Engrained in the culture of America are the principles that we hold dear: limited government, free markets, and individual liberty. But most of the leaders in Washington, D.C. are not believers of these sacred principles. Our challenge in 2012 is to return to that culture by looking beyond politics.

We must do more than change the politicians; we must change the voters; we must change the culture.

The dramatic, sudden, and spontaneous rise of the Tea Party movement is already proof of that changing culture. And a changing culture makes the politics easy. Just look at how the Tea Party fueled the GOP takeover of the House in 2010. For the first time in decades, we are not debating how much to spend, but how much to cut. By changing the culture, the political reality changes as well.

But in 2012, bold new steps must be taken. The Tea Party momentum must not just be maintained but accelerated. The movement must continue to grow. Not just in numbers but in political sophistication, in the ability to organize and communicate independently of national offices and leaders, to offer solutions as well as protests, in the ability of activists to rely on personal knowledge of the fundamentals of freedom. 2012 must be a year of dramatic progress in the cause of freedom.

In Congress, federal spending must actually be cut — and cut drastically. There must be an actionable plan — and a Constitutional requirement — to balance the budget permanently. The tax code must be reformed and replaced with one that is fairer, flatter, and simpler. The regulatory tsunami, the unprecedented power acquired and flaunted by the EPA and others agencies, must end.

The Progressive model, first championed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1912, will be 100 years old this year. Obama is the clearest example, the most passionate adherent, of the Progressive ideal ever to be President. Progressive thinking is deeply ingrained at all levels of government, in the culture, the media and in the political assumptions of some Americans.

But the Progressive model has utterly failed. As the Obama administration has proven, Progressivism only leads to unsustainable debt, systemic unemployment, a teetering economy, a weakened social fabric and growing dependency culture, class warfare, and massive corruption. For the first time in our history, Americans fear the future.

Human Action

How We Take America Back in 2012

“Being a service center to the Tea Party — that’s what FreedomWorks is all about,” declared Glenn Beck.

400 North Capitol St., NW Suite 765

Washington, DC 20001

Tel: 202.783.3870Toll Free: 888.564.6273www.FreedomWorks.org

FreedomWorks and FreedomWorks Foundation recruit, educate, train and mobilize millions of volunteer activists to fight for lower taxes, less government and more freedom.

The Quarterly Newsletter of the FreedomWorks Community

Continued on page 6

Vol 1 l Iss 3 l WINTER 2011

On The Cover“By changing the culture, the political reality changes as well. But in 2012, bold new steps must be taken.” • 1

Taking ActionFW Takes on School Choice Fight in South Carolina • 3

Educate & PromoteFreedomWorks University Class is in Session • 5

Tea Party Debt Commission Proposes $9.7 Trillion in CutsSenate Rules Committee Tries to Silence Report • 8

Meet the DarlandsA family of FreedomWorks supporters shares their story • 11

A Letter from the PresidentWhen I think about this fourth year of the Obama presidency, I’m reminded that

2011 was a year most of us would probably like to forget.Bloated budgets, increased spending, and regulations enacted unilaterally against

the will of the American people. The thin veneer of “fiscal responsibility” preached by the President after the midterm election faded into the typical class warfare rhetoric of a liberal candidate on the campaign trail.

Record millions are still unemployed. Millions are trapped in their unsold homes. Millions more are in poverty and on food stamps. Americans face $1.6 trillion in annual deficits, and sky-high fuel and food prices.

But times often grow darkest before renewal. 2011 was also a period of unprecedented activity and membership growth at FreedomWorks. We now have over 1.5 million members and, in the last year alone, FreedomWorks members have sent over 1.1 million calls, emails, and letters to Washington in support of limited

government, free markets, and individual liberty. Our online network has also grown substantially with the birth of our online activism portal, FreedomConnector, which has grown to over 144,000 users, and our continued social media dominance on both Twitter and Facebook.

We have so many exciting plans for our FreedomWorks community in 2012, many of which are detailed in this latest edition of Human Action. From FreedomWorks University to FreedomConnector, we’re educating activists, mobilizing local groups and preparing 2012 to be the year we take America back!

I hope you enjoy this newsletter because nothing in these pages would be possible without the support of dedicated members like you.

Thank you very much. In Liberty,

Matt Kibbe, President and CEO

2 / FreedomWorks H HUMAN ACTION

FreedomWorks Board of DirectorsThe Honorable Dick Armey Chairman, Former House Majority LeaderThe Honorable James H. Burnley Venable LLPMatt Kibbe, President and CEO FreedomWorksThomas Knudsen Thomas Publishing Company Richard J Stephenson Cancer Treatment Centers of America

FreedomWorks Foundation Board of DirectorsThe Honorable Dick Armey Co-ChairmanFormer House Majority LeaderThe Honorable C. Boyden Gray Co-ChairmanFormer Ambassador to the EU Steve Forbes Vice Chairman Forbes, Inc. Matt Kibbe President and CEO FreedomWorksTed Abram American Institute for Full EmploymentRobert T.E. Lansing The Westminster FundsFrank M. Sands, Sr. Sands Capital Management

Senior StaffAdam Brandon Vice President, Communications Wayne T. Brough, Ph.D. Chief Economist & Vice President, ResearchDavid Kirby Vice President, Development Molly Byrne Vice President, Member MarketingDean Clancy Legislative Counsel and Vice President, Health Care PolicyJudy Mulcahy Vice President, Operations Max Pappas Vice President, Public Policy Russ Walker National Political Director Brendan Steinhauser Federal and State Campaigns Director

I’ve always been passionate about the topic of school choice. My wife is an award-winning teacher in a Maryland school district and she’s witnessed firsthand how teachers unions protect bad teachers at the expense of good ones. She’s seen how the system perpetuates mediocrity at the expense of students. My wife and I are also expecting our first child. And I want to ensure that we have the freedom to choose the type of education that gives our child the best chance to learn, grow, and succeed. School choice, for every student and parent, is a personal fight for me.

That’s why I’m proud to announce that FreedomWorks has launched a massive campaign to help pass much-needed education reform in South Carolina. South Carolina currently ranks 47th in the nation in test scores, despite average spending of almost $12,000 per student annually. With this in mind, the need for good reform that allows parents to choose their child’s school is critically important.

As Oran Smith, President of the Palmetto Family Council, put it, “It’s the future of our children that is at stake here. All parents need viable options if their child isn’t receiving what they need in the traditional public school classroom.”

Thanks to FreedomWorks’ supporters, we’ve been able to team up with our mas-sive local activist network and have already distributed 5,000 t-shirts, 5,000 bumper magnets, 20,000 palm cards and 10,000 stickers to be used at educational events. FreedomWorks staff has also held events in Rock Hill, Myrtle Beach, Conway, and

FreedomWorks H HUMAN ACTION / 3

Campaigns Coordinator David Spielman speaks to South Carolina activists about school choice.

FreedomWorks Takes on the

By David Spielman — Campaigns Coordinator

“South Carolina currently ranks

47th in the nation in test scores

despite average spending of

almost $12,000 per student. With

this in mind, the need for good

reform that allows parents to choose

their child’s school is critically

important.”

School Choice Fightin South Carolina

Charleston, and will continue to educate grassroots activists on the importance of passing a school choice bill.

But that’s really just laying the groundwork. Back in May, the South Carolina House of Representatives tabled a school choice bill by just one vote. We can’t afford to let school choice slip through our hands in 2012. That’s why we’re upping the ante by printing thousands of yard signs and door hangers while mobilizing activists to make call

lists, schedule lobbying visits, and organize rallies. We will be relentless until school choice is a reality in South Carolina.

“At the end of the day it’s about our kids,” commented Rep. Bill Herbkersman, who supported the bill in the last legislative session. “It’s about the kids in this state; the kids being able to compete in a world market, in a national market, and in some instances a state market.” Interested in starting a School Choice

campaign in your state? Email David Spielman at dspielman@freedomworks.org

4 / FreedomWorks H HUMAN ACTION

Marketing Coordinator Michael Duncan joined FreedomWorks in August of 2010 after graduating from Indiana University and interning in Washington, D.C. for the Cato Institute and Congressman Jeff Flake. Michael provides FreedomWorks members with opportunities to get involved and manages the production of online and print communications to members. Michael was recently given the Cowen Award for displaying outstanding personal and professional integrity, and dedication to the cause of economic freedom and the advancement of free market principles.

Meet Our Staff Michael Duncan

Flat Tax Would Be a Win for the American PeopleA flat tax will mark a significant victory for the American people over the iron triangle of lobbyists, special interests

and politicians in Washington.The current tax code is a byzantine jumble defined by loopholes and special interest carve-outs. It throws taxpayers

into a 60,000-page mire of dead weight, red tape, inefficiency, loss, cost, frustration and fear of prosecution. While the average American taxpayer spends 26.5 hours preparing and sending in taxes, companies and wealthy people hire teams of accountants and tax attorneys to game the system.

Under a flat tax, individuals would have the option to file their taxes in just five minutes on a form the size of a postcard. Small businesses could concentrate on expanding their business rather than jumping through hoops in the tax code.

The simpler system would end double taxation on savings to help boost job growth. It would rationalize the tax code, and the billions saved in compliance costs and man hours would be a major stimulant to the economy. In short, the flat tax is a private-sector driven boost to the economy, as opposed to trillions of dollars wasted in failed debt stimu-lus.

Furthermore, all serious flat-tax proposals are optional. If you want to waste your weekends looking at spreadsheets and itemizing, or pay a tax specialist to do it for you, that’s your choice. The only thing flat-tax opponents and lobbyists fear more than giving American taxpayers a choice is losing the unfair advantage the current systems gives them.

The purpose of the tax code is to raise revenue. Anything beyond raising revenue is a corruption of the tax code because social engineering gives the government the authority to pick winners and losers in society. Under the flat tax, the tax code will treat all citizens the same.

The flat tax is gaining traction in the presidential race because for the first time, we have a citizens’ movement focusing on fiscal responsibility. And the momentum for a flat tax is growing on Capitol Hill as Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., are in the final stages of crafting companion legislation to be introduced in Congress.

I have long believed that we will finally get a flat tax when America beats Washington, and I think we are winning.

By Dick Armey — Chairman of FreedomWorks

From the October 25, 2011 edition of USA Today

We’re proud to announce that this spring we will officially launched FreedomWorks University, our interac-tive online education hub for freedom-loving grassroots activists. With an audi-ence of over 1.5 million FreedomWorks members, over 1 million FreedomWorks Facebook fans and countless more Tea Party supporters across the country, FreedomWorks University has the capa-bility of educating the largest community of fiscal conservatives in America.

FreedomWorks University will provide a comprehensive and interactive curriculum to guide activists through a complete education on economic liberty. With each topic on FreedomWorks Uni-versity, activists will utilize video lectures, recommended readings, and other mate-rials from noted scholars and policy ana-lysts. The coursework on FreedomWorks University will be fully-integrated with our online activism portal, FreedomCon-nector, providing activists an opportu-nity to complete courses on all aspects of our mission.

Our courses will cover basic econom-ics and the market process, an under-standing of the Austrian Business Cycle Theory, and public choice theory, among other important topics. In addition, we will supplement FreedomWorks Univer-sity with courses on how to be a more effective activist, offering advice on how to become involved and how to have the greatest impact possible in the public debate over liberty.

Users will move through the courses sequentially, after which they will be asked to complete a brief multiple-choice quiz in order to determine their progress. Upon completion of all the lessons in a

FreedomWorks H HUMAN ACTION / 5

course, students will be granted a badge that they can post on their FreedomCon-nector page. This badge not only marks their progress in FreedomWorks Univer-sity, but also serves as an incentive that encourages others to sign up for classes as well. Members will have their progress published to their FreedomConnector activity feeds, indicating when they sign up for a course, when they complete the course, and when they earn a “degree.”

FreedomWorks has long been a leader in grassroots activism, and both our traditional and new media networks have made FreedomWorks a predomi-nant news resource for activists. But the edition of a free market education in FreedomWorks University will form a comprehensive user experience and pus FreedomWorks activists at the nexus of the grassroots movement for liberty.

Class is in Session

FreedomWorks University will provide a comprehensive and interactive curriculum to guide activists through a complete education on economic liberty.

6 / FreedomWorks H HUMAN ACTION

In 2012, America is ripe for a new model of political awareness. The Left will cling bitterly to the Progressive model. The Obama/Progressive decline will spark venomous politics — eclipsing even what we have seen so far from this most partisan of Administrations and its media chorus. The Left is parroting and adding fuel to the confused anti-capitalist impulse of the “Occupy” movement as its own version of the Tea Party, even as the Occupy protestors represent incoherent and self-contradictory goals. In this environment, despite all the vitriolic opposition, the freedom philosophy of our heritage is much more likely to take root now than ever before. If vigorously and intelligently promoted.

Our goal is not simply to replace the current politicians who support the Progressive model but to bury the idea. We want to replace the Progressive vision with our Founders’ vision: the freedom model of limited government and expanding liberty.

FreedomWorks in 2012 – Our Model

Over the past several years, FreedomWorks has proved the power of voluntary association. Our work is not government mandated, or financed by forced union dues — simply put, freedom is our strategy.

Our model takes us beyond protest and into optimism and positive change. It begins with a renewed future for America, where public policy is driven from the bottom up, from “We the People.” This model does away with the secrecy, elitism and backroom deals that have too long dominated policy-making in Washington, restoring transparency and broad participation consistent with our decentralized, democratized world.

The National Service Center for the Tea Party Movement

FreedomWorks did not create nor does it direct the Tea Party, but FreedomWorks does help the Tea Party grow and become stronger. We train their leaders: we teach them communications and television skills. We provide members with vital information and the ability to network directly without “checking in” with a national HQ. We help provide legal assistance and logistical support to Tea Party seminars and rallies. We help in a thousand ways to maintain and build both the momentum and numbers of this powerful but sometimes fragile movement.

In 2012, FreedomWorks will expand our grassroots training sessions. We will be training citizens across the nation on the hows and whys of civic engagement, effective lobbying, and ways we can make

our voices louder than our individual votes. Our programs are designed to change the culture, consistent with the Founders’ desire that each of us owns the responsibility to protect what George Washington called “the sacred fire of liberty.”

At the core of the freedom movement is FreedomWorks’ own army of over 1.5 million activists. In 2011, this group generated 1,035,260 calls, emails, and letters to Washington, D.C. in support of limited government, free markets and individual liberty. FreedomWorks also has nearly 1.2 million Facebook fans, allowing us to tap into a huge online network to spread our message.

The Inside/Outside Game The growth of our online activist

community is vitally important to our friends in Congress who are working to drastically slash spending and rein in bureaucratic regulations. On the inside, we will continue the intense working relationships we have built with committed patriots now serving in the House and Senate, including the incredible “Tea Party” class of 2010. Our “inside game” strategy identifies and cultivates a kind of “super congressman” we call legislative entrepreneurs.

When these legislative entrepreneurs learn the tactics Dick Armey used when he was Majority Leader, they are empowered to increase their influence in Congress far beyond their single vote. Fully-developed legislative entrepreneurs advance the cause of liberty and fiscal restraint at every opportunity – not just on the big votes—but also on procedural votes, in committee deliberations and in dozens of others ways. Many promising legislative entrepreneurs are already developing and benefitting from the coaching, training and support offered by FreedomWorks.

In addition to the “inside game,” FreedomWorks will do everything we can in 2012 to keep lawmakers in direct contact with the grassroots freedom army outside Congress. With tools like FreedomConnector, we will do more than ever to make sure lawmakers have immediate and vocal grassroots response — whether approval or disapproval — for

How We Take America Back in 2012…continued from page 1

FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe discusses the importance of 2012 as FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey and his wife Susan look on.

FreedomWorks H HUMAN ACTION / 7

their every action on legislation. Gone are the days when legislators could sound like principled conservatives at home and submit to the Establishment and compromise away their principles here in Washington, D.C.

FreedomConnectorOne of our most important challenges is

connecting people. We are using Freedom-Connector, our state-of-the art social networking application, to bring activists together online. This is not a hierarchi-cal system. It is user-driven. We are the facilitators. We do not direct the activity from Washington, D.C. We are building the information highway that allows spontane-ous interaction. Spontaneous organizing, allowing activists to learn, communicate and act — with unprecedented speed.

This allows people to stay engaged over the long run, and levels the playing field be-tween well-funded special interests and mere citizens. In a decentralized world, freedom and organization trumps deep pockets.

FreedomConnector is an important tool in building a network of activists communicating in ways that bypass the liberal media, left-wing universities, crony capitalists and two political parties to self-educate on economics, principles, history. FreedomConnector is also improving and evolving constantly. It is now seamlessly integrated with Facebook and Twitter. New features similar to Facebook allow users to “like” discussions. FreedomConnector will also soon allow for legislator profiles

in which users could hold politicians accountable not just on Election Day but year round by being able to view key vote records — and then instantly communicate their approval or disapproval.

FreedomWorks UniversityFreedomWorks University, our online

effort to connect the ideas of liberty with this new generation of citizen activists, continues to grow in 2012. This ever-expanding library and training ground of energy gains new power as FreedomConnector grows. It now has its own devoted section on FreedomConnector.

FreedomWorks University gives activists the knowledge and understanding of the ideas and principles championed by free market leaders like Adam Smith, Ludwig von Mises, F.A. Hayek, Frederic Bastiat and our Founding Fathers. You can read more about FreedomWorks University on page 5 of this edition of Human Action.

“DiverseTea”DiverseTea is FreedomWorks’ bold

outreach program to recruit new members of the freedom coalition, taking the freedom message into communities long ago ceded by the Establishment GOP to the Left. This includes young people, Jewish Americans, Hispanic Americans and African Americans.

When it comes to recruitment, these groups have been written off by the GOP as hopeless. But these groups have all suffered disproportionately from the Obama agenda. The jobs and opportunity Obama promised have not appeared, and recent surveys show eroding support for the president in what was once considered the strongest part of his base. FreedomWorks will bring the freedom message, which is also a jobs message, into these communities without the cultural baggage of the GOP establishment.

End of the Progressive EraThe American Left is staring at its

demise. Those on the Left can see the end of the Progressive era is at hand. They are bitter and enraged. They are desperate. Their tactics will be desperate. As bad as the name-calling and smears have been, they will get worse over the coming months. But we will not be deterred. We will fight back. We will leave no smear unanswered.

In dozens of different ways, we will lay the groundwork for a fundamental, culture-changing freedom revolution

that will forever end the failed Progressive, Big Government model altogether.

Together, we will change the culture of America.

DiverseTea, KosherTea, and the Runway Slave film encompass part of our grassroots outreach effort into communities often disregarded by the Republican establishment.

Indiana activists Kristin Minor and Greg Fettig discuss the importance of their partnership with FreedomWorks in the Hoosier state.

8 / FreedomWorks H HUMAN ACTION

Over two hundred FreedomWorks activists from across the country converged on Capitol Hill this winter, prepared to release the proposed budget of our Tea Party Debt Commission before a joint hearing of Senators and Congressmen.

The Tea Party Debt Commission and its 12 Commissioners spent the last six months traveling the country asking thousands of grassroots activists to come up with ways to reach $9 trillion in spending cuts and a balanced budget. The Commission also had an online voting component where over 80,000 activists decided what cuts to make to the size of government. The joint hearing promised to offer activists a platform to directly share the findings of the Tea Party Debt Commission to legislators.

“Scoffing at Washington’s troubled effort to cut just $1.2 trillion in federal debt over 10 years, the Tea Party’s own debt commission today unveiled a shocking plan to slash nearly $10 trillion over the next decade, in part by eliminating several federal agencies, balancing the budget by 2015, and killing foreign aid to unfriendly nations,” wrote Paul Bedard of U.S. News and World Report.

The Tea Party Debt Commission’s Budget Proposes

$9.7 TRILLION IN CUTSAs Super Committee Fails, Senate Rules Committee Tries To Silence Tea Party Debt Commission Report

But just 45 minutes before our event, while activists filed into Russell Senate Of-fice Building and national media outlets set up cameras; staffers from the Democrat-con-trolled Senate Rules Committee entered the room and began removing name placards, microphones, and tables. Liberal Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), as Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, had instructed staffers to shut down the Tea Party Debt Commission hearing.

Citing an obscure Senate Rules techni-cality, the staffers claimed that because the event was promoted as a hearing, it violated the Senate rules and had to be stopped. Sen-ator Mike Lee (R-UT), who had graciously hosted the event, immediately called foul.

“This is my meeting,” insisted Senator Lee. “A hearing is an official function in which you are conducting a legislative inves-tigation, I convened a panel of experts and we are going to have a panel discussion.”

But in typical Washington fashion, this wasn’t about the difference between a hearing and a discussion. In fact, Senator Schumer and other Senators have held simi-lar simulated hearings with outside groups over the years. This was about politics; this

was about shutting “We the People” out of the process.

“The Senate hasn’t been able to pass a budget resolution for three years running. They have been unable to do their job, and now the Rules Committee is trying to prevent the American people from doing it for them,” said FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe.

“The Senate has refused to let the American people know what the highly se-cretive budget ‘Super Committee’ is doing behind closed doors,” Kibbe added, “We’ve come to Washington with the real solutions developed by the American people, and the Rules Committee won’t let their voices be heard in an open forum. It’s outrageous. They’re kicking us out of our own building because they’re afraid we are going to do something crazy like balance the budget.”

An exasperated Senator Lee eventually asked the Rules Committee staffers, “Does the First Amendment have no application here?”

Tea Party Debt Commission Hearing Resumes

But we would not be silenced. Senator Lee suggested we leave Russell Senate Building and make the short walk over to Hillsdale College’s Kirby Center where we could resume our hearing without intrusion.

“What we have to discuss is sufficiently important that we need to not have any threat of interference from any Senate staff member,” Sen. Lee declared emphatically to a roar of cheers from the crowd.

After relocating the hearing, remarks

FreedomWorks activists gather at Hillsdale College’s Kirby Center for Constitutional Studies for the Tea Party Debt Commission’s final hearing on Capitol Hill.

FreedomWorks H HUMAN ACTION / 9

began with 12 activists from across the coun-try who served as Commissioners, with each highlighting the bold cuts to government outlined in the Tea Party Budget.

“There are no exceptions in history, and America will not be the first exception to the laws of human nature and economics,” said Commissioner Deneen Borelli.

In addition to Senator Lee, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and Representatives Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), Paul Broun (R-GA), Joe Walsh (R-IL), Steve King (R-IA), and Mike Pence (R-IN) addressed the Tea Party Debt Commission and praised their willingness to stay active and engaged in the political process.

“I’d consider sponsoring this bill in the House of Representatives,” said Representa-tive Broun to a huge applause from the crowd. “We’re standing on the edge of a precipice. The question is: are we going to be pushed off, jump off, or march up the hill?”

Summary of the Tea Party BudgetThe critics say the Tea Party is “all hat

and no cattle” — that we have lots of talk, but no plan. Well, that’s about to change. Imagine a reform plan that makes dramatic moves toward restoring limited, constitu-tional government. Imagine a plan that slows the numbers on the National Debt Clock to a crawl, and then brings them to a halt, and then shifts them into reverse.

Imagine a plan that cuts, caps, and bal-ances federal spending without raising taxes; that gives future generations control over their own retirement security; and that lifts the massive debt burden from our children’s shoulders so they can know the American dream of ever-higher freedom and prosper-ity. And on top of all that, imagine that it’s a serious, credible plan generated by the grassroots.

This is that plan.

We call it the Tea Party Budget. Of course, we realize that the tea party is a broad, spontaneous popular movement, without leaders or formal organization — so we won’t presume to speak for anybody but ourselves. But if any plan offered to date has a fair claim to the “Tea Party” label, we think this is it.

This plan is the product of countless suggestions and comments from thousands of local citizen-activists across the coun-try and voting by tens of thousands more online. Unlike other budget plans produced in Washington, D.C. cubicles and quickly forgotten, this plan represents a milestone because it reflects real grassroots input.

The plan’s virtues are those of America herself: optimistic, practical, and bold.

The contrast with President Obama’s budget plan could not be starker. His plan was unanimously rejected earlier this year by the United States Senate, and for good reason. It offered neither hope nor change. Instead, it would have saddled our children with more spending, taxes, and debt — more economic stagnation, unemployment, and decay.

We emphatically reject that vision for our future. Instead, we offer a bold — but, we believe, feasible — plan that:4 “Cuts, caps, and balances” federal

spending.4 Balances the budget in four years, and

keeps it balanced, without tax hikes. 4 Closes a historically large budget gap,

equal to almost one-tenth of our economy.

4 Reduces federal spending by $9.7 trillion over the next 10 years, as opposed to the President’s plan to increase spending by $2.3 trillion.

4 Shrinks the federal government from 24 percent of GDP — a level exceeded only in World War II — to

Senator Rand Paul ad-dresses FreedomWorks activists during the Tea Party Debt Com-mission hearing.

Continued on page 10

“I will walk around with the FreedomWorks Debt Commission Report in my hand for

the rest of my term.” — U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL)

Who are the 12 Tea Party Debt Commissioners?

Alfred C. Maurer, IT consultant and former military officer. Publisher, The Voice of Liberty, Pikes Peak 9-12, Colorado Springs, CO.

Bob MacGuffie, insurance agent. RightPrinciples.com, Fairfield, CT.

Greg Fettig, small business owner. America ReFocused, Noblesville, IN.

Andrew Hemingway, business owner. Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, Bristol, NH.

Phil Henry, formal naval officer and current Marine Corps leadership trainer. White Pine Tea Party, Ely, NV.

Deneen Borelli, Project 21 fellow, FreedomWorks fellow. Eastchester, NY.

Ed Bell, pre-press services professional. OurTP.org, Eastern Hills Tea Party, Cincinnati, OH.

David A. Zupan, community organizer for the Constitution. North Shore Patriots, West Shore Tea Party, Lorain County Tea Party (LoCo47TP), Lorain County 912, Avon Lake, OH.

Sam DeMarco, businessman. Veterans and Patriots United, Pittsburgh, PA.

Bob Howard, retired business executive. Pennsylvania Coalition for Responsible Government, Pittsburgh, PA.

David Kirkham, president, Kirkham Motorsports. Utah Tea Party, Provo, UT.

Lawrence L. King, retired project manager. NoVA Tea Party, Vienna, VA.

Commissioners Reflect on the Tea Party Debt Commission Hearing Ed Bell Cincinnati, OH

Serving on the Tea Party Debt Commission was a wonderful, yet sobering experience. The size of the budget is overwhelming, but the field hearings showed that Tea Party activists possess a wealth of ideas for reforming bloated programs. I wish every member of Congress could have joined us.

Our Debt Commission put government programs through a litmus test – Is it Constitutional, and if so, could the states do it better. We then looked for waste and redundancy in deciding where to cut.

The Debt Commis-sion showed that grassroots citizens can and must take part in the debate about govern-ment’s role in our lives. We all agreed that government has done a poor job with Social Security. I worked with fellow Commissioner Greg Fettig on reforming Social Security and take great satisfaction knowing our budget of-fers younger workers SMART accounts, giving them real ownership and a brighter future.

10 / FreedomWorks H HUMAN ACTION

Sam DeMarco Pittsburgh, PA

As the President of Veterans and Patriots United, I was privileged to serve as a com-missioner on FreedomWorks’ Tea Party Debt Commission. We were able to confront the issues facing this nation today, recommending groundbreaking solutions for each and identi-fying $9.7 Trillion in savings. It was an honor serving with the other Commissioners, a truly

humbling experience.The Democrats ob-

structed our meeting, but they cannot block our message.

Our nation’s problems will not be solved by politicians, but by us—its citizens. It is through

our participating on Commissions such as this, and developing solutions, that we can move the political process in the right direction. If you’re reading this, you are already involved. I urge you to take it one step further as an activist and become a force multiplier. Thanks to the help from citizens like you, and FreedomWorks, we can make a difference in 2012! Semper Fi!

Bob MacGuffie Fairfield, CT

We proposed over $500 billion of first year cuts and over $9 trillion of cuts over ten years, while reaching a balanced budget by the fourth year. We addressed everything in the national budget from entitlements to defense to the annually appropriated discretionary items. We recommended elimination of several departments, e.g. Education, Energy and HUD, largely because we saw no con-stitutional authority for their existence on the federal level. But also because we believe their substance is best addressed on the state level, closest to the people their regulations are intended to affect.

The Tea Party Budget is an important step for the liberty movement in that it illustrates

we are about real, considered, specific solutions to the national problems we have all been illuminating over the past several years. It demonstrates we are so much more than a protest and activist

movement. Through voluntary association of a free citizenry, we tackled one of the most in-tractable challenges of our time, proving that self-government works. And, if we all keep our shoulders to the wheel, we will indeed turn our country back onto that path of liberty and prosperity on which our founders so bril-liantly placed us just 224 years ago.

By Dean Clancy — Legislative Counsel and Vice President, Health Care Policy

about 16 percent, in line with the postwar norm.

4 Stops the growth of the debt, and begins paying it down, with a goal of eliminating it within this generation.

To achieve these goals, our plan, among other things:

4 Repeals ObamaCare.4 Eliminates four Cabinet agencies —

Energy, Education, Commerce, and HUD — and reduces or privatizes many others, including EPA, TSA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac.

4 Ends farm subsidies, government student loans, and foreign aid to

How We Take America Back in 2012e ... continued from page 1

countries that don’t support us — luxuries we can no longer afford.

4 Saves Social Security and greatly improves future benefits by shifting ownership and control from government to individuals, through new SMART Accounts.

4 Gives Medicare seniors the right to opt into the Congressional health care plan.

4 Suspends pension contributions and COLAs for Members of Congress, whenever the budget is in deficit. In short, the Tea Party Budget enables us

to end chronic deficits and pay down debt, while moving us back toward the kind of

limited, constitutional government intended by our Founding Fathers. And it does all this without raising taxes. In fact, we make the so-called Bush tax cuts, and other expiring tax relief provisions, permanent. With these reforms, we can unburden the productive sector and get back to robust economic growth and rising living standards for all.

With this plan, everyone benefits.

To read more about the Tea Party Debt Commission Report go to: www.freedomworks.org/the-tea-party-budget

Investor Spotlight

FreedomWorks H HUMAN ACTION / 11

NICOLE DARLAND AND MARK ADAMS ON BEHALF OF THE DARLAND FAMILY

Michael and Myrna Darland, graduates of University of Washington & Cornell University, both with Masters, raised their three children Eli, Nicole and Jed in Bellevue, WA. Their son-in-law Dr. Mark Adams was born and raised in Bremen, Indiana. Michael retired in the mid-90’s as a prominent entrepreneur in the technol-ogy field. He started numerous businesses and sat on various boards, including U.W. Business School. In his “retirement,” he built luxury adventure and fishing lodges in Chile.

Myrna was a teacher and a computer programmer/analyst until she became a stay-at-home mom. She served on the Bellevue Schools Foundation Board and has always been an active volunteer. Founders of the Discovery Institute as well as an entrepreneur chair at U.W., their example of serving others and the benefits of owning your own business rubbed off on the kids. Eli graduated from U.C. Berkeley, Nicole, University of Washington, and Jed, Carnegie Melon. Each now owns a small business.

After graduating from Harvard, U. N.C.-Greensboro and Bastyr, Dr. Mark founded OnVO a health and nutrition lifestyle coaching business. Still in the Bellevue area, their family shares a common desire to see our great country survive — especially now that two new twin grandsons have joined the clan.

FW: Why did you get involved in this grassroots movement and with FreedomWorks?

Nicole: The months leading up to Tax Day Tea Party Rally in ‘09, felt like the speed at which change “against” the will of the people by our government was accelerating rapidly even before Obama came into office. Big spenders in both parties increased our tax bur-den with bailout plans and stimulus packages. My family felt we must do something to be heard. So, we rallied — locally. Mark, Mom, Eli and I stood with our community, waving flags and holding our handmade signs.

Mark: On April 15, 2009, when we walked back to the car, Nicole specifically remembers thinking this wasn’t going to be a one-time thing. I felt it too. The energy and genuine passion of the people would keep this going.

Michael formulated his thoughts and goals regarding where he wanted this movement to go. He needed like-minded, non-partisan, capable people to move his ideas forward — a focused group to carry out the actions. Within a couple days, he found FreedomWorks online, called to speak with Matt Kibbe, and soon thereafter he and Myrna were helping plan the next steps.

FW: What was your experience like during the 9.12 March on Washington?

Nicole: Chills. Energy. Pride. Patriotism. Renewed sense of hope that we were not alone and there was a way out. I still get the chills

“The morning of the 9-12 march... I sang the National Anthem —

in that moment I thought: this is where the National Anthem

is supposed to be sung. For these people.”

just saying those words. The night before, the city was buzzing. Red, White and Blue everywhere. We met people from all over the country. At FreedomWorks headquarters during the breezy rooftop BBQ, we met some inspiring people. We especially remember Gladis; a 77-year-old pistol who was hell bent on saving this country for her many grandkids.

The morning of 9-12, Jed stood for nearly 2 hours with his video camera above his head filming the stream of people — he ran out of film, battery, and circulation! There were 1.5 million, and the crowd stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. I sang the National Anthem — in that moment I thought: this is where the National Anthem is supposed to be sung. For these people.

FW: What excites you most about the Tea Party movement?

Nicole and Mark: It’s not about a Political Party. It’s about belief in the idea that is America. These are serious times and stand-ing by silently just isn’t an option. When Mark and I got involved, we weren’t married and didn’t have kids. This movement really ignited our patriotism. So much so, we were married on July 4, 2010, on my parents’ 42nd anni-

versary. Matt and Terry Kibbe were in town and were able to celebrate with us. Now we’re blessed with twin boys: Herschel Washington and Jacob Michael. The names were themed after Fathers, including a Founding Father. Now we are even more determined to leave this country in one piece so that they can enjoy the freedoms we enjoy and the opportunities that come along with that.

FW: What do you see as our role at FreedomWorks?

Nicole: We have been big cheerleaders and volunteer to help out in various ways. As a family, my folks donate dollars, strategy, and manpower. My Dad and my brothers

met in 2009 for strategic planning — Dad brought his Chief Scientist out of retirement to assist in directing the technology now implemented with FreedomConnector and the outbound calling features online. I sing when and where I can and post things on my social media regarding our cause.

FW: What would you tell someone who is considering working with or donating to FreedomWorks?

Darland Family: DO IT. If you are interested in seeing results, this is your team. They run lean and dollars are spent in focused ways for big bang for your buck action items. FreedomWorks staff has proven to be determined, tireless and up to meeting the demands that this movement requires. They are the vehicle allowing citizens to rise up and make the difference.

Mark and Nicole with their twins Herschel (L) and Jacob (R).

400 North Capitol Street, NW Suite 765 Washington, DC 20001www.FreedomWorks.org

“But in a twist, [FreedomWorks for America] will raise its money in small-dollar increments from grass-roots donors, officials at the group said Friday, and it will spend its money almost entirely on grass-roots organizing and getting Tea Partiers and other fiscal conservatives to the ballot booth.…” – NY Times

“Among the group’s recommendations are things that have long been favorites of conservatives and/or libertarians — it’s a little bit Ronald Reagan, a little bit Ron Paul. ” — NY Times

“FreedomWorks, a non-profit that is considered one of the driving forces behind the Tea Party Movement, announced plans to set up a PAC Friday at the Florida Conservative Political Action Conference.”– Roll Call

Reaching Millions With Our Message ...

“Clancy lays out the goals of the Tea Party commission, which contrast nicely with the Deficit Supercommittee, the lame D.C. pretender. The supercommittee wants to cut $1.2 trillion over 10 years; FreedomWorks wants to cut $9 trillion. The supercommittee wants the status quo, but smaller; FreedomWorks wants to balance the budget. ” – Slate

“Where was Occupy Wall Street when the bailouts were being handed out? Where was Occupy Wall Street when pol-iticians in Washington were handing out taxpayer dollars to irresponsi-ble bankers, bad businessmen, and political donors? While Occupy Wall Street is making threats against people trying to earn a living and making a mess in New York and other cities, the Tea Party is work-ing for real change at the source of the problem, Washington, D.C., by electing fiscal conservatives.” – Matt Kibbe in Forbes

“We are not interested in getting Republicans elected. We’re interested in getting fiscal conservatives elected.” — Matt Kibbe, NY Times

FreedomWorks’ Dick Armey, Matt Kibbe and Max Pappas recently appeared on numerous television and radio shows to discuss the Tea Party Debt Commission, the Super Committee, Occupy Wall Street vs. the Tea Party and other issues.

“The FreedomWorks proposal was more detailed than anything that has been publicly discussed by the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction.... ” — Roll Call

“In fact, the Tea Party Budget is designed to balance the federal budget in less than 10 years, reduce federal spending to 18 percent of gross domestic product (down from 24 percent), reduce the national debt and cut federal spending by at least $9 trillion over 10 years — all without raising taxes. A budget like this would get nothing but guffaws from the Washington establishment. That’s why the Tea Party Debt Commission didn’t go to Washington for answers. ” — Matt Kibbe in Politico

“It’ll be the first time in history that anyone at Denny’s will have expressed an interest in trimming fat.”— Conan O’Brien joking about the location of a Tea Party Debt Commission meeting in Florida