FREEDOM WORKING 11/16/2014

The White House Really Doesn't Want You To Listen to the Guy Paid $400,000 to Craft ObamaCare - by Jason Pye The White House is trying to downplay yet another ObamaCare scandal by calling Jonathan Gruber, the architect of the law, a liar. In a statement provided to a leftist blog, a White House spokesperson disputed the MIT economist's October 2013 comment that the designed lack of transparency in ObamaCare was "a huge political advantage" to ram it through Congress. Read more here... Ohio Moves Closer to Common Core Repeal - by Logan Albright Ohio is on its way to becoming the latest state to ditch Common Core education standards. A bill that would block the state from implementing the standards, along with any aligned curriculum, was approved by the Rules and Reference Committee in the State House earlier this month and is ready to be brought to a vote. So far, six states have either partially or completely withdrawn from Common Core standards or the accompanying testing requirements. Ohio would be the seventh, and a decisive blow for education freedom. Read more here... Clearing Up Net Neutrality FreedomWorks responds to President Obama and FCC Chair Tom Wheeler creating stricter rules on Net Neutrality. Watch here... Justice Dept. Caught Scooping Up Civilian Data From Fake Cell Phone Towers The Justice Department is using fake cellphone towers on planes to collect metadata from thousands of innocent Americans without a warrant. The program is meant to target criminals, but the broad nature of the surveillance means that any phone that happens to automatically lock on to the tower's signal will have its data collected, without any suspicion of criminal activity. FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe commented: Read more here... Keystone XL Show Vote Isn't Going to Save Mary Landrieu - by Jason Pye Faced with ominous chances for reelection, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) is pushing for a vote on the long-stalled northern section of the Keystone XL Pipeline before the December 6 runoff, according to recent media reports, and Democratic leaders seem willing to oblige. Read more here... Paid for by FreedomWorks for America and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. http://freedomworksforamerica.org The Democrats' Climate Change Agenda is a Loser - by Tom Borelli via The Washington Times President Obama’s climate change policy played a key role in the midterm elections and helped Republicans take control of the Senate. Obama emphasized the elections were about his policies saying, “Make no mistake, these policies are on the ballot, every single one of them.” Judging by the results his climate change agenda got trounced. Read more here... Freedom Artist Sonja Harris: Documentary Photographer and Political Activist - by Frances Byrd This month, we are featuring documentary photography by Sonja Heldt Harris. Because Sonja has a long career as an established fine artist, with more recent works tending toward ideological expression, I decided to let her describe her own work and evolution as an artist. Sonja is a native Texan and an established photographer of over 30 years. Her photographs have been exhibited in numerous juried shows throughout Texas including the Texas Photographic Society’s Members Only Show, the San Antonio Art League Invitational Members Photography exhibit and the Arts Alliance Center in Clear Lake, Texas. Her work has been shown in museums and various centers for contemporary art, including the Touchstone Gallery in Washington, DC. See more here... Black ER Surgeon Making a Difference for At Risk Youth - by Deneen Borelli It’s people not government that can change their communities and Dr. Anthony Atkins is a stellar example of an individual making a difference in Toledo, Ohio. Dr. Atkins, an emergency room doctor, is improving his community by educating and mentoring at risk youth through hip hop music. Read more here... Conservatives and Liberals Should Agree to End the Export-Import Bank - by Julie Borowski It’s no secret that Washington desperately needs to cut spending. Nearly everyone agrees that national debt levels are unsustainable. The Congressional Budget Office has warned that the nation’s debt is set to jump to 106 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2039. Clearly, we cannot continue down this path. 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 Freedom Works Morning Update! The Morning Update is your tool to keep up-to-date with all the threats to your freedom. Sign up here. In Liberty, Adam Brandon Executive Vice President, FreedomWorks