FREEDOMWORKING 04/19/2015

House Votes on Tax Day to Protect Americans from IRS Abuses - by Josh Withrow On Tax Day the House is taking on corrupt IRS officials by voting on a handful of quality bills, which would: prevent the IRS from taxing donations to non-profits as “gifts” (H.R. 1104), make it much easier to fire IRS employees like Lois Lerner who abuse their positions to target political groups (H.R. 709), provide transparency to investigations of wrongdoing by IRS officials (H.R. 1026), allow groups which are denied tax-exempt status to appeal their denial (H.R. 1314), establish a basic taxpayers’ bill of rights (H.R. 1152), Read more here... Conservative Groups Cheer as Rep. Ron DeSantis Announces Interest in Florida Senate Run - via National Journal "It is crucial that conservatives join together to replace Sen. Rubio with a committed conservative with the courage to fight for limited government and free-market principles," FreedomWorks CEO Adam Brandon said in a statement ahead of DeSantis's announcement. "DeSantis is exactly the kind of courageous conservative we need in the U.S. Senate." Read more here... Rev. C.L. Bryant Brings Empower Message to SC - by Kenneth Battle Rev. C.L. Bryant came to Sticky Fingers in Summerville, SC and took the town by storm. For those of you who were not able to attend the presentation by C.L. Bryant last night at the meeting of the Lowcountry Conservatives in Action in Summerville, you missed an absolute treat!! Rev. C.L. Bryant certainly had the fire in his belly last night and he ignited that same fire in ours! He spoke of leadership, liberty, and America. He told us about the Presidential candidates and that "We will not settle this time." See more here... Time to Fix Justice System - by Matt Kibbe, Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, and Christine Leonard via VA Pilot The "presumption of innocence" is a cornerstone of the American justice system. But for many Virginians, it's little more than American fiction. Current law permits law enforcement to seize personal property based on the mere suspicion that an individual - or an item in question - has been involved in criminal activity. Flipping the old adage "innocent until proven guilty" on its head, a property owner - often never charged, let alone convicted of a crime - must prove the innocence of the property if he has any hope of getting it back. Read more here... Senate Judiciary Committee: The Need to Reform Asset Forfeiture - by Michael Greibork Russ Caswell was the owner of Motel Caswell for over two decades. His father built the motel in 1955, and it was family-owned and ran for over 50 years. Since taking over Motel Caswell in 1984, Russ strove to make it an affordable and safe place to stay. He installed cameras created a “do-not-rent” list and kept the property well lit. He always cooperated with the police and even gave them free rooms to hold stakeouts when criminals were believed to be on the premises. Read more here... How the Federal Government Controls Public Education - by Trey Grover Schools Are Panicking Over Testing Opt-Outs - by Logan Albright When it comes to the welfare of their kids, parents can be pretty formidable. As it becomes increasingly clear in school districts across America that the standardized tests aligned with Common Core standards are making education worse, more parents are choosing to just say no. Most states have provisions to allow parents to opt out of standardized tests if they have a reasonable objection, but as increasing numbers of people are taking advantage of this option, the schools are starting to get a bit jumpy. In Wayne County, West Virginia, for example, some students are feeling pressure to conform or be cast out. Read more here... Top 5 Reasons to Support the Surveillance State Repeal Act - by Julie Borowski 1. It Would Repeal the Patriot Act The Patriot Act is one of the most civil liberties infringing laws passed in our lifetime. It was rushed through Congress with little debate in the aftermath of the tragic events of 9/11. According to the ACLU, the Patriot Act allows the government to: Search your home and not even tell you. Collect information about what books you read, what you study, your purchases, your medical history, and your personal finances. Label you a "terrorist" if you belong to an activist group. Monitor your e-mails and watch what Internet sites you visit. Take away your property without a hearing. Read more here... Freedom Art: Wildlife Painter David Joyner - by Frances Byrd As we usher in spring down here in the south, I thought I would take the opportunity to share some art that focuses on nature without the environmental dogma that is so rampant in the art community. David Joyner is a self-taught artist from my home state of Florida. Much of his work reflects aquatic themes and the vibrant colors of his world. As always, I am pleased to share art with you that illustrates the beauty and of realism. See more here... House to Vote on Cybersecurity Bills with Major Privacy Issues - by Josh Withrow Next week is "Cyber Week" in the House, and two deeply flawed bills are heading to the floor that would further undermine the privacy of every American's data. These bills are intended to address the very real problem of companies having their databases hacked and their information stolen, but fail to adequately ensure that your personal information is protected when companies send information about these cyber attacks to the government. Hackers are a real menace, stealing sensitive business files and millions of Americans' passwords, financial records, and other sensitive data. The proponents of these bills argue that they will facilitate communication between companies that suffer these attacks and the government agencies that fight back against these often state-sponsored and well-funded cyber criminals. The two House bills that are supposed to accomplish this are the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act (H.R. 1731) and the Protecting Cyber Networks Act (H.R. 1560). Read more here... Sign up for the FreedomWorks Morning Update If you want an update like this newsletter twice a week, be sure to sign up for the FreedomWorks Morning Update! The Morning Update is your tool to keep up-to-date with all the threats to your freedom. Sign up here. Make freedom work, Iris Somberg Press Secretary, FreedomWorks