Americans for Prosperity: National feed

The Stimulus Bill’s Hidden Attack on What We Eat, Drink, and Smoke

Phil Kerpen — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:06:36 -0600

by Phil Kerpen

One of the more extreme proposals floated early in the national health care debate was the idea of taxing soda and other sugary beverages. That trial balloon was almost immediately shot down by the American public, but the Obama administration is attempting to achieve, by subterfuge, soda taxes and a lot of other ways to micromanage our lives in the name of public health—whether or not ObamaCare passes. The mechanism is buried in last year’s $862-billion-and-counting stimulus bill, and works by diverting hundreds of millions of dollars that should be promoting economic growth to instead pay lobbyists to push for higher taxes and nanny-state controls over our lives.

Read the rest at BigGovernment.com.

Listen to a related 2-minute KerpenCast.

AFP Launches Washington State Chapter

jtuch — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:43:10 -0600

AFP is pleased to announce the establishment of its newest state chapter in Washington, and welcome aboard Kirby Wilbur, Seattle native and prominent local politico, as the new chapter’s state director. AFP now has 30 chapters and affiliates and members in all 50 states.

“Kirby is a seasoned veteran in grassroots activism and is well-equipped to lead the charge for free-market issues in the state of Washington,” said Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity. “We’re proud to welcome him as the leader of AFP’s newest state chapter.”

The Ten Worst Provisions in Senate Health Care Bill

Phil Kerpen — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:16:51 -0600

While it would appear that the health care bill is constantly changing, it's actually not. The big upcoming House vote will be on the Senate bill (H.R. 3590), exactly as it passed the Senate on Christmas Eve. It still includes dozens of corrupt special-interest deals like the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase, Chris Dodd's $100M University of Connecticut Hospital earmark, etc. There are a lot of promises being made right now that the bill will be fixed or improved in various ways after it passes, possibly via reconciliation.

Kerpen on House health care vote on CBN

Phil Kerpen — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:37:15 -0600

CBN Link

The biggest health care vote yet

Tim Phillips — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:02:22 -0600

President Obama finally made it official yesterday: he wants Congress to ignore Senate rules - and the American people - and use a parliamentary trick called "reconciliation" to pass his health care takeover legislation. Fortunately, there's a catch: before the Senate can use reconciliation to force through Obama's tweaks, the House would have to pass the Senate health care bill. And we must stop them.

AFP Statement on Potential Recess Appointment of Craig Becker

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:22:21 -0600

Statement of AFP VP for Policy Phil Kerpen on the potential recess appointment of Craig Becker:

The suggestion from Obama's Labor Secretary Hilda Solis that former SEIU General Counsel Craig Becker will be recess-appointed to the National Labor Relations Board is the latest evidence of the Obama administration's astonishing disregard for Congress, the American people, and the legislative process.

Forget Reconciliation: Why the Real Fight Is In the House

Phil Kerpen — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:37:36 -0600

If the House passes the Christmas Eve version of the Senate health care reform bill, the game is up and the American people lose. If, on the other hand, the House rejects the original Senate bill, it’s all over.

By Phil Kerpen - FOXNews.com

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether or not the Senate passes changes to its health care bill via reconciliation. That’s because the reconciliation process cannot even begin until after the House passes the Senate bill exactly as it passed the Senate on Christmas Eve. That means it must pass with the abortion language already rejected by Rep. Bart Stupak and others still intact. It also must pass with the outrageous pork barrel spending deals cut for Nebraska, Louisiana, Connecticut, and others. In other words, the bill must pass the House with everything in it that the American people have already made clear they hate.

Read the rest at FOX Forum.

New Earmark Study: Politicians Buy Votes with Taxpayer Dollars

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:24:28 -0600

A new study released today by Americans for Prosperity Foundation indicates that Washington politicians use taxpayer-funded earmarks to bolster their reelection efforts, with a real effect on voters.

Bipartisan Resolution Continues Mounting Pressure Against EPA Power Grab

James Valvo — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:29:55 -0600

-Grassroots Group Lauds New Efforts to Bring Accountability to Regulatory Process-

WASHINGTON—The free-market grassroots group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) today commended U.S. Representatives Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) for introducing H.J. Res. 76, which expresses disapproval under the Congressional Review Act for EPA’s effort to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, something the Act was never designed to do.

AFP's Health Care Rally profiled on Fox

jtuch — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:18:06 -0600

Reconciling Obama’s Hope and Change with the Progressive Health Care Agenda

James Valvo — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:14:11 -0600

The president’s attempt to rally support for his health care overhaul has come and gone and it’s unlikely the summit shifted the political landscape. The intended targets were moderate House Democrats who have elections in eight months and don’t want to sacrifice their political careers on the altar of Progressive ideology. Democrats have only two choices moving forward: use reconciliation to impose their policies on the country or heed the American people and scrap this legislative monstrosity. Unfortunately, it appears they are opting for the former.

...

The next few weeks may bring an end to the health care saga that has stretched on for more than a year. If President Obama decides to allow a parliamentary trick to decide one of the most contentious debates of our time, he will only deepen our country’s partisan wound and worsen the Washington infection he was elected to cure.

Critical Care: The Patients' Summit Webcast

rmyslinski — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:33:27 -0600

If you missed our Patients' Summit webcast, you can watch it below:

Critical Care: The Patients' Summit Webcast from AFPhq on Vimeo.

Highlights from AFP's Rally Outside the Health Care Summit

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:44:47 -0600

Pictures from AFP's Critical Care: Patients' Summit

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:39:52 -0600

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Pictures from Rally Outside the Blair House

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:38:22 -0600

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Hundreds Turn Out for the Critical Care: Patients' Summit

Tim Phillips — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:02:23 -0600

Hundreds of grassroots activists joined us today at AFP's protest outside President Obama's sham "summit" at the Blair House in Washington, DC. Take a look at our video and pictures below.

AFP Foundation Releases New Health Care Ad

jtuch — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:14:47 -0600

BIG Threats on Health Care this Week and Tele Townhall Tonight at 7:30PM EST

Tim Phillips — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:24:15 -0600

It was bad enough when President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid tried to pass their health care takeover through vote-buying, closed-door meetings, and strong-arm tactics. But what they're doing now is even worse...

Kerpen on FOX Forum: Van Jones Returns

Phil Kerpen — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:07:44 -0600

A speech in New Hampshire appears to be just the beginning of former green jobs czar Van Jones's comeback tour. But his environmental advocacy can't be separated from his political extremism.

Updated February 22, 2010
By Phil Kerpen - FOXNews.com

Anthony K. “Van” Jones has surfaced. The disgraced former White House special green jobs adviser is making an appearance at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire tonight, apparently at the request of Democratic State Senate Majority Leader Maggie Hassan. Exeter promotes the event saying: “globally recognized, Jones will lead an evening talk and discussion about ‘green jobs. ’” This is just the start of his comeback tour; on March 8, Jones will again appear at a Democratic “green jobs” event, in New York with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. That otherwise respectable people would come to “green jobs” events with Van Jones suggests that his “green jobs” advocacy is somehow separable from his political extremism. It isn’t.

Read the rest at FOX Forum.

The deception of the health care summit

jtuch — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:44:18 -0600

Since Massachusetts rejected the health care take over by electing Scott Brown last month, President Obama and Congress temporarily took a hint and started to focus elsewhere. Well now they’re back to health care.