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Thirty years ago, when I founded the Independent Institute, I was on fire with the possibilities liberty could provide. It was an exhilarating honor to be a part of the global wave of freedom: The Fall of the Berlin Wall and the freeing of millions enslaved under communist rule were sights to behold. Meanwhile, the move toward economic liberalization in the developing world began to take hold, and the poor in nations from Vietnam and China to South America and Africa began to reap the benefits of freer economies and freer societies. In the decades since, abject poverty worldwide has been halved as a result.
Even the United States saw a rollback of repressive taxation, regulation, and vital victories such as the decriminalization of homeschooling. We at Independent are proud to have played a part in these successes.
And we are just as excited today to hear echoes—or even amplifications—of those voices yearning for liberty.
“Millennials”—the 80 million Americans aged 18–34—and many of the rest of us are increasingly fed up with the arrogance, incompetence, and duplicity of Washington-centric politics.
None of Washington’s promises have been delivered, and Millennials join a growing number of people desperate for sensible alternatives.
We saw tremendous opportunity to introduce these young seekers to the pro-liberty alternative, and we created our Love Gov video series to reach them where they live: online. The response has been overwhelming.
Independent Institute speaks to all generations. Charting a secure heading to the “true north” of peaceful, prosperous, and free societies grounded in a commitment to human worth and dignity, our work shows how the principles of liberty, applied in a non-partisan and practical way, would provide far better outcomes across issues of public concern: education, healthcare, housing, economic opportunity, economic and civil liberties, security and safety, care for the disadvantaged, and much more.
We also adapt our rich content across multiple platforms—books, videos, events, radio, and social media—to achieve maximum reach and impact. We’re partnering with top professionals across a broad range of networks, and rolling out the most ambitious outreach and communications campaign of our history.
Our supporters fuel our efforts to further engage, equip, and inspire everyone who seeks meaningful change, by revitalizing neighborhoods and communities across the nation and around the world.
We hope you enjoy learning more about our programs in this 2015 Annual Report, and we welcome your support and involvement.
—David J. Theroux, Founder and President
