumption of innocence that is a bedrock principle of the American legal system. Read more here...

6. Is New Cybersecurity Legislation About Security or Snooping? - by Nate Russell
The updated Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) easily passed through the Senate Intelligence Committee last month by a vote of 14-1. This is the fourth consecutive year that Congress will attempt to pass cybersecurity legislation.
Is this bill truly about cybersecurity, or is Congress trying to make it easier for the federal government to collect private data from Americans? Privacy advocates and security proponents are engaged in a fierce debate over that question. Read more here...
7. Matt Kibbe Discusses Rand Paul and 2016 on Kilmeade and Friends
Matt Kibbe of Freedomworks stopped by the radio studio and weighed in on Rand Paul officially joining the 2016 race. He also offered up some predictions for the GOP in 2016, such as predicting Gov Jeb Bush will not be the GOP nominee! Listen here...

Make freedom work,
Iris Somberg
Press Secretary, FreedomWorks