FREEDOMWORKS 09/20/2015

Republicans Must Not Cave on Spending Caps - by Adam Brandon via The Hill The power of the purse is arguably Congress’ most important responsibility. The framers of the Constitution understood that the legislature needed to serve as a check on executive authority, and there is no more effective way to restrain the growth of government than the ability to withhold money from projects that don’t deserve it. Congress would do well to remember this in the spending fight set to come at the end of September. Say what you will about the Democrats, but they have been very clear on what they want and expect of the budget process; namely, more spending. President Obama, along with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), has even gone so far as to threaten a government shutdown if Congress does not acquiesce to his demands, and break the budget caps established in 2011 under the Budget Control Act. Read more here... FreedomWorks' 9.12 Grassroots Summit Re-Cap FreedomWorks Holds 9.12 Grassroots Summit in Florida - by Casey Cheap FreedomWorks held a Grassroots Summit just outside of Orlando, Florida this past weekend to mark the sixth anniversary of the 9.12 rally in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 12, 2009. With more than 2,000 attendees, 80 volunteers and 60 sponsor groups, the feedback from those who attended has been phenomenal. Read more here... Bernie Sanders: The 18 Trillion Dollar Man    -by Jason Pye Sen. Bernie Sanders has excited the Democratic Party's base with promises of more "free" stuff and emerged from relative obscurity as a legitimate threat to Hillary Clinton, once thought to be the frontrunner for the party's presidential nomination. But the policy agenda the self-identified "democratic socialist" is espousing to fawning audiences on the campaign trail is one that would create severe economic problems for the United States. The Wall Street Journal analyzed the policy proposals that Sanders has put forward -- which includes single-payer health care, free college tuition, and an expansion of Social Security. The cost of these policies, according to the Journal, comes in at an eye-popping $18 trillion over ten years. Read more here... Less Boxing, More Economic Freedom - by Logan Albright The second presidential debate is scheduled for Wednesday and the candidates are no doubt honing their talking points and preparing to face tough questions. To help them out, I’ve got a question of my own: Why is the United States now ranked 16th, behind Canada - Canada! - on the Fraser Institute’s index of economic freedom? This country is arguably the only one in human history directly founded on the principles of liberty, and yet 15 countries are now beating us? That’s unacceptable, and speaks volumes about the misguided economic policies that have been in effect since, well, always I guess. Read more here... The Commerce Clause Judge Andrew Napolitano explains that the Commerce Clause in the U.S. Constitution was introduced in order to facilitate trade between the states. Unfortunately, Congress and the Courts have interpreted the clause as giving almost unlimited authority over commerce. This clause has been used to justify everything from New Deal era production quotas to the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that all Americans purchase health insurance. Read more here... Obamanet Diminishes Our Freedom and Prosperity   - by Ted Abram Around a year ago, President Obama decided that the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) should regulate the Internet with his “Net Neutrality” catch phrase. Who can argue against “Net Neutrality?” To the contrary, plenty of smart people had observed that government regulations are often power grabs to consolidate power in DC for the benefit of lobbyists and political elites. Harmfully, unnecessary and burdensome regulations restrict economic growth and freedom. Read more here... FreedomWorks Youth Activism Online Corrections Should Focus on Fair Sentencing and Rehabilation to Make Communities Safer - by Christina Delgado & Brittany Piro Today the Coalition for Public Safety kicked off its Fair Sentencing and Fair Chances National Tour with a panel of distinguished advocates for criminal justice reform efforts. The diverse group of organizations included in the panel ranged from participants associated with the ACLU to Americans for Tax Reform. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Congressman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) headed the discussion by presenting their personal interests and efforts in achieving meaningful reform with the nation’s justice system. The Coalition for Public Safety hopes to bring awareness to sentencing and incarceration issues by launching the Fair Sentencing and Fair Chances National Campaign. Its stated goal for the campaign is to support “fair sentencing, fair and appropriate use of incarceration and fair opportunities when returning home” which results in reduced expenditure related to housing prisoners and curbing recidivism. Additionally, the Campaign hopes to promote discourse regarding over-criminalization and over-incarceration and their disproportionate effects on persons from low-income and minority communities. Read more here... September Freedom Artist: Sharon C. McGovern Our September Featured Artist for Liberatchik is Sharon McGovern. Her work reminds us of the beauty in simplicity and the technical merits of study and honing a technique. Though her work is not political, it is expressive of our mission at Liberatchik to promote traditional art forms and themes that do not seek to tear down our culture. Sharon's drawings are a shining beacon in the fog of modernism's efforts at relativist deconstruction of beauty, society, and the individual. We are proud to call her one of our own. Read more here... FreedomWorks in Action 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, Iris Somberg Press Secretary, FreedomWorks