FREEDOMWORKS 09/24/2015

1. An Early Glimpse into HillaryCare 2.0 - by Josh Withrow Over twenty years after the spectacular failure of "HillaryCare", Hillary Clinton is back in the health care debate. The collection of modest proposals she has made recently gives us a glimpse into her vision for “HillaryCare, 2.0”. With ObamaCare already taking a huge step towards accomplishing her goal of total government control of health care, Hillary’s new, more measured approach is just to keep nudging current policies further in that direction. For a brief summary of what she has proposed thus far: Read more here... 2. Government Shutdown: How Did We Get Here - by Logan Albright We’re just days away from the expiration of funding for the federal government running dry, and that event that is spoken about only in hushed tones of dread by the Washington establishment: a government shutdown. For those who regard the federal government as the provider of all that is good and noble in the world, whose Life-of-Julia worldviews require state intervention in all activities great and small, this represents an unthinkable tragedy. The rest of us tend not to really notice, except when the Feds go out of their way to prevent World War II veterans from visiting their own, open air memorial. Of course, the shutdown can be averted, and there’s a decent chance it will be. Congress is scrambling to cobble together a stopgap funding bill that will push the deadline back until December, when weary lawmakers eager to bask in yuletide festivities with their loved ones will be less likely to put up a fight over the use and abuse of taxpayer dollars. Read more here... 3. FreedomWorks' Statement: Stop Attacking the Freedom Caucus and Do Something - by Iris Somberg Following comments from House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) referring to freedom fighting Members of Congress as "right-wing Marxists" and claiming that "the Freedom Caucus is an arm of Pelosi," FreedomWorks CEO Adam Brandon responded: "Calling the Freedom Caucus an 'arm of Pelosi' is simply absurd. If the Washington elite spent half the time attacking Democrats as they do Members willing to stand on principle, maybe we would actually get some principled leadership." Read more here... 4. Tennessee Activists Gathering- by Kathy Hartkopf Media reports are stoking fears of a sharp rise in homicides in some cities in the United States. This has been used by some to advance the notion that crime is rising across the country. In fact, violent crime rates are at historic lows, according to the most recently available data, and there is no indication that there is a concerning national trend developing. From 1993 through 2010, violent crimes dropped significantly. Though some insist that lengthy prison sentences and other "tough on crime" policies were the cause, the drop in violent crime rates is attributed to socio-economic factors, as the Brennan Center for Justice explained in its February 2015 report, What Caused the Crime Decline? "[I]ncreased incarceration has been declining in its effectiveness as a crime control tactic for more than 30 years," the report explained. "Its effect on crime rates since 1990 has been limited, and has been non-existent since 2000." Read more here... 5. Internet Tax Freedom Forever Act - by Ted Abram “That the power to tax involves the power to destroy; that the power to destroy may defeat and render useless the power to create….” - Chief Justice John Marshall Governments – Federal, State and local – are always on the hunt for more revenue, and most government systems within America have considered taxing access to the Internet. Fortunately, since 1998, our Federal government has passed a temporary prohibition, which expires at the end of this month. Read more here... 6. End the Cycle of Crime and Poverty- by Jason Pye Much of the efforts to reform the justice system have been concentrated on front-end sentencing and back-end reentry reform. When it comes to sentencing reform, the idea is that a punishment should fit the crime. Rather than lengthy sentences mandated by big government politicians that ostensibly warehouse low-level, nonviolent offenders, judges should have the option to more appropriate sentences, including diversion programs. For offenders already in the prison system, rehabilitative programming -- such as work training and education -- would provide them with the means to learn skills so they can live productive, honest lives after they return to society. Still, offenders who reenter society carry the stigma of their past. They are often unable to find work or housing because of a mistake they made. In many instances, unable to provide for themselves, they turn back to the behavior that landed them in trouble with the law, creating an endless cycle of crime and poverty that poses a risk to taxpayers and public safety. Read more here... 7. Free Market Health Care Solutions with Dr. C.L. Gray 8. Blame Government for High Drug Prices - by Logan Albright Hillary Clinton is using a story about a hedge fund manager charging outrageously marked up prices for an AIDS drug as a springboard for her plans impose a new set of mandates on insurance and pharmaceutical companies. The story is upsetting, no doubt, but as usual, progressives miss the root of the problem, and try to treat symptoms rather than curing the disease. Here is what happened in brief: the drug Daraprim is used for treating parasitic infections that are especially dangerous to people with immune deficiencies, such as those caused by AIDS. The drug has been around for 62 years, but has only recently emerged into the spotlight. While the drug formerly sold for as little as $1 a pill, the rights to the drug have been passed around from company to company, increasing in price with each sale. The latest development, and the one that Clinton has been highlighting, is the purchase by Martin Shkreli, the chief executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals, of the rights to Daraprim for $55 million and promptly jacked up the price to $750 a pill. Read more here... Iris Somberg Press Secretary, FreedomWorks