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- by Remso Martinez
Devout socialist and communist sympathizer, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, announced on Monday
an economically and constitutionally irresponsible scheme to "combat
climate change and cut carbon emissions by more than 80% by 2050."
Sanders' plan would impose a tax on carbon and prohibit extraction on
federal lands.
Sanders also stated he would expand the EPA
by establishing a clean energy federal workforce program of "10 million
jobs to convert the economy to a 100% clean energy system." According to
Sanders' plan, this strategy would "lead to a reduction in U.S. carbon
pollution of 40% by 2030." Read more here...
Following the addition of language to the
Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act that permanently extends
the existing ban on taxation of Internet access, FreedomWorks
Legislative Affairs Manager Josh Withrow commented:
"Finally. This language would have passed
last year if supporters of the complicated and misguided Internet sales
tax hadn't tried to add their bill to the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom
Act. The Internet is a transformative platform that is vital to our
economy, and it's still developing. Ensuring that access to the Internet
is not taxed would be a rare victory for Internet freedom." Read more here...
- by Adam Brandon
On behalf of our over 6.9 million activists
nationwide, I urge you to call your senators and ask them to resist any
efforts to strip the permanent ban on taxation of internet access from
the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act, H.R. 644.
Although it was attached to a less-than
ideal vehicle, the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act (PITFA) is a
crucially important piece of legislation. It would prevent any federal,
state, or local taxation of internet service. Given that the internet is
the single most empowering for communication and learning in human
history, preventing governments from taxing it the way they have other
communications services is essential. Read more here...
- by Logan Albright
In the mad rush of trying to pass as much
terrible legislation as possible before the holiday deadline, Congress
is actually doing one thing worth praising. A permanent extension of the
Internet Tax Freedom Act is being included in the conference report for
a bill aimed at modernizing the U.S. customs system. The bill is
expected to pass by the end of the year, and the included measure would
make permanent the ban on states and localities taxing access to the
internet, a ban that has existed since 1998 and which has had to be
repeatedly renewed since that time.
The new measure also goes further than the
current ban by introducing retroactivity. When the original Internet Tax
Freedom Act was passed, states that already taxed internet access were
allowed to maintain their current policies, being, as it were,
grandfathered in. This meant that jurisdictions in Hawaii, New Mexico,
North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin have been
permitted to continue taxing internet access in spite of the ban for all
these years. The new measure will close this loophole, and require
these states to phase out their taxes by 2020. This is expected to save
taxpayers several hundred million dollars each year. Read more here...
- by Logan Albright
As more and more of our activities move
online and the internet plays an integral role in our day to day lives,
it must be remembered that the rights we enjoy as American citizens do
not stop at technology's doorstep. It is important, therefore, to ensure
that the protections established in the United States Constitution and
the Bill of Rights serve Americans in the digital world just as
effectively as they do in the real world. With this in mind, we
therefore propose a Digital Bill of Rights:
I. The right to due process shall be preserved in the digital realm.
You don't forfeit your rights as soon as you
log onto the internet. Just as in the physical world, digital searches
and seizures must require a properly issued, individual warrant, and not
be conducted arbitrarily or en mass. Read more here...
Following the election of Rep. Tim Huelskamp
(R-KS-01), a member of the House Freedom Caucus, to the House
Republican Steering Committee, FreedomWorks CEO Adam Brandon commented:
"We congratulate Tim Huelskamp on his
election to the Republican Steering Committee. We know that he'll
continue to be a voice for fiscally conservative principles and limited
government in this new role."
"We've said all along that House Republican
leaders should listen to conservative members. That's what John Boehner
failed to do, and it eventually led to him losing his post as Speaker.
Huelskamp's election is certainly a positive sign and a step in the
right direction." Read more here...
- by Jason Pye
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday,
FBI Director James Comey signaled support for Sentencing Reform and
Corrections Act, calling the bill "reasonable." The legislation, which
would expand the existing federal "safety valve" exception to mandatory
minimum sentences, was approved by the committee in October and is
awaiting action before the full Senate, which could happen in early
2016. In early November, FreedomWorks released a letter of support for
the bill.
Before serving as the director of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Comey was a United States attorney for
the Southern District of New York and a deputy attorney general in the
President George W. Bush's administration. Another former Bush
administration official, Michael Mukasey, who served as attorney general
from November 2007 to January 2009, testified in support of the
Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act before the Senate Judiciary
Committee in October. Read more here...
 
Steven
Horwitz explains how political and legal institutions provide the
framework within which all human behavior takes place. The way contracts
are enforced, property is protected, and markets are regulated create
incentives and channel action in different ways. In this way,
institutions play a large role in determining a society's success - or
failure. Read more here...
Following news reports that top GOP leaders
and advisors are preparing for a brokered convention at the 2016
Republican National Convention in Cleveland, FreedomWorks CEO Adam
Brandon commented:
"In 2012, Republicans took extraordinary
steps to reduce the influence of grassroots conservative activists by
centralizing power with a few party bosses, at the expense of grassroots
leaders, insurgent candidates, and rank-and-file delegates. These steps
disenfranchised many convention delegates, some of whom were involved
in the process for the first time."
"Today, the party establishment is panicked
about the rise of insurgent candidates. They still don't get it. The
popularity of these candidates is a reaction to the Republican
establishment's inability to effectively fight for conservative reforms
and to articulate and implement the conservative principles and policies
that got them elected in the first place." Read more here...
FreedomWorks in Action
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Make freedom work,
Jason Pye
Communications Director, FreedomWorks
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