FW Newsletter: Don't Tax Internet Access

Tell Your Senators: Support the Internet Tax Freedom Forever Act - by Matt Kibbe As one of our more than 6.9 million FreedomWorks members nationwide, I urge you to contact your senators today and ask them to support the Internet Tax Freedom Forever Act, S. 431. A bi-partisan proposal introduced by Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), this bill would permanently prohibit taxation of internet access. Back in 1998, Congress passed the original Internet Tax Freedom Act, a temporary moratorium on taxing internet access. Since then, the Act has been renewed, but is now set to expire on October 1, 2015. If Congress does nothing, states and the federal government would be allowed to tax your internet access by the end of the year. Read more here... Who Rules the Internet? FCC Bureaucrats - by Ted Abram Freedom of speech is absolutely indispensable for human freedom and progress. In the mid 15th Century, the invention of the printing press ushered in a period of mass communication, and the books of Martin Luther and others permanently changed the thought, culture, religion and governance of our world. Today, the Internet has increased our levels of communication giving millions of Americans more knowledge on how government functions as well as its impact on citizens’ perception of government. There is no doubt, the Internet influences how Americans vote. Read more here... Net Neutrality Wrapup: What Does the FCC's Decision Mean? - by Logan Albright Today, the Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 in favor of a controversial proposal to regulate the internet as a public utility, similar to telephone calls. The vote came as expected, down party lines with the three Democrats supporting and the two Republicans opposed. The decision is no surprise, but it leaves us with two questions that need to be answered: What does this mean, and where do we go from here? First, it means a lot. Title II of the Telecommunications Act, under which internet service providers will now be classified, along with section 706 of the same Act, grant the FCC broad powers over private companies. Among the things the FCC will allowed to do are the following: Read more here... What's the Biggest Issue for Young People Today? I'm Not a Criminal. Why Should I Care About Criminal Justice Reform? - by Julie Borowski via Townhall  Criminal justice reform has been a hot topic lately. It’s something that both Republicans and Democrats can find common ground on. However, I get the sense that many Americans aren’t convinced that it would benefit them personally.  Most of us are probably law-obeying citizens whom would never dream of being involved in illicit activities. We don’t have regular run-ins with the police. We don’t sell or use illegal drugs. We’re just normal people trying to do what’s right and take care of our families. Read more here... Who Are Mandatory Minimum Jail Sentences Helping? - by Logan Albright via TheBlaze Criminal justice reform is shaping up to be a major transpartisan issue this year, with influential members of both Republican and Democratic Parties recognizing that the current system is broken. If the goal of the justice system is to protect the innocent, and to maximize peaceful and productive activity within society, it does not take a rocket scientist to observe the ways in which the status quo fails to achieve these goals. Read more here... King v. Burwell Will Reverberate Well Beyond ObamaCare - by Wayne Brough via RealClearMarkets On March 4, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in King v. Burwell, a lawsuit that challenges the Internal Revenue Service's implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Specifically, the lawsuit asserts that the PPACA limits federal subsidies to health insurance purchased from state-run health care exchanges, while the IRS has determined that federal subsidies are available for purchases on all health care exchanges-including those established by the federal government. While the decision inKing v. Burwell will directly affect the ill-crafted health care law, its longer term implications will reverberate well beyond the PPACA, potentially redefining the broader constitutional balance between branches of government. Read more here... A Rally of Appreciation for Opposing Boehner's Re-Election for Speaker - by Noah Wall Last Saturday, over 200 conservative activists came together to honor Congressman Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma for his courageous vote against John Boehner’s re-election for speaker. The event was organized by Tulsa 9/12 Project President, Ronda Vuillemont-Smith. Ronda did an incredible job bringing together activists from across the state to make the event an awesome success. Why was this event such a big deal? Read more here... Fed Independence is a Joke, So Why Not Audit? - by James Miller A whistleblower-hating president, a bureaucrat who illegally targeted conservatives, and the former national intelligence director who lied before Congress walk into a bar. The bartender says: what can I get “the most transparent administration in history”? If Janet Yellen didn’t resemble a bookwormish teetotaler, perhaps she’d join her colleagues in a toast to suppressing democratic accountability. For now, she’ll order a club soda while working vigorously to keep Congress, and thus the people, out of her business of running the country’s central bank. Read more here... Jonathan Gruber in 2013: States that Don't Set Up ObamaCare Exchanges Put Subsidies at Risk - by Jason Pye Another interview has surfaced in which Jonathan Gruber, the MIT economist whose bragged about being involved in writing ObamaCare, suggested that subsidies will not be available to consumers in states that don't set up health insurance exchanges under the so-called "Affordable Care Act." In a March 2013 interview wth Employee Benefit Adviser, via Reason, Gruber, who's called Americans "stupid" and boasted about the lack of transparency in ObamaCare, praised the states that had set up exchanges, but warned that "other states" that were "playing a terrible political game at the cost of their state residents in not developing exchanges." He also bemoaned states that refused to participate in ObamaCare as "stick-it-to-the-man conservative states that are trying to make political hay out of doing nothing." 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. Make freedom work, Adam Brandon Executive Vice President, FreedomWorks           Forward To A Friend | Update Your Email Preferences 400 North Capitol Street, NW Suite 765 Washington, DC 20001