Monthly Archives: February 2017

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-North Carolina told reporters the proposal currently being drafted takes much of the language from a 2015 GOP measure to dismantle the health care law that Congress passed but was vetoed by then-President Barack Obama. "It echoes a repeal and a replacement at the same time."

Hill Republicans have struggled in recent weeks to get on the same page for how they plan to roll back Obamacare and create a new system, while still addressing concerns from voters about disruptions in insurance coverage during a transition period.

This latest effort will add pressure on leaders from those on the right, who have expressed frustration with the lack of more immediate action on a central 2016 campaign promise. President Donald Trump added to the confusion over the weekend when he told Fox News that his effort to get rid of the law and stand up a new health care system could spill into next year.

"We're going to be putting it in fairly soon, I think that -- yes, I would like to say by the end of the year at least the rudiments but we should have something within the year and the following year," Trump said.

South Carolina Rep. Mark Sanford is taking the lead on the new legislation, taking input from Freedom Caucus members and others and putting them into legislative language. The group met Monday evening to go over the framework and is likely to endorse the measure. It will take some elements of a proposal already introduced by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who has argued that both efforts -- rolling back the law and creating a new system -- need to happen simultaneously.

Meadows stressed that the measure will protect coverage for those with pre-existing conditions and said another focus was "making sure costs go down."

Conservatives plan to push for a vote on their bill alongside the Republican leadership's reconciliation package that is being constructed now by key committees. Meadows said action on both doesn't necessarily need to be simultaneous, but "certainly needs to be the same week."

The North Carolina Republican suggested that because states are split on how to address those getting coverage through the Medicaid program that the new legislation would likely propose allocating funds through block grants and letting states administer the programs on their own.

Vice President Mike Pence attended a lunch in the Capitol Tuesday with another group of House conservatives, the Republican Study Committee, to reassure members that the Administration was in fact on the same page with moving swiftly ahead with its top legislative priority.

RSC Chairman Mark Walker, who introduced the first GOP health care bill last month, told CNN that Pence reiterated to members in that meeting that "regardless of how it was articulated on O'Reilly or over the weekend, that they are committed to moving quickly with this."

Walker, a former pastor who is in his second term in Congress, downplayed any mixed messages on the process from the president.

"I think like I did, coming from a background without any kind of political experience or history, there is a procedural part that you have to learn and I want to be a little patient and allow the President some time just to basically figure out the timelines that it takes just to get some of this done."

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House Freedom Caucus set to unveil their own Obamacare repeal ... - CNN

LOS ANGELES

The head of the organization behind the Oscar awards has called for diversity and freedom of expression, saying the United States should not put barriers in the way of artists from around the world.

Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, told the 165 Oscar-nominated actors and filmmakers there was a "struggle globally today over artistic freedom that feels more urgent than at any time since the 1950s," an apparent reference to the anti-communist blacklists of some in the movie industry at the time.

Speaking Monday at a luncheon in Beverly Hills for the 2017 nominees, Isaacs noted that there were "some empty chairs in this room, which has made Academy artists activists."

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi and actress Taraneh Alidoosti, who stars in his foreign-language-nominated film "The Salesman," said last week they would boycott the February 26 Academy Awards to protest President Donald Trump's travel restrictions on Iranians and six other Muslim-majority countries.

Other Oscar nominees who expect to find difficulty traveling to Los Angeles for the ceremony include those behind documentary "The White Helmets," which is about civilian Syrian rescue workers.

Isaacs did not directly mention the travel restrictions, but she said, "America should always be not a barrier but a beacon. ... We stand up to those who would try to limit our freedom of expression."

"When we speak out against those who try to put up barriers, we reinforce this important truth: that all artists around the world are connected by a powerful bond, one that speaks to our creativity and common humanity," she said to loud applause.

Recent speeches

Isaacs' address followed fiery speeches at recent awards shows and rallies by such celebrities as Meryl Streep, Madonna and Ellen DeGeneres condemning the travel ban, supporting civil and women's rights, and criticizing Trump's behavior.

Isaacs, who is African-American, also cited the Academy's efforts to improve diversity in its ranks. After two straight years in which all 20 acting nominees were white, this year there are seven actors of color among the Oscar nominees.

"Wow! What a difference a year makes," she said.

Some 683 new members many of them women or people of color have joined the Academy in the past 12 months in a bid to make the body that chooses the Oscar winners more representative.

"When we reach out to be inclusive, we set a shining example," said Isaacs.

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Motion Picture Academy's Leader Speaks in Support of Artistic Freedom - Voice of America

Will Joe Six Packs realize theye been conned soon enough to keep their retirement savings from ending up on Wall Street instead of in their own pockets?

Donald Trump came out last Friday for a freedom most Americans never imagined they wanted and that only financial predators would embrace: the freedom to be fleeced.

Requiring financial advisors who manage retirement savings to put the interests of their clients first (a principle known as the fiduciary standard that requires a duty of loyalty) may not be consistent with the policies of my administration, Trump wrote in a Feb. 3 memorandum to the Secretary of Labor.

Putting clients first may adversely affect the ability of Americans to gain access to retirement information and financial advice, Trump wrote.

Understanding the Fiduciary Standard

Trumps memo takes aim at an Obama Administration rule designed to rein in greedy investment advisors handling retirement savings, such as 401(k) accounts. The rule was issued in April 6, 2016, but was not scheduled to be phased in until April 10, 2017, to Jan. 1, 2018 (for details see DOL Fiduciary Rule Explained as of Feb. 3, 2017).

Some financial advisors have always adhered to this standard, getting their income from management fees, rather than commissions. Others, however, have followed the much less stringent suitability standard. Under this rule, an investment only has to be "suitable" for the client (not the best possible choice). This leaves plenty of leeway for advisors to choose investment vehicles that offer healthy commissions to them, even if that means lower earnings for clients.

By one conservative estimate financial advisors raked in $17 billion a year in excess fees before the fiduciary rule was scheduled to take effect.

The new ruling decreed that advisors handling retirement funds must adhere to the stricter standard though they could still suggest non-retirement investments that didn't meet it. Removing commissions meant that advisors would likely charge some sort of money-management fee, perhaps requiring a certain size of retirement fund, the reason Trump could claim that Americans would lose access to information.

What Advisors Stand to Gain (And Retirees Lose)

This is about big moneymoney that could and should be yours, but that Trump would instead divert to Wall Street, a place Trump the candidate demonized.

I did a simple calculation to measure how much less you could end up having under this system than your retirement savings earned.

Imagine that, at age 20, you set aside $100 in after-tax earnings for old age in a Roth IRA. No taxes are due when you withdraw the money from a Roth at retirement. Now, imagine your savings earned a 5% annual return because investment advisors had to put your interests first. Imagine a second scenario under Trumps policy, in which your financial advisor raked off just one percentage point in annual fees, lowering your net return to 4% per year.

At age 70, that one-percentage-point difference in investment return results in $1,147 if you get 5%. If you'd gotten 4%, you'd reap just $711. The other $436 would have enriched your advisor.

Looked at another way, for each dollar Trumps policy would put in your pocket in old age you could have had $1.64 because a duty of loyalty is required.

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The Freedom to Make Safenot BadChoices

Imagine for a moment if we ran our licensing systems for doctors or pilots along the lines that Trump proposes, were government to adopt the Trump view that you should be free to make bad choices.

That would mean you should be free to consult a doctor who does unnecessary surgery to collect more fees, perhaps to support a bigger sailboat required larger monthly payments. In addition to the risks you run whenever you go under the knife, everyone in your health insurance pool would share in the cost of that unnecessary surgery.

If we followed the Trump theory of absolute freedom to choose, you could fly on an airline that skimps on aircraft maintenance and pilot training and flies through storm systems instead of around them. And if you die: Well, you exercised your freedom to choose. As for those on the ground when the plane felltoo bad for them, but at least their right to choose an unsafe airline was protected by our federal government.

If Trumps policy, as explained here, sounds crazy thats because it is. It is illustrative of something I keep saying: Donald Trump doesnt know anything. Its all bluster to make up for his appalling ignorance of economics, geopolitics, diplomacy, war and much else. If you ran into him in a bar and had never heard of him youd quickly conclude he was a blowhard.

Trumps directive is part of his promise to eliminate two regulations for each new one. That premise is moronic.

The Right Role for Regulations

First, we need to understand that everything is regulated and in civilized society always has been. Lending and investing money were regulated under Hammurabi's code, nearly 4000 years ago in what we today call Iraq. The pharaohs, the Israelites, the ancient Athenians and the Romans all had rules regulating loans and investments. Major League baseball even regulates how many stitches are on the ball.

Second, without specialists in everything from surgery to piloting planes to managing money we would all be a lot poorer. Adam Smith taught this in "The Wealth of Nations" with his story of how the cost of pins dropped from dear to almost nothing once the manufacturing tasks were broken into specialized operations.

Third, because none of us has the skill to judge the competence of every other occupationairline pilot, surgeon, stockbrokerwe need regulations so we can trust in the competency of those who hold in their hands our lives and our fortunes.

If people knew what was best about investments there would be no need for financial advisors. Because most people dont understand investments we need advisors and that means we need to regulate them for the benefit of investors.

This is not an argument for more regulation. All regulations should be written with an eye toward the least interference and the most economic, environmental, financial or social benefit. As I taught my students at Syracuse University College of Law, the best regulations are self-reinforcing of virtuous behavior while the worst enable vicious behavior.

Trumps directive is a classic of replacing a self-reinforcing virtuous regulation with a vicious policy.

Thats not surprising given Trumps decades longand thoroughly documentedhistory of cheating workers and vendors, as well as swindling investors. What his memo reveals is that the candidate who ran as the champion of Joe Sixpack, as the man who would take on those greedy Wall Street bankers, is at one with Wall Street.

The question Trumps memo raises is how long will it take the Joe Sixpacks to realize theyve been conned? Will it be soon enough to keep their retirement savings from ending up on Wall Street instead of in their own pockets? Or will we all face huge future tax costs to provide welfare for the elderly who saved, but did not reap the rewards?

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The Freedom To Be FleecedHow Donald Trump Made Financial ... - Daily Beast

BBC News

Obamas to get Freedom of the City of Dublin BBC News Former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle are to be granted the Freedom of the City of Dublin. Dublin City councillors voted to award the honour in recognition of Mr Obama's "moderating and progressive" influence on the world stage. Barack and Michelle Obama to be honored with Freedom of Dublin CityIrishCentral Walk-out at council meeting after Lord Mayor of Dublin awards Freedom of the City to the ObamasIrish Independent Barack and Michelle Obama to be awarded freedom of DublinIrish Times RTE.ie -The Times (subscription) -Newstalk 106-108 fm all 34 news articles »

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Obamas to get Freedom of the City of Dublin - BBC News

A steer made a run for its life after a escaping abutcherin the Parker County town of Weatherford, Texas -- the Cutting Horse Capital of the World.

The bovine escaped from the Hamilton Meats Butcher Shop last Thursday and roamed busy streets and evaded capture from police andanimalcontrol services for nearly two hours. Police say it even rammed a patrol car.

The steer almost made it home free until it ran into a couple of cowboys on horseback. Blake Davies and Justin Farber managed to rope down the steer in the middle of a busy street nearTacoBell and returned it to the butcher.

I just did what I had to do,Davies told the Weatherford Democrat.I justrunup there and thank God everybody stopped and seen me coming. I come blowing out that intersection right there towards at Walmart ... I was going fast and so was that cow.

The Weatherford Police Department posted the dashcamvideoof the determined bovine onFacebook and has gotten more than 6.2 million views.

No injuries were reported.

Story first appeared on FOX 4 NEWS.

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Steer gets a taste of freedom after escaping butcher shop - Fox News

After years of trying, Congress may, finally be set to update the laws surrounding the privacy of emails to the 21st Century. For the second consecutive Congress, the House has passed the Email Privacy Act by an overwhelming bi-partisan majority. After constant and inexplicable delays, perhaps this can be the year that basic due process protections for our online emails and files can make it into law.

The Email Privacy Act addresses a basic flaw in the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA). Ironically, ECPA was designed, as its name indicates, to strengthen legal due process with respect to electronic data and communications. The goal, of course, was to bring legal protections up to date with modern technology at the time. But the law was more protective of communications in transit than of data at rest, especially with respect to third-party data storage.

The actual text of ECPA (18 U.S. Code 2703) provides the means for government agencies to demand that any remote computing service cough up the contents of a wire or electronic communication that has been in electronic storage in an electronic communications system for more than one hundred and eighty days via administrative subpoena. In English, this means that your communications and data stored external to your computer, like in Gmail, Dropbox, or any other cloud service, can be demanded by the feds without a warrant (and without you being notified), so long as the requested files are over 180 days old.

In 1986, this provision wasnt a huge deal because the modern web didnt exist. Data storage was expensive, so most computer users stored their email and other files on their own hard drives. In the present day, tens of millions of people routinely store years worth of their communications and personal files alike on third-party cloud servers. The lack of a basic warrant requirement to access these is an insane breach of privacy.

The need to reform ECPA is so completely self-evident, in fact, that the House of Representatives passed the Email Privacy Act by a vote of 412-0 in 2016. Yet it went nowhere in a Senate preoccupied by the upcoming election, despite bi-partisan support for ECPA reform in that chamber.

Part of the hesitancy in passing ECPA reform has been protests from executive agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission that they need the ability to quickly grab documents as part of their investigations into various regulatory and criminal offenses. But there is a simple reply: Get a warrant. Court orders dont take a ton of time to get if there is probable cause. Outside of emergency situations, the system isnt supposed to make violating the privacy of peoples files and communications easy or convenient.

But a new Congress means a fresh start, and the Email Privacy Act has not only already been reintroduced by original sponsors Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan. (D, 65%) and Rep. Jared Polis, R-Colo. (F, 20%), but has already passed the House again, by an easy voice vote.

A great start. Now, in the spirit of better late than never, the Senate should take up the bill as soon as the major nomination crunch is over and send it to President Trumps desk.

Josh Withrow is an Associate Editor for Conservative Review and Director of Public Policy at Free the People. You can follow him on Twitter at @jgwithrow.

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Congressional tech forecast: Clouds with a chance of freedom - Conservative Review

WJHL

The Beach Boys to perform at Freedom Hall this spring WJHL JOHNSON CITY, TN (WJHL) The sounds of summer and good vibrations will soon rumble throughout Johnson City. The iconic American rock band, The Beach Boys, will perform in northeast Tennessee this spring. They will perform at Freedom Hall on April ... and more »

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The Beach Boys to perform at Freedom Hall this spring - WJHL

Applications for Freedom Week have just opened. And if you are aged between 18-25, you should be interested.

A joint project of the ASI and IEA, Freedom Week 2017 will be held from 3 8 July.

What is Freedom Week? It is a week-long series of lectures and seminars where around 30 of the best and brightest young thinkers are gathered for the time of their lives. I say this not because I work for the ASI (though I do), but because last year I went on Freedom Week, and it proved to be one of the best weeks Ive ever had.

Though daunting at first, meeting all on the week was a pleasure, everyone was so interesting and kind, and willing to lock horns on subjects from Veganism to the Gold Standard. Many I met on Freedom Week have proved to be friends that I still talk to and meet today. Through attending, I met the team at the ASI, including President Madsen Pirie who pointed me in the direction of applying for one of their Gap-Year internship positions, as well as giving invaluable university advice. And that is why I am sat here writing this now, in the ASI office in Westminster!

Regardless of your background, Freedom Week will give you the opportunity to explore the economic, philosophical and political implications of free market ideas, immersed in talks from some of Britains leading thinkers.

As if that wasn't enough, there'll be as many evening activities as you can handle, including a BBQ, a drinks reception, several dinners in the College, trips to local pubs and a seriously fun pub quiz. Attendees will also be able to try their hand at punting on the River Cam, and will have free time to explore Cambridge.

Memories have been etched into my mind that will stay with me forever all of them good. We worked as hard as we played on Freedom Week. It proved an unparalleled opportunity to network, but doing so was never a chore.

And the best bit? It is all completely free, all expenses paid (apart from beer money of course!) Though, I should mention, gaining a place is highly competitive.

Our brand new website is now live and ready for you to apply. Places are given as and when they come, so dont delay, pop your name into the hat for the spiciest soire out there.

Read more here:

Freedom Week 2017 - The Adam Smith Institute (blog)