The Heartlander: April 2004

TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY BENEFIT SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 23

The Heartland Institute’s Twentieth Anniversary Benefit Dinner will be held on Thursday, September 23, in the Grand Ballroom of the Chicago Hilton Hotel. Final arrangements are pending and will be reported in the May issue of The Heartlander. In the meantime, please mark your calendar for what we expect will be Heartland’s most splendid Benefit ever!

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NEW COALITION LAUNCHES “BREAKTHROUGH” YEAR

A Performance Report summarizing The New Coalition’s 2003 activities is available upon request. Call Lee Walker or Sean Parnell at 312/377-4000, or contact them by email at lwalker@newcoalition.org or parnell@heartland.org, respectively.

The New Coalition for Economic and Social Change launched what is expected to be a “breakthrough” year with a flurry of meetings, news releases and other publications, and speaking engagements by its Founder and Director, Lee Walker.

The New Coalition is a “conservative black think tank” committed to creating genuine dialogue between blacks and other ethnic groups, on the one hand, and the largely white conservative and libertarian movements on the other. It joined forces with The Heartland Institute in late 2002.

Meetings and Speaking Engagements

On January 15, Walker attended a planning committee meeting for the United Nations’ Global Compact and the African-American Community. The purpose of the meeting was to strategize, develop, and formulate an agenda for bringing the UN’s “Global Compact” project into the African-American community.

On January 19--as the nation celebrated what would have been Rev. Martin Luther King’s 75th birthday--Walker was interviewed on Newstalk 1190 WOWO radio, which originates from Fort Wayne, Indiana and is heard throughout the Tri-State (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan) region. Walker discussed Dr. King’s involvement in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

On January 26, Walker hosted the first 2004 meeting of the New Coalition’s Advisory Board. The lunch meeting was held at The Metropolitan Club at the Sears Tower in Chicago and focused on setting the group’s agenda for 2004. Joining Walker at the meeting were Chicago Stock Exchange trader/broker Alvin Boutte; Clark Delanois, vice president with the Northern Trust Corporation; and attorneys Bonita Coleman and Patrick John. Diane Bast of The Heartland Institute also attended.

On February 9, Walker attended the official New York launch of the United Nations’ Global Compact and the African-American Community project.

On February 24, Walker attended a DePaul University conference on “The Relevance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Africa.” Keynote speaker at the event was Roger Wilkins, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, professor of history and American culture at George Mason University and publisher of the NAACP’s journal Crisis.

On February 25 and February 27, Walker served as a panelist for a forum hosted by the African-American Employees in the Merchandise Mart (Chicago). The topic of the discussion was “Reality Check 2004--What Will Chicago Look Like for African-Americans in 2025?”

On February 26, Walker attended the annual business breakfast meeting hosted by WVON Radio, Chicago’s only black-owned talk radio station, and N’Digo, a weekly publication that highlights “movers and shakers” in the African-American community. Earvin “Magic” Johnson, former Los Angeles Lakers’ basketball star and now chairman and CEO of Johnson Development Corp., was the event’s keynote speaker. Walker was interviewed on the air by WVON talk show host Cliff Kelley at the event.

Also on February 26, Walker presented testimony to an Environmental Protection Agency panel regarding the impact on minorities and low-income people of proposed utility mercury reductions and changes to Interstate Air Quality Rules. Walker’s testimony is available on The Heartland Institute and New Coalition Web sites at http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=14518 and http://www.newcoalition.org. An oped based on that testimony is reprinted on page 12 of this Heartlander.

News & Views

The Spring 2004 issue of News & Views, the quarterly newsletter of the New Coalition for Economic and Social Change, was released in February. It includes an essay by Walker on the importance of economics to the success of black America; a discussion of citizenship and character; and an essay by Jo Kwong of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, asking “Does Race Matter?”

The full text of the issue is available on the New Coalition Web site at http://www.newcoalition.org as well as Heartland’s Web site. To make sure you’re on the mailing list to receive News & Views as well as other New Coalition materials, become a member today!

Coming Up

The New Coalition’s ambitious plan for 2004 carries a price tag of $82,000. Contributions toward The New Coalition’s work are tax-deductible. As the first two months of the year demonstrated, The New Coalition could do much more if sufficient funding is raised. If you are interested in supporting The New Coalition financially, please contact Lee Walker or Sean Parnell at 312/377-4000, or contact them by email at lwalker@newcoalition.org or parnell@heartland.org, respectively.

In April, The New Coalition will host a panel discussion at The Heritage Foundation’s Resource Bank meeting, being held in Chicago at the Renaissance Hotel on April 27-29. Tentatively titled “The Conscience of Black Conservatism,” the panel will feature Anne Wortham, professor of sociology at Illinois State University; Ralph Conner, mayor of Maywood, Illinois; and journalist Earl Smith. For more information, contact Heartland Vice President Allen Fore at 312/377-4000, email fore@heartland.org.

In 2004, The New Coalition will host four events. Among the speakers we hope to feature are Glen Loury, professor of economics and director of the Institute on Race and Social Division at Boston University; Peter Woods, author of Diversity; and Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn, author of Race Experts.

The New Coalition also expects to publish three small books in 2004, tentatively A Primer on Conservative Multiculturalism by Lee Walker; Rethinking the Black Agenda, reprint with new introduction by Lee Walker and a new chapter by Charles Hamilton; and African-American Self-Reliance: A Practical Solution, by Earl Smith.

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EDUCATION AND CAPITALISM ATTRACTS RAVE REVIEWS

The Heartland Institute’s newest book is called “bold and brazen” in a book review that appeared in the February 23 edition of the Chicago Sun-Times, Illinois’ second-largest newspaper (circ. 477,354).

Reviewer Jonathan Hoenig, managing member of Chicago-based Capitalistpig Hedge Fund LLC, said the book “present(s) a compelling and thoroughly researched argument for introducing market-based reforms into public schools.” See page 2 for the complete review.

Education & Capitalism: How Overcoming Our Fear of Markets and Economics Can Improve America’s Schools was written by Heartland President Joseph L. Bast and Chairman Herbert Walberg. The book was published in December 2003 by the Hoover Press, a division of the Hoover Institution, where Walberg is a distinguished visiting fellow.

A complimentary copy of Education and Capitalism will be sent to any charter, parochial, or independent school principal who requests a copy on school letterhead. If your children attend a private school, or if you’re involved in a private school in some other way, please make the principal aware of this offer! Education and Capitalism is available for purchase ($15.00 plus $3.00 shipping/handling) in Heartland’s online store.

Distribution

Heartland purchased 6,000 copies of Education & Capitalism for complimentary distribution and sale.

To date, more than 3,300 copies have been distributed to potential book reviewers, think tank allies, education reporters at major media outlets; Heartland donors, premium members ($99 level), and potential donors with a special interest in education issues; members of Heartland’s Board of Legislative Advisors; radio talk show hosts; and, in late March, more than 500 state boards of education, state legislators serving on education committees, state superintendents of schools, and state constitutional officers.

Promotion

Hoover Press distributed 27 copies of Education and Capitalism to potential reviewers and has taken out full-page ads in several prominent conservative publications, including National Review and American Spectator. Heartland has arranged for the book to be advertised in Education Next, the Texas Law Review, and the journal of the Association of American Physicians & Surgeons.

Hoover also has provided 20 complimentary copies to the Foundation for Teaching Economics, for use as assigned reading for a January 2005 Liberty Fund Conference on “Economics, Politics, and the Case for Markets.” Participants at the conference will be high school social studies teachers.

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LET’S PUT PARENTS BACK IN CHARGE!

Help Put Parents Back in Charge!
Up to 10 free copies of Let’s Put Parents Back in Charge! will be sent to any current Heartland donor who submits a request. How? By email to harris@heartland.org, or fax to 312/377-5000, or send a letter using the envelope stapled inside this issue of The Heartlander. Please indicate as part of the request how you plan to use the books.

Nearly 40,000 copies of Let’s Put Parents Back in Charge!--the “chapbook” version of Education and Capitalism--have been distributed since the book’s release in summer 2003. Most gratifying has been the response of state legislators to the book: More than 7,000 copies have been distributed by nearly 60 elected officials in 30 states.

In March, Allen Fore, Heartland’s vice president - public affairs, contacted scores of those legislators and others who requested bulk copies of the chapbook. We will report some of their “stories”--how they distributed their copies and the response they received--in future issues of The Heartlander. Fore is drafting a distribution plan for the remaining 20,000 copies of the book based on his conversations with its biggest fans.

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WHAT’S WRONG WITH IMPORTING DRUGS FROM CANADA?

On October 23, 2003, The Heartland Institute cohosted with the Illinois Manufacturers Association, Illinois Retail Merchants Association, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce a half-day seminar on the pros and cons of importing prescription drugs from Canada. The proceedings were videoed, transcribed, edited, and published in What’s Wrong with Importing Drugs from Canada?

Fifteen thousand copies of the book were printed, and all have been distributed: to more than 8,300 state and national elected officials; health care reporters and editors; talk radio show hosts; Heartland donors, think tank allies, and civic leaders; and subscribers to Health Care News.

Copies were sent to Springfield, Illinois in mid-February for hearings taking place on two drug importation bills under consideration in the Health and Human Services committee of the state legislature. We have fulfilled several other requests for bulk purchases and have several such requests pending. Funds are being raised for a second print run, which we expect to have in the office in April.

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HCN HIGHLIGHTS HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS

The April issue of Health Care News features several articles on health savings accounts (HSAs), the most promising element of the Medicare reform measure signed by President George W. Bush in December.

Reporter Steve Stanek notes Congressman Phil Crane (R-Illinois) will introduce legislation to make HSA insurance premiums 100 percent tax deductible; Greg Scandlen defends the new accounts against a well-orchestrated lobbying effort by the National Association of Retired Federal Employees; and Jane Orient describes how HSAs promise to end once and for all the liberals’ dream of socialized medicine in the U.S.

This issue also covers the dire need for medical malpractice reform in Illinois--and State Senator Kirk Dillard’s omnibus tort reform bill; Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen’s “last chance” plan to reform TennCare, the state’s troubled Medicaid program; hospital pricing practices; long-term care; and more. New York’s disastrous experience with community rating and guaranteed issue mandates is featured as the third installment in the Health Care News series exposing “how eight states ruined their health insurance markets.”

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IT UPDATE: FCC, TELECOM TAXES, AND MORE

The April issue of IT Update reports on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia’s March decision rejecting the FCC’s rules concerning “impairment.” Also in this issue:

• “Why Prohibitions on Internet Gambling Won’t Work,” by Koleman Strumpf of the Cato Institute;

• “Federalism in the Information Age,” by Solveig Singleton of the Competitive Enterprise Institute;

• “Telecom Taxes and Fees Inhibit Competition and Choice,” by Heartland’s Joseph Bast; and

• “Competition Works in Broadband,” an excerpt from a February 2004 publication of the General Accounting Office.

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SENIOR FELLOWS SPREAD FREE-MARKET MESSAGE

Through the generosity of several donors, Heartland is able to cover the honoraria for its Senior Fellows--hosts need only cover their travel and lodging expenses! For more information or “letters of reference” from the highly satisfied hosts of past engagements with Heartland Senior Fellows, contact Allen Fore at 312/377-4000, email fore@heartland.org.

Heartland has a team of 10 spokespersons--collectively identified as “senior fellows” though some wear other hats with Heartland as well--who are available as experts for talk radio shows, print media interviews, and speaking engagements across the country.

• Wendell Cox is one of the country’s most popular and often-quoted experts on urban “sprawl,” “smart growth,” and transportation issues. He is a member of the Amtrak Reform Council and a visiting professor at CNAM (National University) in Paris, and has provided consulting assistance to the U.S. Department of Transportation and public transit authorities in 49 states and five foreign countries.

• Jay Lehr, Ph.D., is an internationally renowned scientist, author, and motivational speaker who addresses environment issues as Heartland’s Science Director. He has testified before Congress on more than three dozen occasions on environmental issues, consulted with nearly every agency of the federal government, and helped write the nation’s federal environmental protection laws.

• Maureen Martin, Heartland’s new Senior Fellow for Legal Affairs, is an attorney in private practice in Wisconsin and active member of The Federalist Society. On February 24, Martin was interviewed on the subject of lawsuit abuse on Radio America’s “News You Can Use” program, broadcast to 50 stations nationwide.

• Merrill Matthews, Jr., Ph.D., serves as the medical ethicist for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center’s Institutional Review Board for Human Experimentation, executive director of the Council for Affordable Health Insurance, and is past president of the Health Economics Roundtable for the National Association for Business Economics.

In addition, the four managing editors of Heartland’s newspapers--George Clowes, James M. Taylor, Conrad F. Meier, and John Skorburg--and two Heartland Board members--James Johnston and Lee Walker--are available as Heartland spokespersons.

During 2003, Heartland senior fellows spoke to approximately 6,495 people at 50 events. With Allen Fore coming on board as vice president-public affairs, we expect even bigger numbers from the Senior Fellows program in 2004.

Fore is eager to work with Heartland donors, members, and allies to schedule appearances and interviews. In February, Fore distributed more than 1,000 promotional brochures offering Lehr and Cox as speakers to organizations that exhibit at the Air & Waste Show, Disease Management Conference, Consumer Directed Health Care Conference, and National Managed Health Care Conference. A mailing to hospice and home care associations is scheduled for April.

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SRN: SUPREME COURT DECISION LEAVES VOUCHERS IN PLAY

The April issue of School Reform News reports on the U.S. Supreme Court’s February 25 ruling in Locke v. Davey, which concluded Washington State was within its rights in denying scholarship aid to a college student studying for the ministry.

Voucher foes have claimed the decision as a victory for their position that public funds may not flow to religious schooling. The Court majority, however, made clear that point was “not at issue in this case.” In Davey, the High Court upheld only a narrow point: a state’s prerogative not to subsidize vocational training of ministers.

The April issue’s featured interview is with Rebeca Nieves Huffman, president of the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options (CREO). Huffman touts school choice as “an immediate solution” for Hispanic families, whose children are being crippled educationally by the culture of low expectations that pervades public schooling.

Also in this issue: Bush touts DC vouchers; the Teaching Commission endorses merit pay; the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation ranks school choice programs across the country; CEOs from the nation’s leading high-tech companies warn U.S. students are ill-prepared for twenty-first century jobs; teacher certification, school choice litigation, and more.

On the Air

SRN Managing Editor George Clowes was interviewed on “values and character in education” for K-LOVE radio’s “Closer Look” program. K-LOVE airs on hundreds of stations across the United States and can also be heard world-wide over the Internet. A 90-second segment from the interview aired several times throughout the day March 8 through March 13; the full 30-minute program aired on March 14.

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WELCOME ABOARD!

Heartland is pleased to welcome to its Board of Legislative Advisors two new members: Representatives Ron Wait (Illinois) and Bob Dixon (Missouri).

On March 1, Heartland welcomed Erica Lieberman to the position of Executive Assistant, where she will work primarily with Heartland President Joseph Bast and Vice President Sean Parnell.

Erica has been in the administrative support field for more than five years, previously working as administrative assistant to the district sales coordinator of AFLAC-Chicago. She possesses strong multi-tasking, communication, and organizational abilities and has a wide range of computer software skills.

Erica will be taking over for Cherry Watkins and Fontaine Banks, who left Heartland at the end of February to pursue other job opportunities. We’ll miss them both and wish them great success in their new positions!

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POT POURRI

A copy of a past issue of The Heartlander was included in a collection of think tank research and commentary given to President George W. Bush by Tracie Sharp, president of State Policy Network, during a meeting at the White House in late February.

C-Span now offers for sale a videotape of John Stossel’s February 4 speech at a luncheon hosted by The Heartland Institute. The program, 45 minutes in length, is available for $29.95 in VHS or DVD formats at http://store.yahoo.com/c-spanstore/180671.html.

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WANTED: HEARTLAND AMBASSADORS!

Do you have talent, energy, and a commitment to the freedom philosophy ... and are you able to devote some time each week to advocating that philosophy on a volunteer basis?

We are recruiting “Heartland ambassadors” willing to attend civic, business, and political meetings, identify and sign letters to potential donors, make calls inviting people to events, host small receptions, and similar activities.

You may not realize how valuable you could be to an organization like The Heartland Institute! If you fit the profile, or know someone who does, please contact Allen Fore, vice president of The Heartland Institute, at 312/377-4000 or by email at fore@heartland.org.