ALG's Daily Grind - Neither Medicaid nor Head Start Work

May 6, 2013

Neither Medicaid nor Head Start Work

The effectiveness of both Medicaid and Head Start, two bulwarks of the left's belief that massive government spending could make a difference in the lives of the poor have been exposed as ineffective.

A Brave New World

Central banks are printing money to buy… stocks?!

Free Market Energy Policies can End Economic Malaise

Forty years ago, President Nixon announced "Project Independence," in response to the 1973 oil cutoff by Middle East and other OPEC nations, with the goal of ensuring that "Americans will not have to rely on any source of energy beyond our own." We're still nowhere close.

Washington Times: Silencing Internet Radio

"Washington, D.C., is a coin-operated world where lobbyists insert their nickels and politicians sing their song. Nobody is more in tune with the game than the music industry."

CEI Slams Senate Vote Marketplace Fairness Act

CEI Slams Senate Vote Marketplace Fairness Act

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 6, 2013 – Senators crossed a dangerous line today when they voted to approve the dubiously named Marketplace Fairness Act (S. 743), according to experts at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

"America’s economy and American consumers have long benefited from the requirement that politicians can tax only those who can vote them out of office,” said Fred L. Smith Jr., founder of CEI and now director of its Center for Advancing Capitalism. “The Constitution established a system of competitive federalism to prevent states from violating this ‘No-taxation-without-representation” restraint. Those voting for this measure have no regard for the Constitution or for the restraints it established.”

Added CEI policy analyst Jessica Melugin:

“It’s alarming the Senate would pass an unprecedented expansion of state tax authority without holding a single hearing on the legislation. This legislation will raise compliance costs for online retailers, reduce healthy downward pressure on tax rates, tax online retailers for services they cannot use, increase consumer privacy concerns, remove political accountability for tax authorities and create new inequities between bricks-and-mortar and online businesses.

“No doubt sales tax inequities between traditional and online retailers exist, but this legislation is a cure worse than the disease. As this issue moves to the House, representatives would be wise to put the legislation (H.R. 684) through regular order to address the harmful unintended consequences of the Marketplace Fairness Act.”

John Berlau, CEI senior fellow for finance and access to capital, says the bill could result not only in new state taxes on internet shopping but even on their retirement savings. “This bill also could enable states to tax 401 (k) and other savings,” Berlau says. “Out-of-state ‘sellers’ and ‘sales” are never defined, and there are no specific exemptions for certain types of products or services. Thus financial services, such as stock trades, may well be on the table of state governments with ravenous appetites for tax revenue.”

► For more from CEI on the Marketplace Fairness Act, see the links below. CEI was also a signatory to a Conservative Political Action Project memo circulated today on the bill.

• Jessica Melugin, "Facts on Marketplace Fairness Act," a CEI Web Memo

• Jessica Melugin, "The Marketplace Fairness Act Would Create a State Sales Tax Cartel," a CEI OnPoint

• Jessica Melugin, "Internet Sales Tax Bill a Bad Idea," a March 10 op-ed in The Washington Examiner

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CEI is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy group dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government.  For more information about CEI, please visit our website, cei.org, and blogs, Globalwarming.org and OpenMarket.org.  Follow CEI on Twitter! Twitter.com/ceidotorg.

ALG's Daily Grind - Southern Poverty Law Center tied to domestic terrorism

April 29, 2013

Southern Poverty Law Center tied to domestic terrorism

Floyd Lee Corkins, II pled guilty to charges of domestic terrorism explaining that he came to target the Family Research Council saying, "Southern Poverty Law lists anti-gay groups." 

Editorial: Will no one stand up for freedom?

The 224 year creep toward acceptance of governmental control is driven home in the shift of the Obamacare debate over the past few years, where in political circles, the fight has largely gone from resistance against the imposition of a federal health care law to acceptance and a battle over implementation. 

The lost generation is already here

Slow growth is leading to fewer jobs for young, college-educated Americans, 3.4 million of whom have not entered the workforce since 2009.

Pinto: Let's not repeat the same mistakes that led to the housing bubble

"Since 1975, one in eight of the 25 million families getting an FHA insured loan suffered a foreclosure from their 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages with a small down payment."

ALG's Daily Grind - Trips To Mars And RoboSquirrels Are Great, But They're Not The Job Of Government

April 19, 2013

Trips To Mars And RoboSquirrels Are Great, But They're Not The Job Of Government

Just because there are a myriad of acknowledged practical applications derived from government funded research doesn't mean these discoveries wouldn't have been made — and made faster and cheaper — without government interference.

Is student debt weighing down the economy?

New York Fed publishes study, "Young Student Loan Borrowers Retreat from Housing and Auto Markets."

Iron Lady Thatcher: Last From A Great Era

Every generation has a tendency to view the past through rose-colored glasses.  However, rainbows and lollypop reminiscing aside, the 1980's truly were remarkable. America and Britain were unified countries, evidenced by substantial electoral victories by Reagan and Thatcher.

Evans-Pritchard: Cyprus bail-out vote stirs fresh jitters as slump fears grow in Europe

"Cyprus has stunned EU officials by ordering a vote in its parliament on the terms of the EU-IMF Troika bailout for the country, risking a rejection by angry lawmakers and a fresh eruption of the crisis."

Watchdog sued in libel claim

Dear Supporter,

When the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity was established in 2009, we were told that if we wanted to do cutting-edge investigative journalism we needed to be prepared to be sued as we exposed the dark corners of government. 

I was told that when that occurred we would have arrived as a news organization.

Well I am happy to report that the Franklin Center has arrived.

This week a lawsuit was filed against us for stories my investigative team in Virginia did in exposing potential problems and questionable business dealings with a green energy company called GreenTech. 

What makes this story important is the close ties this company has with “former” chairman and Democratic Gubernatorial Nominee Terry McAuliffe and the fact that Hillary Clinton’s brother is also involved with this company. 

Our investigation obviously struck a nerve.  So much so, that attorneys for the Clinton/McAuliffe tied company are suing us for $85 Million.

Yes you are reading that correctly …. $85 million.  This appears to me to be a case of intimidation. 

They want to shut us up. Click here to fight back and STAND WITH THE FRANKLIN CENTER.

They grossly miscalculated because we will not be silent and we will continue to report on this and any story that is important to the public.

Are we scared? No, we have truth on our side and facts to back up our story. 

But we are taking this very seriously because if they can silence us they can silence anyone who dares to oppose bigger government and crony capitalism and those who work to expose waste and corruption.  That is why we are hiring some of the best 1st amendment attorneys in the business.

I was proud to tell our team of reporters, “ Don’t be afraid of the tough stories.  Don’t let this deter you from digging deep and shining the light where no one else will go.”  I boldly said, “Tell the stories no one else will tell!” 

We know we are making a difference. We have done our homework and we stand by our story’s conclusions.

The ball is in their court. 

We will not be silent and we will not shirk from our duty to defend the freedom of the press and the freedom of speech in this great country.

Sincerely,

Jason Stverak
President
Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity

P.S. Click here to help us continue to expose the truth by chipping in whatever you can today.