Daily Archives: April 13, 2017

Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) says that a compromise health care bill will pass the House of Representatives in weeks because Republicans are afraid of the catastrophic results if it doesnt. He made the comments in an interview with Capital Download Wednesday.

Within a few weeks, I think D.C. is going to be a little bit shocked, Brat pronounced, Were going to get to yes.

The American Health Care Act failed to even go to a vote when the Freedom Caucus objected to it not offering conservative enough solutions to Obamacares failures. When the bill was changed to meet their objections, support dropped out of the other end with moderate Republicans, and the supporters of the legislation decided to pull the vote altogether. It was seen as an embarrassment for President Trump, who had backed the bill and promised to repeal Obamacare on the first day of his presidency.

Brat is one of the leaders of the Freedom Caucus, a group of House Republicans who are politically conservative and demand free market solutions to Heath Care.

The new guys on the block are showing up in an environment now where were having these town halls, and were getting just annihilated, right? Bratexplained.The Democrats are showing up: The Indivisible group, the Resist group. They said, Were upset. They said, We were asleep; we thought Hillary was going to get in. Were ticked off, so were going to take it out on you.

Brat believes the bill will also pass in the Senate.This isnt about Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, right, he said, and your community leaders. This is the big time, with trillions of dollars at stake. Theyll be a war; there always is. Somebody will get thrown under the bus usually people with principles. But this is a win-win, and the Senate, theres going to be pressure on the Senate, too.

Brat said the president will use his political power to get it passed.He wants to pass this thing, so hes putting a little heat on us, he explained. Hes fun that way.

Trump had blamed the Freedom Caucus and called them out by name on Twitter, but Brat makes it sound like they might be on the side of this bill this time and avoid such social media castigations.

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Health care compromise bill will pass soon, says Freedom Caucus leader - TheBlaze.com

Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) believes that Congress will pass new healthcare legislation in weeks, even as the White House and GOP lawmakers struggle to coalesce around a deal to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

Within a few weeks, I think D.C. is going to be a little bit shocked, the conservative lawmaker said in an interview with Capital Download, which was reported by USA Todayon Wednesday.Were going to get to yes.

Brat, a member of the Freedom Caucus, which helped sink the last GOP healthcare plan, warned of a huge brawl if Republicans fail to act on their longtime promise to get rid of the Affordable Care Act.

The Freedom Caucus was one of the strongest factions opposing the House's healthcare bill last month, with several members arguing that it did too closely resembled ObamaCare.

President Trump recently signaled that he would still prefer to pass healthcare legislation before moving on to other policy areas.

"We are going to have a phenomenal tax reform, but I have to do healthcare first. I want to do it first to really get it right," Trump said in an interview with Fox Business Network.

Republican have reportedly been considering ways to allow individual states to opt out of parts of ObamaCare. That, in turn, would free insurers there from having to offer minimum benefits or charge the same price to customers who are the same age.

Brat said the matter should be decided at the state level.

"Thats the conservative principle, right? ... Fifty laboratories, 50 experiments going on simultaneously where you can see what works and what doesnt work, Brat said.

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Freedom Caucus member predicts healthcare passage in weeks - The Hill

Louisianans overwhelmingly support protections that prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, but are split on whether businesses should be allowed to deny services to customers for religious reasons.

The latest and final installment of the 2017 Louisiana Survey explores public opinion on LGBT rights and concerns about religious freedoms and traditional values.

The survey of 1,012 respondents found that 47% of Louisianans support so-called religious-freedom laws that protect the liberty of business operators to conduct activities that align with their personal religious beliefs.

Another 49%, however, believe businesses should be required to provide services to allregardless of the customers sexual orientation.

The most widely cited examples of this practice involve individuals or businesses that provide wedding services but object to providing these services to same-sex couples, the report says. Opponents contend these laws would permit discrimination against LGBT individuals.

Unsurprisingly, the split among Louisianans falls along partisan lines, with 70% of Louisiana Republicans saying its acceptable for business owners to refuse services to same-sex couples on the basis of religion. Meanwhile, 73% of Louisiana Democrats say businesses should be required to serve same-sex couples as they would others.

Opinion in Louisiana is remarkably similar to opinion across the country, the report notes. Like the United States as a whole, Louisianans are split about evenly between those who think businesses should be allowed to refuse services to same-sex couples on religious grounds and those who believe these businesses should be required to provide their services.

Nationally, 71% of Republicans support business owners exercising their religious liberties and refusing services to same-sex couples, while 67% of Democrats dont.

Opinion in Louisiana tends to lean conservative, particularly in the area of transgender rights and bathroom usage. A majority of those surveyed56%think transgender people should use the public bathroom of the sex they are born into.

This is particularly true among Democrats. Nationally, a clear majority of Democrats (68 percent) think transgender people should be allowed to use the restroom of the gender with which they currently identify, but in Louisiana only about half of Democrats (51 percent) think so.

Todays release is the sixth report in a series on the publics views on state policy. Previous installments of the 2017 report include Louisianans opinions on the Affordable Care Act and the states Medicaid expansion; equal pay; their views on taxes and budget cuts; Louisianans outlook on the direction of the state; and on criminal justice reform.

The 2017 Louisiana Survey is produced by LSUs Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs. The survey was conducted from Feb. 23 through March 23 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Access the full sixth report.

Alexandria Burris

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Louisianans split on religious freedom laws for businesses - Greater Baton Rouge Business Report

The Wilson baseball team was four outs away from a win over Freedom, leading 6-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning and nobody on.

Warriors pitcher Alec Snyder had retired 10 of the 13 batters he faced since coming on in relief to start the third inning and the freshman looked to be well on his way to the win.

That all changed in the blink of an eye or however long it took Patriots senior first baseman Evan Callahan to race down the line and leg out a two-out single.

Im not known for my speed, Callahan grinned.

But he had enough to turn a chopper to shortstop into an infield single, and eventually, a 6-1 deficit into a four-run lead.

Freedom went on to stage a nine-run rally in the bottom of the sixth to fend off Wilson 10-6 Wednesday in non-league action.

This is definitely a big win for us, just proving to ourselves that we can do anything and theres no situation we cant overcome, said Callahan, who tore his MCL in a November football game and missed a bulk of the wrestling season because of it.

The Patriots (5-0) may have experienced some hangover effects from its 4-3 win over Easton on Tuesday through the first five and a half innings, but turned it around in time to pull out the win.

We were flat the entire game. It started in (batting practice), continued in and out and I had a completely different (postgame) speech going for them in the sixth inning with the way they were playing, Freedom coach Nick DAmico said. But some people stepped up today. Thats a quality, quality win by a team that wasnt playing well for six innings.

After Callahans single, pinch-hitter Tyler Cooper lined a single to left field. Designated hitter Alec Huertas came up next and roped a single to center field, then took second on a heads up play. The throw to nab him got away, allowing the junior to race around to home plate and complete the little league home run as the Patriots closed within 6-4.

David Smith then singled, stole second and scored on Thomas Bonillas single to left field. Bonilla followed that with a steal of his own, allowing him to score on a single from pinch-hitter Griffin Connelly to tie the game 6-6.

It was only a matter of time before Freedom grabbed the lead as Jonah Mateo walked, Jake Petro hit a squibber for an infield single, Tim Healy singled, Callahan was hit by a pitch and then Cooper finished off the wild sequence with another single that made it 10-6 all in an inning kept alive by Callahan busting it down the line.

Whenever you get a chance to extend an inning like that, you cant just be lazy and jog it out, Callahan said. I never thought it would happen I never thought I could say I hit an infield single but Im really happy about it."

Cain Cabrera then closed it out on the mound in the top of the seventh for the Patriots win.

You get some lucky hits, you get some solid hits, you get some errors thats how you hang a nine-spot up in one inning," Wilson coach Josh Hinkle said. "(They're) a team thats undefeated for a reason. ... We had a couple opportunities to get out of it and we just didnt make the routine plays there and some balls fell in.

The Warriors (4-3) had put together a two-out rally of their own earlier in the fourth inning to break a 1-1 tie, even after getting a runner thrown out at home.

With the bases loaded, catcher Nick Strehl cracked a single to left field, which got past Smith and allowed Wilson to clear the bases. Another Freedom error allowed Strehl to score and then Gabe Karslo (3-for-3) ripped an RBI double down the left field line to make it 6-1.

We tell them to play one out at a time, who cares who were playing, conference or non-conference, trying to make good contact and see what happens, Hinkle said. We had a big inning where we put up five runs and then they responded. When youre playing a quality team, thats what you expect to happen.

Brandon Miller, a St. Johns commit, went 1-for-1 with three walks for the Warriors in addition to making a highlight-reel diving grab in center field that robbed Callahan of extra bases in the second inning.

Callahan would find a way on when it mattered most, though, using some unheralded wheels to change the game.

I was trying to take the energy and turn it around all game, Callahan said. Earlier in the game, I was trying to get some kids up and going, but it doesnt always work like that. Sometimes you need effort on the field to get kids going. You gotta lead by example. Sometimes thats what it takes.

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Callahan sparks 2-out, 9-run rally to send Freedom baseball past Wilson - lehighvalleylive.com

Freedom to Marry founder Evan Wolfson with the plaintiffs in Baehr v. Miike (Hawaii, 1996), the first same-sex marriage case brought to trial. Photo courtesy of Marilyn Humphries.

In 1996, the year Congress passed the federal Defense of Marriage Act which denied legally married same-sex couples the same protections and responsibilities afforded to different-sex couples Gallup asked Americans:Do you think marriages between same-sex couples should or should not be recognized as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages?

Sixty-eight percent of those polled responded negatively, 37 percent responded positively and 5 percent had no opinion.

Twenty years, a landmark Supreme Court ruling and 37 states affirming the freedom to marry for same-sex couples later, Gallup found that the numbers had essentially flipped: 61 percent in the affirmative, 37 percent negative, 2 percent without an opinion.

Key to that vast cultural and legal shift was Freedom to Marry, the national coalition that pushed for marriage equality on all fronts. The stories of more than 20 people in and around Freedom to Marry are the subjects of the latest project from the Oral History Center at UC Berkeleys Bancroft Library. The oral histories document both the reversal in public opinion about marriage and the actions of the individuals and organizations that stoked those changes.

Details and nuances captured in the roughly 100 hours of recordings archived at the OHC are intended to keep the depth and color of the Freedom to Marry movement from fading over time.

What we got out of these interviews, says Oral History Center director Martin Meeker, is an amazing amount of detail that is really fine-grained. We have access to details of the campaigns and the internal debates that will slip away over time because people just wont remember them.

Interviewers from the OHC worked extensively with key figures in the Freedom to Marry movement, including movement founder Evan Wolfson; Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights; James Esseks, director of the ACLUs LGBT and HIV project; and Thalia Zepatos, Freedom to Marrys message guru.

Wolfson, who was interviewed for more than 10 hours, is a significant figure in the movement and is of particular interest for the OHCs project. Wolfson has been a leading thinker and strategist around the same-sex marriage cause. As a law student at Harvard in the 1980s, Wolfson produced a thesis advocating for same-sex marriage a cause position that was not popular in the LGBT community at the time.

In the 70s and early 80s, there were very few people, maybe only a handful, that were advocating extending marriage to same-sex couples including gay people, explains Meeker. Most gay people at the time were more in line with abolishing marriage rather than extending it. Marriage was viewed as a tool of the patriarchy, yet here was this young law school student producing a smart and interesting argument why same-sex marriage shouldnt just be on the agenda of the gay movement, but at the top of it.

The Freedom to Marry project chronicles the evolution of that idea and the many successes and setbacks along the way, including numerous legal and legislative challenges to same-sex marriage. Legal cases like the first-ever trial over same-sex marriage (HawaiisBaehr v. Lewin) and theU.S.Supreme Courts 2015 decision inObergefell v. Hodgesare put under a microscope by the people who worked closely on the cases. Legislative action and political maneuvering, such as the passage of Californias anti-same-sex-marriage Proposition 8 in 2008 and the role of congressional Republicans and the Tea Party movement of 2010, are also told in tremendous detail.

What an oral history project does, says Meeker, is it allows key individuals to speak in their own words about the work they did and reflect on the significance of that work. A lot of the interviews go into some of the more difficult or more personal moments of success or failure. These are things that arent spoken about publicly, but theyre a part of the history. Were documenting things that almost certainly wouldnt have been seen or heard otherwise.

The OHCs Freedom to Marry project is available now on the Bancroft Libraryswebsite, as areMeekers thoughtson how lessons of Freedom to Marry can be applied to similar movements arising in response to the election of President Trump.

Additionally, Meeker and the OHC will host a brown-bag lunchtime presentation on how narrative can be employed as a strategy for social change in Room 267 of the Bancroft Library on Monday, April 17.

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How 'Defense of Marriage' became 'Freedom to Marry' - UC Berkeley

"Badassity"is the philosophy of wildly popular personal finance blogger Mr Money Mustache,a frugal-living internet sensation uniting savers around the globe.

Canadian-born, US-based Peter Adeney is Mr Money Mustache, a hardcore saver who pulls no punches when it comes to the financial "badassity"it takes to retire early.

He says his goals areto make you rich so you can retire early,to make youhappyso you can properly enjoy your early retirement and to save the whole human race from destroying itself through overconsumption of its habitat.

The blog presents frugality as a lifestyle of liberation, not deprivation and chronicles Adeney's extreme saving methods and no holds barred opinions on how we waste our money.

While millions of others his age were "living ridiculously expensive lifestyles while thinking they were completely normal", Adeney and his wife were saving thousands to reach the goal of retiring in their 30s. Adeneyofficially retired from his "real job"in the tech industry in 2005 and later started the blog that has garnered attention from thousands of followers.

"If you're going to become rich, you need to either earn way more money than you spend, or spend way less money than you earn. This is the basic math of it, which even the worst complainypants cannot dispute." Mr Money Mustache.

Adeney took the "spend way less money than you earn"route to reach his goal of retiring at 30.

Here are a few tried and tested methods Adeney has for slashing household spending and socking away as much cash as possible for early retirement or a big savings goal.

It's obvious, but small daily expenses add up. Throughout the blog, Adeney's frugal examples pack a mathematical punch when he crunches the numbers for readers on what their daily expenditures amount to over time, challenging them to think of a recurring expense not on an individual basis but over a decade if they invested what they spent. A $100-a-week restaurant habit adds up to $67,454.00 over 10 years, including compound.

It's a pretty compelling method to change your mindset around daily expenditures. Punch the number of your daily expenses into the Money Smart Compound Interest calculator to see for yourself.

Adeney evades the expensive cost of car ownership by cyclingaround his hometown of Longmont, Colorado, where possible. Even if you do own a car, he advocates being judicious about where you take it. "Paying for parking is a sign from God that you're in an area not designed for a car," he says. "You are fighting the design of your city."

According to the 2016 Transport Affordability Index Report by the Australian Automotive Association, a typical two-car Sydney household faces weekly transport costs of $424 or $22,050 a yearahead of Brisbane and then Melbourne at $19,409 and $18,575 a year respectively. Think about improving your health and wealth by car pooling, using public transport, cycling or walking where possible.

The 2016 Rabo Direct Food and Farming report shows Victorians spent an average of $149 a week on their grocery bills and as nation, we scrape a staggering $10 billion of food waste off our plates and from our fridges into the rubbish. Wiser spending in the grocery aisle can shave hundreds of dollars a month from your food bill and minimise waste.

Adeney says the grocery store is the only shop he visits more than once a month, but he is vigilant about steering clear of convenience and pre-packaged food.

Reducing meat consumption, shopping your pantry first to avoid double purchasing and not being afraid to dabble in the "home brand"arena are simple ways to reduce grocery spend.

Adeney's methods can be extreme, but there is no arguing they are effective. With one son, Adeney and his wife describe themselves as having a life of abundance, but spending on average just $24,000 a year. He's on a mission to make you think about how you spend every dollar and achieve financial freedom through frugality. One DIY hair cut at a time.

Catherine Robson is an award-winning financial planner withAffinity Private.Twitter:@CatherineAtAff.

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Financial freedom through frugality - The Sydney Morning Herald

Dale Bartscher 2:05 p.m. CT April 13, 2017

Last year, Target adopted a corporate policy allowing individuals the freedom to choose which restroom to use based on their self-perceived gender identity. As a result a man who identifies himself as a woman may use the same restroom as Little Maria or Grandma Emma. I think this is a terrible policy.

In 2015, Starbucks publicly announced its support for same-sex marriage. When some stockholders objected to the company taking a public stance on a divisive issue, CEO Howard Shultz told them that if they didnt like the companys position, You can sell your shares in Starbucks and buy shares in another company. I also think that was a wrong decision for the coffee company to take.

But Im also a staunch supporter of freedom. And freedom allows for differences of opinion. It means that people, organizations, and companies can espouse certain values and beliefs with which I disagree. It means that they can act consistent with those beliefs without fear of being thrown in jail or fined into oblivion by the government. So while I disagree with the positions taken by Target and Starbucks, I do not believe that the government should be able to tell them what to believe or whether they can operate their business consistent with their values.

Freedom is what Senate Bill 149 is all about. It ensures that adoption agencies across the state can operate consistent with their religious beliefs without fear of being shut down or punished by the government for doing so.

Some people are going to agree with the religious convictions held by some of the adoption agencies in the state; others will staunchly disagree with those beliefs. And that is okay. In fact, that is what makes America distinct from many other countries on earth. We can strongly disagree about beliefs and ideas and still peacefully live together.

The opponents of SB 149, do not simply disagree with the beliefs held by religious adoption agencies in S.D., they oppose giving adoption agencies the freedom to hold those beliefs. They want the government to have the authority to determine what organizations can believe and whether or not they can operate in accordance with those beliefs.

So if a local government, any government, disagrees with an adoption agencys belief regarding the importance of placing a child with a married mother and father, then opponents of SB 149 think the government should be able to shut down that agency.

That, my friends, is not freedom.

If SB 149s opponents are so upset that some adoption agencies may hold values they dont like, I have a suggestion for them: start your own adoption agency. Start a dozen of them. Set your own policies and incorporate your own beliefs into your agencies practices. If a local government, any government, disagrees with your agencies beliefs, maybe then you will see the wisdom of SB 149. Because in that moment, you will hopefully realize that SB 149 also protects your freedom to operate your adoption agencies consistent with your beliefs.

MY VOICE

Dale Bartscher, Rapid City, is executive director of the Family Heritage Alliance. My Voice columns should be 500 to 700 words. Submissions should include a portrait-type photograph of the author. Authors also should include their full name, age, occupation and relevant organizational memberships.

Send columns to Argus Leader, Box 5034, Sioux Falls, SD 57117-5034, fax them to 605-331-2294 or email them to letters@argusleader.com.

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My Voice: Freedom in SB 149 yours and mine - Sioux Falls Argus Leader

Kaylea M. Hutson-Miller news@miaminewsrecord.com

GROVE - As he gazed upon his new Action Trackchair, Woodrow Greenfeather summed up his feelings in one word.

Freedom.

"I'll be able to get back into the woods and go hunting and fishing, and do all kinds of stuff," Greenfeather said, as he watched Melanie and Dan Carlson unload his chair on Saturday, April 8. "This means freedom. It's awesome."

The chair, provided to Greenfeather by a grant from the Independence Fund, is an all-terrain wheelchair, outfitted with a 12-amp battery charger, tilt function, cushioned armrests, fixed footrest, Type 1 tracks, rear stability wheels, and independent flip arms.

The chair is designed to travel all forms of terrain including snow, ice, mud and water.

Greenfeather received the chair, worth more than $13,000 through Carlson Mobility, an Austin, Texas-based company, thanks to the funding provided by the Independence Fund.

The organization, supported by Bill O'Reilly, provides wounded veterans and their caregivers a way to take control of their lives.

Officials with the fund do this by providing resources and tools that enable veterans to work through physical, mental and emotional wounds in order to regain their independence.

"I love it," Greenfeather said, as he finished his initial test drive. "I'm almost in tears right now."

How it began

Greenfeather first learned of the Action Trackchair in February while attending the MidSouth Tackle, Hunting and Boat Show in Grove.

"I was looking at them from a distance," Greenfeather said. "I knew I couldn't afford a chair. Melanie called me over and asked me what happened. She told me 'I can get you a chair.'

"I had my doubts. That was two months ago, and now here it is. Melaine is awesome."

Melanie Carlson said she and her husband, Dan, often attend shows, not to sell chairs, but instead to provide information to veterans on the various programs available to fund chairs.

In this instance, the Carlsons worked with Greenfeather to apply for two different funding sources. When those did not materialize, Greenfeather said Melanie Carlson said kept looking.

"Melanie is a nurse. She likes to take care of people," Dan Carlson said. "She keeps track of all of the guys - especially ones like him [Greenfeather] who slip thru the cracks. It's just so much fun to help them out."

While Greenfeather did not qualify for a chair using the traditional route, the Carlsons were able to help him get a refurbished chair, returned by a veteran who could no longer use it.

"I like the fact that we're taking a perfectly good chair, and giving it to someone else," Dan Carlson said.

In this case, the Independence Fund was able to help rehab the chair - which Dan Carlson said was less than a year old - and outfit Greenfeather with several accessories, including a way to haul it with his car.

On Saturday, the Carlsons spent at least an hour on Saturday, helping Greenfeather learn about the features of his chair.

"It's pretty rewarding," Melanie Carlson said. "I'm very honored."

More about Greenfeather

Greenfeather received multiple injuries while serving with the 101st Airborne, during the initial invasion into Iraq. Because of this, he was medically discharged from the U.S. Army in 2007.

Those injuries were further exasperated in September 2013, when Greenfeather was involved in a motorcycle accident in southern Delaware county.

That incident, he said, left him without feeling in his legs from the calf down, as well as limited mobility in his arms and back.

Those injures not only meant he could no longer go hunting and fishing, it also forced him to step down from his role with the Hickory Grove Fire Department.

"This is going to let me go hunting again, and fish from the banks [of Grand Lake]," Greenfeather said. "All I can do now is fish from the docks."

About Carlson Mobility

Carlson Mobility is a distributor of Action Trackchairs. Based in Austin, Texas, the Carlsons' territory includes New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and parts of Louisiana.

Action Trackchairs were developed by Dan Carlson's uncle, Tim Swenson, after his son, Jeff, was paralyzed in a car accident.

"He wanted to find ways to get my cousin back outdoors," Dan Carlson said. "We take all of this very personally. It's not just a job, but it's a family affair."

He added the couple are currently working with two other veterans, they met during the MidSouth show. If those veterans qualify for chairs, the Carlsons expect to return to Grove.

In addition to Greenfeather's chair, the pair made stops in Dallas, Woodward and El Reno, dropping chairs off with other veterans - all paid for through donations from the Independence Fund.

About the Independence Fund

Carrie Stead, care director for the Independence Fund, said the organization strives to get veterans back outdoors as a way to thank them.

"They gave their time in the service," Stead said. "The least we can do is give them back some of their independence."

While new chairs cost upwards of $13,000, Stead said refurbished chairs can cost approximately $5,000, depending upon what needs to be fixed for its new owner.

A physical therapist by trade, and the wife of a veteran wounded in 2009 in Afghanistan, Stead said watching veterans regain their freedom is priceless.

For more information about the Independence Fund, persons interested may visit http://independencefund.org. For more information about Action Trackchairs and Carlson Mobility, persons interested may visit http://www.trackchairsoutheast.com, http://www.facebook.com/carlsonmobility or 512-769-6376.

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Freedom: Grant provides veteran all-terrain vehicle - Miami News Record