FREEDOMWORKS 05/07/2015

1. Congress Protects Its Unlawful ObamaCare Subsidies - by Ted Abram A government with moral and legal authority promulgates written rules and universally, impartially and uniformly enforces the rules, which provides a predictable and stable legal order on which to base economic and personal decisions. The law prevails, not the proclamation or arbitrary decision of a ruler, government bureaucrat, enforcer (e.g., policeman) or judge. Congress Protects Its Unlawful ObamaCare Subsidies Congress has forced ObamaCare upon We the People, and in doing so has also required Congress and their staffers to be insured under ObamaCare. Good. Read more here... 2. On King v. Burwell, The Administration Has No Plan - by Logan Albright As the Supreme Court mulls over arguments in the King v. Burwell case that could unravel key portions of the president’s signature health care law, the Obama administration has adopted an attitude that is remarkably cavalier. To recap, the issue at hand is whether the IRS can issue health insurance subsidies to states that did not set up their own insurance exchanges, a practice which a strict reading of the law would forbid. If the Court rules in favor of the plaintiffs, the administration will no longer be able to conceal the true cost of its expensive health insurance plans by issuing subsidies contrary to the law’s text and intent. Read more here... 3. Book Release Party for Senator Mike Lee of Utah - by Daisy Belden On Tuesday, May 5th, FreedomWorks and Tea Party Patriots hosted a party to celebrate the release of Senator Mike Lee of Utah’s new book, Our Lost Constitution: The Willful Subversion of America's Founding Document." C-SPAN Book TV filmed an interview conducted by FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe with the Senator on matters discussed in his book, and afterwards, Senator Mike Lee signed copies of his new book for guests. See more here... 4. How occupational licensure hurts small businesses - by Logan Albright via Watchdog.org On this year’s Small Business Week, it behooves us all to examine some of the policies that keep entrepreneurs from achieving their potential. While support of small business is a favorite talking point of both political parties, there in fact remain many government-created barriers designed to protect big businesses from smaller competitors. One such barrier is occupational license requirements. Nearly 30 percent of workers in the United States now require a license to perform their job. If you ask a politician why this is so, they will likely justify licensing with appeals to safety and consumer protection. When it comes to practicing medicine or operating heavy machinery, this explanation makes some amount of intuitive sense, but there are plenty of other occupations for which the rationale is less clear. Read more here... 5. Montana Governor signs legislation to protect innocent property from government overreach - by Jason Pye There's big news out of Montana. Gov. Steve Bullock signed legislation on Tuesday to protect innocent people and their property from civil asset forfeiture abuse by overzealous law enforcement. HB 463 eliminates civil asset forfeiture by requiring the government to obtain a criminal conviction, where the standard of proof is "beyond a reasonable doubt." Property believed to be connected to an illicit act can still be seized, but the government is required to return it if the property owner isn't convicted of a crime. After months of working through the Republican-controlled Montana Legislature, lawmakers, in late April, gave final passage to the bipartisan bill with just days left to go in the session. Read more here... 6. Civil Asset Forfeiture: "The True Highway Robbery" - by Trey Grover 7. IRS Seized $107k from a Small Business Owner - by Tom Borelli Looks like unjust civil asset forfeiture laws have claimed another victim. But this time, after more than a year of financial struggle, he’s not giving up. Fox News reports: The owner of a rural North Carolina convenience store is fighting back after the IRS seized his bank account of more than $107,000 under civil forfeiture laws targeting drug lords and terrorists.  Read more here... Make freedom work, Iris Somberg Press Secretary, FreedomWorks