- by Josh Withrow
The irreparable structural flaws of ObamaCare are being revealed at a frightening pace. 12 of the state insurance co-ops have failed, insurance premiums just keep rising, enrollment is predicted to be flat, the majority of newly insured Americans have actually just been shoved into Medicaid, and the insurance companies are asking for billions of dollars in taxpayer bailouts to forestall even steeper price hikes. ObamaCare is dismantling and destabilizing the entire infrastructure of our health care system, and it's hurting real people.
Which makes it all the more disappointing that Congressional Republicans are seemingly working very hard to screw up their one shot this year to send a repeal of most of ObamaCare to President Obama's desk. Read more here...
FreedomWorks to Senate GOP Leaders: Put an Actual ObamaCare Repeal Bill on Obama's Desk
FreedomWorks CEO Adam Brandon commented:
“This isn't rocket science. Republicans told us on the campaign trail that they needed to take the Senate to fully repeal ObamaCare. Well, they've had control of the Senate for almost a year, and all they've done is pass bills that make their pals on K Street happy, while neglecting one of their biggest promises to the conservative grassroots who worked so hard to achieve victory in 2014.”
“ObamaCare is crumbling at the Democrats' feet. Premiums are skyrocketing, insurers are begging for bailouts, and twelve insurance cooperatives, funded by this poorly conceived law, have failed. This law is hurting real people and dismantling our health care system. Republicans must stop negotiating with themselves and use reconciliation to repeal every bit of this disastrous law that they can.” Read more here...
As ObamaCare Crumbles, Colorado Moves Towards Single-Payer
- by Logan Albright via Watchdog.org
Following the collapse of Colorado’s health care co-op, created under the Affordable Care Act, and a period of deep uncertainty for the insurance exchange established under the same law, the state appears to be throwing in the towel on the president’s signature legislative achievement.
Unfortunately, however, the Centennial State is not interested in implementing free-market reforms, but will instead vote on a ballot measure to establish a single-payer health care system within its borders. Coloradans collected more than 150,000 signatures to put the idea—going under the name of ColoradoCare—on the November, 2016 ballots as “Initiative 20.” The proposal would be funded by a new 10 percent payroll tax. Read more here...
Don't Expand ObamaCare in Alabama
Following reports that Republican Governor Robert Bentley is considering Medicaid expansion in Alabama through ObamaCare, FreedomWorks National Director of Grassroots Noah Wall commented:
“It appears that Governor Bentley is intent on selling out his constituents to further the liberal agenda. He's already tried to raise taxes to the tune of $710 million, and now he's trying to expand ObamaCare in Alabama. Medicaid is a broken program. There's no getting around that. He should stop trying to be Obama's favorite governor and start acting like the conservative he claimed to be on the campaign trail.” Read more here...
Donald Boudreaux explains how scarce resources are allocated in a
open market. The price system, where every producer is able to
charge what he wants, contains an immense amount of information
that tells producers how much to make, and consumers how much to
buy. Through millions of transactions every day, coordination
happens throughout an entire economy—which is impossible for
a central authority to replicate.
Read more here...
What the Trans-Pacific Partnership Gets Wrong About Intellectual
Property
- by Logan Albright via The Hill
With the final text of all 30 chapters of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) finally available, there is a lot to scrutinize. Chapters on environmental and labor standards are sure to get a lot of attention, but there is one chapter in particular that should be of concern to those concerned with innovation and freedom of expression: the chapter on intellectual property.
In recent years, the intellectual property (IP) system has been twisted beyond its original intention. Instead of providing incentives for creators, it is now a tool of media conglomerates to shut down competition and capture monopoly profits almost indefinitely. The current copyright term has been extended to the life of the author plus 70 years. Does anyone seriously believe that creative works would suddenly dry up if authors could only collect royalties for 50 years after their deaths? The continued extensions of these terms don't help creators, they help the Walt Disney Company keep Mickey Mouse from slipping into the public domain well after the iconic rodent's 80th birthday. Read more here...
5 Reasons to Oppose ObamaCare
Flat-Tax Plans: All Are Good, None Are Perfect
- by FreedomWorks Senior Economic Contributor Stephen Moore via National Review
Here's a no-good-deed-goes unpunished story.
Rand Paul has proposed a $2 trillion tax cut over years — arguably the biggest tax reduction in American history. He wants to shave tax rates down to 14.5 percent, the lowest rate since the income tax was introduced a century ago. Ted Cruz has proposed a tax cut nearly as large; his rate is 16 percent. This compares with tax rates that are as high as 42 percent under the current tax code.
Both plans would eliminate the corporate income tax AND the payroll tax. They would also eliminate almost all loopholes in the tax system. Read more here...
Wyoming Renews Efforts to Reform Civil Asset Forfeiture
- by Christina Delgado
Members of the Joint Judiciary Committee in Wyoming have chosen to sponsor a bill which will introduce reforms to civil asset forfeiture practice within the state. The bill does not contain changes as extensive as a previous bill in early 2015.
In February, both the state House and Senate approved SF0014 (“SF14”). The bill would have required a criminal conviction and a sentence of at least one year in prison before property could be forfeited to law enforcement and state authorities. Despite the widespread support for the bill, Republican Governor Matt Mead, a former county prosecutor and U.S. Attorney under President George W. Bush, vetoed the bill. 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,
Jason Pye
No comments:
Post a Comment