Campaign Finance

Sr. Fellow Lawrence McQuillan appears on the nationally syndicated Lars Larson radio show to talk about the latest “winner” of the California Golden Fleece Award, the California Department of Water Resources. The DWR was “honored” for their mismanagement of the Oroville Dam, which threatened hundreds of thousands earlier this year when record rains damaged the spillway of the dam. McQuillan details the history of the dam and its faulty maintenance over the years. He recommends that DWR should no longer operate California’s 44 state-owned dams and suggests private water companies or private irrigation districts take over.

Research Fellow Vicki E. Alger presents her Independent Institute book, Failure: The Federal 'Misedukation' of America’s Children, in which she discusses the creation of the U.S. Department of Education and its harmful impact on education in America.

This event was held at the Heritage Foundation and aired on C-SPAN.

George Gilder, a founding member of the Board of Advisors for the Independent Institute, discussed his latest book The Scandal of Money: Why Wall Street Recovers but the Economy Never Does on June 7, 2016.

Can the American jobs machine ever be restarted? Can parents once again have confidence that their children will enjoy a standard of living higher than their own? Yes! The secret to putting the U.S. back on the path to widespread prosperity, according to Gilder, is to eliminate the economic booms and busts that have crushed the middle class and working people alike.

Drawing on his new book, The Scandal of Money, Gilder will explain why America needs a monetary system free of government monopoly and the manipulations of a central bank—a system in which gold-based money and blockchain technology can work in concert to fulfill the amazing potential of the information economy and make good on the promise of the American dream.

Watch Season 1 | Watch Season 2

David J. Theroux, Founder and President of the Independent Institute, presents the idea and concept behind Love Gov: From First Date to Mandate, the award-winning, satirical video series that portrays the federal government as an overbearing boyfriend — Scott “Gov” Govinsky — who foists his “good intentions” on a hapless, idealistic college student, Alexis Smith.

Drawing on C.S. Lewis’s varied writings—fiction for both adults and children, non-fiction essays and scholarly treatises, poetry, and extensive correspondence with people from all walks of life—Independent Institute President David Theroux presents Lewis’s highly developed, Judeo-Christian philosophical insights into our relationship with power and human aspirations. From his declining an offer of knighthood to his keen essays such as “The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment,” C.S. Lewis’s timeless thinking provides rich insights into how to apply natural-law principles to our world and the challenges we all face today.

Love Gov portrays the federal government as an overbearing boyfriend — Scott “Gov” Govinsky — who foists his “good intentions” on a hapless, idealistic college student, Alexis. Each episode follows Alexis's relationship with Gov as his intrusions wreak (comic) havoc on her life, professionally, financially, and socially. Alexis's loyal friend Libby tries to help her see Gov for what he really is — a menace. But will Alexis come to her senses in time? Tune in to find out!

Trailer
Episode 1: An Education in Debt
Episode 2: Protection from Jobs
Episode 3: A Remedy for Healthcare Choices
Episode 4: House Poor
Episode 5: Keeping a Close Eye on Privacy

Lewis Uhler, President of the National Tax Limitation Committee, moderates a panel with Independent Institute Senior Fellows John Goodman and Lawrence McQuillan and Heartland Institute Senior Fellow Peter Ferrara at the 2015 FreedomFest held in Las Vegas, NV.