The House Republican Conference voted today to ban the use of earmarks by its members. Americans for Prosperity has been educating and mobilizing the public to fight against pork-barrel earmarks for years, including a nationwide RV tour called the Ending Earmarks Express that traveled more than 15,000 miles in 2006 visiting the 50 most egregious earmarks in 38 states.

“We congratulate Leader Boehner and the House Republicans for taking this bold step,” said AFP Vice President for Policy Phil Kerpen. “Our foundation’s recent study confirmed earmarking works all too well at buying votes for re-election, so this decision to refrain from earmarking took real political courage.

“The American people are tired of hearing about pork projects and having their taxes raised to pay for them. Even House Democrats are starting to realize this – but their ban on earmarks for corporations allows for earmarking as usual by state and local governments, public authorities, and universities. The idea that earmarking is somehow virtuous when it rewards government entities for taxpayer-funded lobbying is ridiculous.

“The House Republican Conference’s historic decision to put a unilateral end to earmarking is the biggest, most concrete step away from corrupt earmarking-as-usual ever taken, and they deserve enormous credit for putting principle ahead of politics.”

AFP just released this new TV ad detailing the dangerous regulations insurance companies would be required to follow under a government takeover of health care.

How can you tell when a president is in trouble on a big issue? 

When politicians of his own party avoid appearing with him when he's in their home area.

Take Monday for example. President Obama appeared in the Philadelphia suburbs to once again campaign for his health care takeover.  He delivered the usual falsehoods - for example, Fox News reported that the president claimed $868 billion in savings that is simply a made-up number. He promised that his plan will not cost small businesses more, when everyone knows costs will skyrocket on small businesses.

And three Democrat congressmen from the Philly area - Murphy, Carney and Holden - did not appear with the president from their own party. 

These three Democrats did not stand beside President Obama on their home turf, despite the fact that Obama carried Pennsylvania and their region in the 2008 election. 

They know what we know: The American people have turned against this corrupt Washington health care takeover. The polls clearly show it, with every reputable poll showing strong majorities against the legislation. These congressmen have their ears to the ground in their districts, and they hear the powerful grassroots anger. It’s anger against the president's arrogance in continuing to push a health care takeover while ignoring job losses and a still-faltering economy, despite the fact that the American people have clearly said, “Keep Your Hands Off My Health Care.”

We're just days away from a crucial vote in the House of Representatives. Despite all the big talk from Speaker Pelosi and the liberals, they STILL DO NOT HAVE THE VOTES to pass their health care takeover.

Tonight, Wednesday, at 8 p.m. ET we're holding a national tele-town hall meeting with the 3rd ranking Republican in the House and a leading free-market champion - Congressman Mike Pence. I hope you'll join us. Call (888) 356-3090 Ext.14326#.

We'll brief you on key undecided House members, detail the likely timeline to be used by Speaker Pelosi, and Congressman Pence will walk through conservative alternatives along with his exchanges in recent weeks with President Obama. 

But, there's more we must do.

On March 16, we're holding the "Honk Against the Health Care Takeover" event. Here's what we're asking you to do. At 12 Noon your time on March 16, drive to your member of Congress's district office and join a car caravan there, circling your representative’s office while honking against the health care takeover.

Just CLICK HERE for more information and to let us know you're on board. You'll be able to print off your very own "Honk Against the Health Care Takeover" sign for your car when you register. Sign up tomorrow, March 10, to receive a free bumper sticker in the mail before March 16.

In addition, you can sign up to be a car caravan leader. You can pick a parking lot near your Congressman's office and let folks know you will be there to lead them over to the district office. It will be fun to meet fellow grassroots activists and to go over in a caravan to send your message.

Here's the bottom line. The president is in the midst of his final all-out push for his health care takeover. Yes, his campaign is dishonest and over-the-top. But, to their credit they are refusing to quit this fight. So, we've got to beat them in these final days before the House vote.

They've put everything on the line for their ideology, as flawed as it is. 

The question for us is:  will we do the same for our values, our freedoms and our nation?

Knowing what I know about Americans like us, I believe the answer will be a resounding YES. 

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.