(Artist: Gary Varvel, The Indianapolis Star, 2010)

In its first nine months, the ObamaCare “tanning bed tax” raised only $54.4 million, barely one-third of the roughly $150 million predicted when the controversial — and costly — health care law was being debated in Congress. 

The trouble with legislation today is that the devil is in the details, and those details are usually created by the federal bureaucracy. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, popularly known as ObamaCare, was signed into law on March 23rd, 2010.

Scrap Minimum Wage Laws

“To lean forward is to think bigger, listen closer, fight smarter, and act faster.” – MSNBC.com

This chart, published by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's office, has made the rounds online recently, particularly on social networking websites.

"Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery."
—President Calvin Coolidge

At FreedomWorks, we have a saying that goes, “Lower Taxes + Less Government = More Freedom”. It’s a fairly simple, yet effective formula with an end in mind that virtually all Americans would agree is desirable. So why is it so difficult to accomplish in the modern political world? The answer boils down in part to the difference between how the federal government treats tax cuts and spending hikes.

President Obama’s State of the Union address this evening will mark the passage of the 1000th day since the Democrat-controlled Senate passed a budget. In his address this evening, the President will likely propose even more federal spending despite the enormous deficit and the unprecedented $15 trillion dollar national debt. Without a budget from our elected representatives to provide restraint to Washington bureaucrats, this increased spending will continue unchecked.