AFP - Outraged!

The IRS has admitted to targeting Americans who opposed the President’s big government agenda.  This same IRS is the agency tasked with enforcing the many mandates, taxes, and regulations in ObamaCare.

What a chilling thought for most Americans. This is yet another reason why we must repeal Obama’s disastrous law.

This Thursday the House once again votes to repeal ObamaCare, and we’re asking you to make your voice heard.  There are two easy ways you can help. 

First, CLICK HERE to contact your legislator and send them a message directly.

Second, post the following message on every social media network you can, whether Facebook, Twitter, or any other. CLICK HERE to Tweet!

Keep the IRS out of our health care by repealing ObamaCare now. #IRSMess

Here are the elements of ObamaCare the IRS will police.  This law will require thousands of new IRS agents and billions of dollars to enforce the law. 

There are many reasons to repeal ObamaCare. But as more is revealed about this scandal, let’s not forget that President Obama chose to give the IRS extraordinary authority to enforce ObamaCare and oversee every American’s health care decisions.  It is deeply concerning that all Americans will now be asked to turn over the private health insurance information about their children and families to an organization that has admitted to abusing the power which was entrusted to them. 

The time is now to take action.

For Liberty,

Tim Phillips

Americans for Prosperity

AFP - No more politics with our planes!

You’ve heard about or perhaps even experienced long delays at airports over the last few days. President Obama and his appointees at the Department of Transportation were blaming the delays on those dastardly “sequester” cuts from a couple of months ago.

They argued that cutting two cents out of every dollar of government spending meant they had no choice but to blindly furlough crucial air traffic controllers, leaving millions of Americans delayed and waiting in long lines at airports.

But that just isn’t the truth, and the American people knew it. Yesterday Americans for Prosperity activists gathered at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport and D.C.’s Reagan International Airport to call out President Obama for “playing politics with our planes.”

It’s great to see how quickly your activism made a difference! Late last night and early this morning Congress authorized the Department of Transportation to prioritize spending at the FAA and eliminate controller furloughs and needless delays. They didn’t spend one extra dollar, but just got a little smarter with how they allocated the money they were given. 

Under a little scrutiny, the narrative from the White House, which claimed there was no way to avoid flight delays, collapsed like a house of cards. Just consider this the next time a friend or family member complains about the common sense sequester spending cuts: 

• The FAA received more money this year than President Obama requested in his budget.

• The FAA bureaucracy now spends $500 million on middle men consultants. Instead of cutting non-essential consultants, President Obama chose to furlough air traffic controllers.
• A recent study by Bloomberg found that the FAA was actually overstaffed at many airports, and could easily handle the effects of the sequester without causing flight delays. 

Like a child throwing a temper tantrum, the President has used every tactic at his disposal to make the common sense sequester cuts hurt and inconvenience Americans; from canceling White House Tours to massive delays at airports. 

He’s trying to self-fulfill his own dire warnings of doom and gloom, rather than show leadership by managing the budget properly and shifting the sequester cuts to eliminate wasteful or non-essential spending. All of this was designed to force Republicans to end the sequester.

Yesterday the American people called Obama’s bluff. We know that the truth about the sequester cuts – they’re modest and absolutely necessary to rein-in government overspending and waste.

It’s important to be on the lookout for the next time President Obama tries to use federal agencies that are supposed to serve American citizens to instead punish them for demanding fiscal responsibility.

Sincerely,

Tim

PS: Ever wonder how different the government is from a small business? Imagine a business having to cut 2% of its budget (which happens every day given the tough economic times). Would that business choose to cut funding for its core services? If it did, it’d be out of business pretty fast!

AFP - You're Invited

Every year AFP Foundation hosts two exciting annual conferences: Defending the American Dream Summit and RightOnline. These two events are both incredible opportunities to meet other like-minded activists, hear top-name speakers and learn how to be a better activist for freedom and liberty.

Both events will take place in Orlando, Florida at the gorgeous and family friendly Universal Orlando^® Resort over Labor Day weekend – August 30^th and 31^st.

Although the two conferences are co-located, they each have their own unique focus. The information below will help you choose which conference is the best fit for you.

If you are interested in seeing blockbuster speeches, joining educational panels, and getting informed on current free-market issues, Defending the American Dream Summit is for you! The Summit brings elected leaders, influential voices and activists together for two days of inspiration, grassroots training, and an extra dose of sunshine and family fun at our brand new venue. You can register for the Summit here for special early bird pricing. 

At the same time in an adjacent hotel, AFP Foundation hosts RightOnline, a new media conference focused on the latest technology, social media tactics, effective messaging, and cutting-edge tools for online activism. RightOnline will include interactive forums and panels with industry experts, as well as new learning opportunities for more effective online activism. We’ll be showcasing the latest technology platforms and social media tools, and as always, put you in the same room as some of the brightest minds and biggest influencers in new media today. Click here to register for RightOnline today.

No matter which conference you choose, you’re in for an incredible weekend. And, to ensure that you and your family get the most out of your experience, your admission gets you access to deep discounts to the Universal Studios^® Theme Parks.

Thank you for your continued support of economic freedom, and we hope to see you in Orlando as together we fight to defend the American Dream.

Sincerely,

Tim Phillips

President of AFP Foundation

AFP - Freeze NLRB

In yet another attempt to “work around Congress,” last year President Obama unconstitutionally appointed three people to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the agency that imposes rules regarding union-organizing elections that give Big Labor a big advantage. This past January, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the President’s appointments, finding them to be unconstitutional—the President made these recess appointments when the Senate was not actually in recess.

Take action today: Tell Congress to freeze all NLRB activities while these unconstitutional appointees are still on the board.

Thankfully, there’s a bill in Congress that would stop the NLRB from implementing the rules that it has adopted since January 4, 2012, when President Obama stacked it with illegitimate, unconstitutionally appointed members. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), would freeze all of the NLRB’s activities that require a full quorum. The House of Representatives is going to vote on the bill next week—and they need to hear from you.

This is not only about stopping the partisan, pro-union stranglehold on the NLRB. It’s also about keeping the American system of check and balances in place. Congress needs to stand up to the president when he oversteps his constitutional authority. No more working around Congress and the Constitution to further his Big Labor agenda.

Sincerely,

Nicole Kaeding

State Policy Manager

Americans for Prosperity

Take action today: Tell Congress to freeze all NLRB activities while these unconstitutional appointees are still on the board.

AFP - Irresponsible

Have you read about Illinois in the news lately? On Tuesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged the fiscally irresponsible state government for misleading bond investors about the health of its public pension system. The Land of Lincoln’s elected officials have been piling up mountains of pension debt for years and refusing to pay it off. In fact, Illinois currently owes $192 billion in unfunded pension liabilities over the past few decades thanks to its legislature’s long history of shortchanging pension payments.

While the spendthrift politicians were caught this time around, it’s not the only trick they have up their sleeve. Governor Pat Quinn has been rubbing elbows with the Obama Administration in an effort to secure a federal bailout. Just last year in his state budget, the governor wrote“significant long-term improvements will come only from … seeking a federal guarantee of the debt.”That’s right, Illinois’s officials are scheming to shift their self-incurred debts onto the backs of taxpayers like you.

Sadly, Illinois is just one of many states that may be interested in swindling federal taxpayers. Other states like California and New York have also nearly bankrupted their public pensions and may be looking for a bailout courtesy of Uncle Sam.

Fortunately, some fiscally responsible statesmen from the unlikeliest places are taking a stand against this thievery before it takes place. Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois is poised to reintroduce his No States Bailouts Resolution, requiring states as sovereign entities to retain responsibility for the debts they have racked up.

Click here to urge your federal senators not to pay for states’ pension problems and to support the No States Bailout Resolution.

In Liberty,

Nicole Kaeding

State Policy Manager

Americans for Prosperity