Joseph L. Bast - 2008 Resumé

Contact information: The Heartland Institute, 19 South LaSalle, Suite 903, Chicago, Illinois 60603, phone 312/377-4000, fax 312/377-5000, e-mail jbast@heartland.org.

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PRESIDENT AND CEO

The Heartland Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan center for public policy research located in Chicago, Illinois. Was the first employee of this organization when it was started in 1984. Oversaw its growth from an annual budget in 1984 of $20,000 to 2007 receipts of over $5 million and a staff (including independent contractors) of 35.

Assembled national advisory boards of 100 academics and professional economists and more than 500 state elected officials, recruited and supports a Board of Directors of 15 persons, built a donor base of approximately 2,700 individuals, corporations, and foundations, and has overseen publication of nearly 200 books, studies, and commentaries and six serial publications.

PUBLISHER

From 1983 to 1987, was publisher and co-editor of Nomos: Studies in Spontaneous Order, a bimonthly magazine on contemporary issues. Created the nonprofit organization (Nomos Press, Inc.) that produced the magazine and did most article solicitation, editing, production, and advertising sales.

From 1992 to 2003 was founder and publisher of Intellectual Ammunition, a bimonthly magazine on public policy issues produced by The Heartland Institute and delivered to state legislators, journalists, and think tank executives. The magazine featured columns provided by researchers on the staffs of ten of the nation’s leading think tanks.

Founding publisher of five national monthly newspapers: School Reform News, featuring news about pro-market school reform efforts; Environment & Climate News, devoted to free-market environmentalism; Health Care News, describing market-based approaches to improving the quality and reducing the cost of health care in the U.S.; Budget & Tax News, reporting on efforts to reduce taxes and government spending; and IT&T News, providing research and commentary on information technology and telecommunication issues.

Founding publisher and editor of Lawsuit Abuse Fortnightly, a biweekly newsletter sent to 1,600 journalists, policymakers, and opinion leaders.

WRITER

Books

With Steven Baer, Michael Bakalis, and Herbert J. Walberg, We Can Rescue Our Children (Ottawa, IL: Green Hill Publishers, 1988).

With Diane C. Bast, coauthor and editor, Coming Out of the Ice: A Plan to Make the 1990s Illinois’ Decade (Chicago: The Heartland Institute, 1990).

With Diane C. Bast, coauthor and editor, Rebuilding America’s Schools (Chicago: The Heartland Institute, 1991).

With Richard C. Rue and Stuart A. Wesbury, Why We Spend Too Much on Health Care (Chicago: The Heartland Institute, 1992 (rev. ed., 1993)).

Chapters titled “Mandatory Employer-Provided Insurance aka ‘Play or Pay’” and “Managed Competition” in David Dunn and Terry Allen, eds., Health Care in Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, OK: Resource Institute of Oklahoma, 1993).

With Herbert Walberg, chapter titled “Privatizing Education” in Radical Proposals for School Reform, ed. Chester Finn (Chicago: National Society for the Study of Education w/ McCutchan Publishing Corp., 1994).

With Richard C. Rue and Peter J. Hill, Eco-Sanity: A Common-Sense Guide to Environmentalism (Lathrop, MD: Madison Books, 1994 (revised paperback edition, 1996)).

With Herbert Walberg, “Understanding Market-Based School Reform,” a chapter in Margaret Wong and Herbert J. Walberg, ed., School Choice or Best Systems: What Improves Education? (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 2001).

With Terry Francl and Richard Nadler, “The Impact of the Kyoto Protocol on Agriculture,” a chapter in Charles E. Walker et al., eds., Climate Change Policy: Practical Strategies to Promote Economic Growth and Environmental Quality (Washington, DC: American Council for Capital Formation, 1999).

With David B. Kopel, editor and author of foreword and chapters 7 and 8 of Antitrust after Microsoft: The Obsolescence of Antitrust in the Digital Era (Chicago: The Heartland Institute, 2001).

With Herbert Walberg, Let’s Put Parents Back in Charge! (Chicago: Heartland Institute, 2003; bilingual edition 2005).

With Herbert Walberg, Education & Capitalism (Hoover Institution Press, 2003).

With Diane C. Bast, coauthor and editor, What’s Wrong with Importing Drugs from Canada? (Chicago: The Heartland Institute, 2003).

Editor, The Conscience of Black Conservatives, by Lee H. Walker (Chicago: The Heartland Institute, 2004).

With Dennis Byrne, editor, Emerging Issues 2005 (Chicago, The Heartland Institute, 2005).

With Diane Bast, editor, Destroying Health Insurance Markets, by Conrad Meier (Chicago, The Heartland Institute, 2005).

Please Don’t Poop in My Salad (and other essays opposing the war against smoking) (Chicago, The Heartland Institute, 2006).

With Sandy Liddy Bourne, Energy Policy for America (Chicago, The Heartland Institute, 2007).

Editor, Unstoppable Global Warming – Every 1,500 Years, second revised edition, by S. Fred Singer and Dennis Avery (Rowman & Littlefield, 2007).

Policy Studies

With George Lephardt, The Economics of Taxicab Deregulation, March 1985.

With Scott Hodge, How Illinois Compares, December 1985.

With William Hunter, Tax Climate in Wisconsin: An Analysis of State and Local Taxes, June 1987.

With Richard Vedder and Lowell Gallaway, Doing More with Less: A Fourteen-Point Plan for Addressing Ohio’s Budget Crisis, March 1991.

With Robert Wittmann, The Case for Educational Choice, May 1991.

With Robert Wittmann, Educational Choice Design Guidelines, May 1991.

With Robert Wittmann, A Marketing Plan for Educational Choice, May 1991.

With Robert Wittmann, An Educational Choice Bibliography, May 1991.

With Robert Genetski, The Illinois Education Amendment: An Assessment, October 1992.

With Daniel Polsby et al., The Killing Can Be Stopped, November 1992.

With Herbert J. Walberg, School Choice: The Essential Reform, September 1993.

With Michael Finch and Patrick Foys, How to Win Illinois’ Battle of the Budget, September 1994.

With Herbert Walberg and Robert Genetski, The Heartland Report on School Finance for Illinois, May 1996.

With David Harmer and Douglas Dewey, School Vouchers: Educational Freedom or Dangerous Regulation? Cato Policy Analysis, March 1997.

With Diane Carol Bast, A Taxing Matter: Changes in Government Revenue and Spending Priorities, 1950-1996, April 1997.

Sport Stadium Madness: Why It Started, How To Stop It, February 23, 1998.

With Terry Francl and Richard Nadler, The Kyoto Protocol and U.S. Agriculture, October 1998.

The Questionable Science of Global Warming, October 1998.

With Jay Lehr, The Increasing Sustainability of Cars, Trucks, and the Internal Combustion Engine, June 2000.

Fiscal Impact of Proposed Tuition Tax Credits for the State of New Jersey, April 2001.

The Heartland Plan for Illinois: Model Voucher Legislation, May 2002.

With Jay Lehr and James Taylor, New Source Review: An Evaluation of EPA’s Reform Recommendations, July 2002.

Municipally Owned Broadband Networks: A Critical Evaluation, November 2002.

With James Taylor and Jay Lehr, State Greenhouse Gas Programs: An Economic and Scientific Analysis, February 2003.

With Arthur Lyons et al., The Right Tool for the Job? An Analysis of Tax Increment Financing, March 2003.

With Dennis Avery, Alex Avery, James L. Johnston, John Skorburg, and Terry Francl, Greenhouse Gas Control: Implications for Agriculture, August 2003.

Municipally Owned Broadband Networks: A Critical Evaluation (revised edition), November 2004.

Selected Published Articles

“Free the Taxicab Industry,” Chicago Tribune, July 24, 1984.

“The Postal Service Monopoly,” Chicago Tribune, October 10, 1985.

“Public Services Need Rigors of Free Market,” Crain’s City & State, April 1986.

“Schools Must Compete,” Crain’s Chicago Business, July 21, 1986.

“Privatization and Public Services,” Crain’s Chicago Business, July 28, 1986.

“Will Illinois Move in the Wrong Direction?” Chicago Tribune, March 3, 1988.

“Reconstructing the Nation’s Worst Schools,” with H.J. Walberg, M.J. Bakalis, and S. Baer, Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 70, June 1989.

“Equal Educational Spending Does Not Equate With Quality,” Chicago Tribune, January 31, 1990.

“Schools Need More than Just Money,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 18, 1990.

“Prohibition Breeding Criminals,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 10, 1992.

“Medical Savings Accounts Better Address Health System’s Ills,” The Business Journal (Milwaukee), March 13, 1993.

“Dead on Arrival: Clinton Health Plan,” The Wall Street Journal, June 10, 1993.

“What Hunger Insurance Could Teach Us About Health Insurance,” The Freeman, December 1993.

“School Choice: The Essential Reform,” with Herbert J. Walberg, The Cato Journal, Vol. 13, Number 1 (Spring/Summer 1993), pp. 101-121.

“Employer-Payments Drive Health Costs,” Human Events, December 18, 1993.

“Hunger Insurance: An Insightful Satire of Today’s Health Insurance Problems,” Atlanta Business Chronicle, January 21, 1994.

“Insurance Creates Appetite,” Chicago Sun-Times, January 29, 1994.

“Food for Thought,” Orange County Register, March 13, 1994.

“The Black Hole of Environmental Regulation,” Materials Performance, Vol. 33, Number 6, June 1994.

“Eco-Sanity: A Fresh Look at Water Quality in the U.S.,” Rural Water, Spring 1995.

“Vouchers Can Help Solve Schools’ Woes,” Chicago Tribune, May 16, 1995.

“Dollars, Sense, and Stadiums,” Houston Chronicle, August 27, 1995.

“The World’s Least Efficient Schools,” with Herbert Walberg, Investor’s Business Daily, May 23, 1996.

“Eco-Sanity: Environmentalism Beyond the Hype,” Sutherland Speeches, The Sutherland Institute, October 1996.

“Global Warming: Economics Vs. Politics,” Investor’s Business Daily, February 3, 1997.

“Best Route To Clean Air: Follow the Market,” News & Observer (Raleigh, NC), February 4, 1997.

“Funding Isn’t the Problem for Schools,” Chicago Tribune, May 10, 1997.

“Are Recyclers Just Another Special Interest?” Investor’s Business Daily, June 9, 1997.

“Time for a New Strategy for School Financing?” Farm Week, November 24, 1997.

“The Myths About Global Warming,” Chicago Tribune, December 3, 1997.

“Growth Management: An Introduction,” Illinois Municipal Review, October 1998.

“States Don’t Deserve to Win [Tobacco Litigation Suits],” USA Today, October 12, 1998.

“Hold Onto Your Wallet!” The Hartford Courant, November 22, 1998.

“Government ‘Sprawl’ is the Enemy of Growth,” Chicago Sun-Times, January 20, 1999.

“Understanding Market-Based School Reform,” with Herbert Walberg, The CEIC Review, Vol. 8, #1, February 1999.

“Mayoral Control is Not the Answer,” Detroit Free Press, February 26, 1999.

“Earth Day’s Not Just for Liberals Anymore,” Chicago Sun-Times, April 20, 1999.

“We Win! A Victory for Vouchers in Florida,” ALEC Policy Forum, June 1999.

“Listen to Little Guy’s Opinions on Land Use,” Chicago Tribune, September 22, 1999.

“Labor Picks the Wrong Allies in Seattle,” Labor Watch (Capital Research Center), January 2000

“The Wise Shall Inherit the Earth,” Chicago Sun-Times, April 15, 2000.

“Norton is on the Side of the Mainstream,” Chicago Sun-Times, January 19, 2001.

“Hard Green,” [book review] The Freeman, February 2001.

“Can You Defend Capitalism?” ALEC Policy Forum, Spring 2001.

“Three cheers – and a sigh of relief – for Boeing,” Chicago Sun-Times, May 17, 2001.

“Microsoft ruling just first step in revamping anti-trust laws,” Chicago Sun-Times, July 2, 2001.

“Appeasement, Legal Wrangling Killed Marlboro Man,” Chicago Sun-Times, September 4, 2001.

“Antitrust’s Greatest Hits: The Foolish Precedents Behind the Microsoft Case,” with David Kopel, Reason, [cover story], November 2001.

“Schundler’s School Voucher Plan Adds Up,” Record (Hackensack, NJ), November 2, 2001.

“Using Vouchers to Reform Schools: A Reply to Conservative and Libertarian Doubters,” The Journal of Private Enterprise, Spring 2002.

“Books, Web Sites Offer Lessons in Economics,” Chicago Sun-Times, April 3, 2002.

“Libertarians, Conservatives, and the Religious Right,” Liberty magazine, May 2002.

“Here’s a Secret: Liberty is Winning,” Denver Post, June 9, 2002.

“What Smokers Deserve to Know,” Chicago Tribune, June 23, 2002.

“Common Sense Environmentalism,” ALEC Lectures, August 2002.

“Book Provides Ammo in War Against Deceptive Numbers,” [review of Calculated Risks], Chicago Sun-Times, August 5, 2002.

“Utopia for Kids,” [review of Princess Navina Visits Voluntaria], Liberty, September 2002.

“Bad Medicine for America,” with Merrill Matthews, Chicago Sun-Times, September 22, 2002.

“Why Conservatives and Libertarians Should Support School Vouchers,” Independent Review, Fall/Winter 2002.

“A Smoker’s Pledge Not to Quit,” Chicago Tribune, January 26, 2003.

“Voucher Advocates Motivated by Compassion,” Wall Street Journal, July 30, 2003.

“Illinois Ills: The $91 Million Boo-Boo,” Chicago Tribune, October 31, 2003.

“New Global Warming Laws Should Worry N.D. Farmers,” Fargo Forum, November 10, 2003.

“Unintended Consequences Could Zero Out Canadian Drug Savings,” Grand Forks Herald, November 12, 2003.

“The Economics of School Choice,” Chicago Sun-Times, December 20, 2003.

“Does Literacy Still Matter?” with Herbert Walberg, San Francisco Chronicle, January 13, 2004.

“School Productivity in Deep Crisis,” with Herbert Walberg, Burlington Free Press, February 10, 2004.

“Broadband Needs Regulatory Relief to Meet Advent of Voice-Over Technology,” Los Angeles Daily Journal, March 11, 2004.

“Let Smokers Know They Have More Options than ‘Quit or Die,’” Atlanta Journal Constitution, June 4, 2004.

“Surgeon General is Blowing the Same Old Smoke,” Buffalo News, June 12, 2004.

“Cutting Emissions Won’t Help,” with Jay Lehr, Chicago Sun-Times, June 28, 2004.

“Can Parents Choose the Best Schools for their Children?” with Herbert Walberg, Economics of Education Review (23, 2004, 431-440).

“New Prescription Drug Web Site Could Mislead Consumers,” Martinez News-Gazette (CA), December 16, 2004.

“The End of Radical Environmentalism?” Desert Dispatch (CA), January 9, 2005.

“Environmental Fact and Fiction Bound Together in Novel,” San Francisco Business Times, January 14, 2005.

“Give the Teachers Power and Watch Schools Improve,” Chicago Tribune, February 8, 2005.

“How Community Rating and Guaranteed Issue Have Destroyed the Individual Insurance Market in Eight States,” Health Insurance Underwriter, February 2005.

“Cities Have No Business Monopolizing Broadband,” Houston Chronicle, March 6, 2005.

“It’s Your Money -- Don’t Let Them Take It Without a Fight,” Chicago Sun-Times, October 10, 2005.

“Fact Stands: Case Is Weak for Municipal Broadband,” Des Moines Register, December 2, 2005.

“Where Are the Controls Over Lawsuit Abuses?”Muskogee Phoenix, December 12, 2005.

“Municipalities Should Stay Out of This,” Fort Worth Star Telegram, February 5, 2006.

“Leave Those Smokers Alone,” Fort Worth Star Telegram, February 22, 2006.

“Drug Debate Needs Dose of Fact-Checking,” Chicago Sun-Times, February 28, 2006.

“Businessman George Ryan Wasn’t Corrupt. Just a Very Ordinary Guy,” Chicago Sun-Times, April 24, 2006.

“Al Gore’s Propaganda Meltdown,” Philadelphia Daily News, June 27, 2006.

“Secondhand Smoke’s Effects Still Cloudy,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 6, 2006.

“In the Shadow of Doubt,” [interview], Chicago magazine, July 2006.

“State Taxes Become Front-Burner Issue,” Orange County Register, August 16, 2006.

“Think Tanks, Lobbying, and Section H: Which Way to Turn?” State Policy Network, August/September 2006.

“Ten Principles of State Fiscal Policy,”with Steve Stanek, and Richard Vedder, Ph.D., The Insider, Summer/Fall 2006.

“The Most Important Political Movement You Never Heard Of,” Chicago Sun-Times, July 5, 2007.

PUBLIC SPEAKER

“Issues in School Finance,” National Conference of State Legislatures Annual Meeting, Tulsa, Oklahoma, August 7, 1989.

“Taxes and Economic Growth,” National Taxpayer’s Conference (National Taxpayer’s Union), Washington, D.C., December 9, 1989.

“Coming Out of the Ice: A Plan to Make the 1990s’ Illinois’ Decade,” Chicago Association of Business Economists, Chicago, Illinois, June 27, 1989.

“Educational Choice,” 58th Annual Joint Conference of the Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Association of School Administrators, and Illinois Association of School Business Officials, Chicago, Illinois, November 17, 1990.

“Chicago Business: Challenges of the 1990s,” City Club of Chicago’s “What Makes Chicago Tick?” Chicago, Illinois, December 4, 1990.

“Economic Development Strategies,” College of DuPage Business and Professional Institute and Economic Development Center Breakfast, Elmhurst, Illinois, December 17, 1990.

“School Financing in Illinois,” The Regional Partnership’s “Paying for Government in Chicagoland” conference, Chicago, Illinois, May 20, 1991.

“Taxes and Economic Growth,” Chicago Presidents’ Organization, Chicago, Illinois, October 9, 1991.

“Privatization Opportunities in the 1990s,” Investment Analyst Society of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, November 11, 1991.

“Why We Spend Too Much on Health Care,” Cato Forum, The Cato Institute, Washington, D.C., January 21, 1992.

“The Future of Health Care Reform,” St. Louis Discussion Club, St. Louis, Missouri, January 30, 1992.

“Public Policy Options for Illinois,” Chicagoland Association of Savings Institutions, Chicago, Illinois, April 28, 1992.

“Ideological Labels and the Death of Politics,” Heritage Lecture Series, Heritage Foundation, Washington, D.C., September 30, 1992.

“Public Policy Options for Wisconsin,” WBA Bank Executives Seminar, Wisconsin Bankers Association, Madison, Wisconsin, February 3, 1993.

“Education: The Funding Dilemma,” Illinois Industry Appreciation Day, Illinois Manufacturers Association, Springfield, Illinois, March 1993.

“Health Care, Economics, and Public Policy,” Finneran Surgical Lecture Series, St. Vincent Hospitals and Health Services, Indianapolis, Indiana, March 1993.

“New Directions in Health Care Reform,” Policy Briefing, U.S. Business and Industrial Council, Washington, D.C., June 10, 1993.

“Health Care: Is there a Conservative Alternative?” National Review Institute Conservative Summit, Chicago, Illinois, June 26, 1993.

“Health Care Reform: Myths, Rhetoric, and Results,” New York Rotary Club, New York, New York, January 13, 1994.

“High-Level Roundtable on Education,” 1994 Annual Meeting of the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships, Washington, D.C., June 14, 1994.

“Why Does Health Care Cost So Much?” Eleventh Annual International Symposium on New Developments in Total Joint Reconstruction, Orlando, Florida, June 16, 1994.

“Rules for Eco-Sanity: Environmentalism Beyond the Hype,” 48th Annual Southern Legislative Conference, Norfolk, Virginia, July 18, 1994.

“Emerging Issues and the Environment for Domestic Clean Coal Technology,” Third Annual Clean Coal Technology Conference, Chicago, Illinois, September 8, 1994

“The National Movement Toward Educational Choice,” 35th Anniversary Meeting of Citizens for Educational Freedom, St. Louis, Missouri, October 3, 1994.

“The Future of Health Care Reform,” panel discussion sponsored by the Rotary Club of Chicago (the nation’s oldest Rotary Club), Chicago, Illinois, October 25, 1994.

“How to Talk About the Environment,” 1994 Annual National Order of Women Legislators Conference, Naples, Florida, November 22, 1994.

“The Role of Think Tanks in American Politics,” Arlington Heights (Illinois) Rotary Club, March 23, 1995.

“Eco-Sanity: The Future of Environmentalism,” 1995 Annual Grocery Manufacturers Association/Food Marketing Institute Environmental Affairs Conference, Washington, D.C., April 24, 1995.

“Eco-Sanity: The Future of Environmentalism,” Quarterly Meeting, Plastic Bag Association, Wild Dunes, South Carolina, May 6, 1995.

“Why We Spend Too Much on Health Care,” Lake Forest (Illinois) Rotary Club, May 23, 1995.

“Role of Consultant/Contractor/Supplier Assistance,” American Public Works Association (Fox Valley Branch) seminar for first line supervisors, crew leaders, and future leaders, West Chicago, Illinois, October 25, 1995.

“The Future of Environmentalism,” Paperboard Packaging Council Annual Fall Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona, October 28, 1995.

“Environmentalism at a Crossroads,” (keynoter) Keep American Beautiful Annual Convention, Washington, D.C., December 8, 1995.

“Eco-Sanity: Environmentalism Beyond the Hype,” Issues and Ideas Luncheon sponsored by The Sutherland Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah, June 12, 1996.

“School Finance Reform: Lessons for Nebraska,” event sponsored by the Constitutional Heritage Institute, Omaha, Nebraska, August 15, 1996.

“School Finance Reform in Illinois,” Itasca (Illinois) Business Council monthly luncheon, January 16, 1997.

“School Finance Reform for Illinois,” testimony before a Meeting of the Whole of the Illinois State Legislature, Springfield, Illinois, February 19, 1997

“Technology and Global Warming,” Town Hall Meeting on Global Warming sponsored by People for the West, Denver, Colorado, June 20, 1997.

“Global Climate Policy: The Economics and the Science,” Western States Coalition Summit, Spokane, Washington, July 11, 1997.

“Sex, Lies, and Global Warming,” Small Business Day, National Federation of Independent Business - Illinois, Springfield, Illinois, March 25, 1998.

“Global Warming: A Debate,” Annual Convention of the Impact Voters of America, Rosemont, Illinois, January 16, 1999.

“Impact of Kyoto on U.S. Forestry Industry,” Annual Convention of the Southern Forestowners
Association, Nashville, Tennessee, May 7, 1999.

“Global Warming: Is the Solution Worse than the Problem?” Annual Fly-In For Freedom, Alliance for America, Washington, DC, May 15, 1999

“Using Technology to Promote Conservative Ideas,” Heritage Foundation Regional Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, September 13, 1999.

“Environmental Issues,” Government Affairs Conference, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Chicago, Illinois, October 7, 1999.

“Selling Ideas: Effective Outreach,” and “Sprawl and Other Environmental Calamities,” State Policy Network, 11th Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas, October 8-9, 1999.

“The Current Status of School Choice,” Fortieth Anniversary Celebration, Citizens for Educational Freedom, St. Louis, Missouri, October 16, 1999.

“Global Warming and Agriculture,” Annual Convention, American Farm Bureau Federation, Houston, Texas, January 10, 2000.

“Using the Internet to Sell Ideas: Looking Ahead,” Heritage Foundation 23rd Annual Resource Bank Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, April 28, 2000.

“School Reform: The Coming Era of School Choice,” American Legislative Exchange Council Annual Meeting, San Diego, California, July 28, 2000

“Risk Assessment,” American Legislative Exchange Council Science Academy, Boston, Massachusetts, March 26, 2001.

“The Market and Education,” Association of Private Enterprise Education Annual Meeting, Washington D.C., April 8-10, 2001.

“Research that Gets Attention,” National Taxpayers Conference, National Taxpayers Union, St. Louis, Missouri, June 14, 2001.

“Federalism versus Economic Efficiency?” American Legislative Exchange Council 28th Annual Meeting, New York City, August 1, 2001.

“Privatizing Education,” Libertarian Party of Illinois Annual Convention, Chicago, March 23, 2002.

“Debate: Should Libertarians Support Tax-Financed School Vouchers?” Foundation for Economic Education First Annual Convention, Las Vegas, May 3, 2002.

“The Case for School Vouchers,” Libertarian Party 2002 National Convention, Indianapolis, July 7, 2002.

“Environmental Education,” panelist, American Legislative Exchange Council Annual Convention, Orlando, Florida, August 9, 2002.

“The Increasing Sustainability of Cars, Trucks, and the Internal Combustion Engine,” keynote address to workshop on “Environmental Systems Decision Making” cosponsored by EPA and SAE, Northwestern University, Chicago, August 19, 2002.

“The Need for Education Reform,” The Wisconsin Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, September 26, 2002.

“The ABCs of School Choice,” panelist, American Legislative Exchange Council, States and Nation Policy Summit, Washington DC, December 13, 2002.

“State Greenhouse Gas Programs: An Economic and Scientific Analysis,” American Legislative Exchange Council, State Task Force Meetings, Las Vegas, March 29, 2003.

“Environmental Policy: Predicament or Progress?” Evergreen Freedom Foundation, Conservative Policy Conference, Seattle, Washington, May 9, 2003.

“Why Carbon Sequestration in the Agricultural Sector May Not Be a Viable Alternative to Greenhouse Gas Reductions,” Testimony before the Clean Air, Climate Change, and Nuclear Safety Committee of the U.S. Senate, July 8, 2003.

“The Economics of Energy Rationing,” American Legislative Exchange Council, Science Summit, Boston, September 27-28, 2003.

“Sound Science and Economics,” Center for Policy Research of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, November 12, 2003.

“The Meaning of ‘Public Interest,’” Northwestern University Law School, Chicago, November 14, 2003.

“Education and Capitalism,” Cato Institute Book Forum, January 28, 2004.

“Warning: Carbon Sequestration May Be a Trap,” Testimony before the Environment Committee of the Iowa House of Representatives, February 9, 2004.

“Jumpstarting the Charter School Movement in Chicago: Challenges and Opportunities,” Philanthropy Roundtable conference titled “How Chicago Can Achieve Dramatic Improvements in K-12 Education,” Chicago, April 22, 2004.

“Closing Remarks,” Chicago Conservative Conference, Chicago, April 25, 2004.

“The Pros and Cons of Drug Importation,” 100th Annual Meeting and Centennial Celebration of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, Chicago, April 26, 2004.

“The Case Against Reparations for Slavery,” debate, Chicago chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, May 19, 2004.

“Free-market Environmentalism,” National Convention of the Libertarian Party, Atlanta, May 30, 2004.

“Can Parents Choose the Best Schools for their Children?” EdVentures 2004, Education Industry Association, Evanston, Illinois, August 5, 2004.

“What’s Really at Stake on November 2?” NFIB-Illinois Leadership Council Meeting, Chicago, August 24, 2004.

“Challenges Facing State Think Tanks Promoting School Choice,” State Policy Network 12th Annual Meeting, Austin, Texas, October 23, 2004.

“Municipal Broadband,” American Legislative Exchange Council States and Nation Policy Summit, Washington, DC, December 4, 2004.

“Libertarian Policy Victories,” Libertarian Party of Florida Annual Convention, Tampa, Florida, February 5, 2005.

“Friedman’s Modest Proposal: School Vouchers After 50 Years,” Association of Private Enterprise Education Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida, April 5, 2005.

“Why Not Muni Wi-Fi?” SuperComm 2005, Chicago, June 8, 2005

“Cost of Greenhouse Gas Control,” testimony before the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Committee on Environmental Resources and Energy, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, June 21, 2005.

“Broadband and Economic Development,” National Governors Association Annual Meeting, Des Moines, IA, July 17, 2005.

“Municipally owned Telecom Networks, an Economic Boondoggle,” Telecom Association of Michigan, Dearborn, Michigan, September 22, 2005.

“Telecom Policy Breakfast” panelist, State Policy Network Annual Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, September 30, 2005.

“Closing the Digital Divide,” debate, Santa Barbara Industrial Association Economic Symposium, Santa Barbara, California, October 28, 2005.

“Should Cities Support Smoking Bans?” debate, National League of Cities annual meeting, Charlotte, North Carolina, December 6, 2005.

“Think Tanks, Lobbying, and Section H: Which Way to Turn?” debate, State Policy Network Leadership Breakfast, Colorado Springs, April 20, 2006.

“Addicted to Oil: Can the U.S. Kick the Habit?” debate, Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, Chicago, May 23, 2006.

“The End of Polite Political Debate ... and Why This is a Good Thing,” National Association of Health Underwriters Regional Meeting, Chicago, August 24, 2006.

“Smoking Bans and Individual Freedom,” Decatur Area Retail Liquor Association, Decatur, Illinois, October 9, 2006.

“Four Things You Can’t Say in America,” National Association of Health Underwriters NE Illinois Chapter Expo, Wheeling, Illinois, October 11, 2006.

“Global Warming: A Scientific and Economic Update,” Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation, Lincoln, Nebraska, February 8, 2007.

“Competition versus Government Control in Health Care,” GNIAHU Fourth Annual Benefit Seminar, South Bend, Indiana, March 14, 2007.

“Freedom Is the Casualty of the Assault on Smokers,” National Association of Tobacco Outlets Annual Award Dinner, Las Vegas, Nevada, April 25, 2007.

“Global warming,” Heart of the Valley Senior Service Club, Little Chute, Wisconsin, June 27, 2007.

“Battling Junk Science,” Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, September 5, 2007.

VIDEOS, BOOKLETS, ETC.

Wrote, co-directed, and co-produced a 20-minute video titled Coming Out of the Ice in 1989. The video involved over a dozen people in studio and a dozen on-site interviews on a wide range of public policy issues, including tort reform, privatization, school reform, and taxes. Participated in every phase, including coaching speakers, selected music, paintbox work, and overseeing final edit. Over 30,000 copies of the video were mailed to opinion leaders in Illinois.

In 1995, wrote and designed a series of six brochures on environmental issues for distribution to elected officials, journalists, and other audiences.

Wrote The Candidate’s Guide to Environmental Issues, a 24-page pocket-sized overview of the pro-science, market-based approach to protecting the environment. Published in October 1996.

Wrote The Instant Expert’s Guide to Global Warming, a 24-page pocket-sized guide to the science and economics of global warming. Published in October 1998.

Comments on proposed Microsoft antitrust settlement submitted to U.S. Department of Justice in January 2002 was selected as one of just 47 “major” letters out of 30,000 submitted, and one of only 5 in favor of the settlement.

Coauthored with Herbert J. Walberg a 29-page booklet titled Ten Principles of School Choice, first in the “Legislative Principles Series” published by The Heartland Institute, March 2004.

Coauthored with Steve Stanek and Richard Vedder a 19-page booklet titled Ten Principles of State Fiscal Policy, second in the “Legislative Principles Series” published by The Heartland Institute, June 2006.

Coauthored with James Taylor a 22-page booklet titled Scientific Consensus on Global Warming, published by The Heartland Institute, April 2007.

Wrote Ten Principles of Health Care Policy, third in the “Legislative Principles Series” published by The Heartland Institute, June 2007.

BOARD MEMBER

Board of Directors of Nomos Press Inc., 1983 - 1988.
Board of Directors of The Heartland Institute, 1990 - current.
Founding Director, officer, and member of the executive committee, State Policy Network, 1991-1997.
Board of Advisors, Advocates for Self-Government, 2003 - current.
Board of Advisors, Illinois Policy Institute, 2004 - current.
Board of Advisors, Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, 2005 - current.
Board of Directors, American Conservative Union, 2007 - current.

HONORS AND AWARDS

Named one of “The 88 to Watch in 1988" by The Chicago Tribune.

Placed in the top 4 percent of 686 competitors in the 1992 New American Schools Development Corporation competition.

1994 Roe Award, from State Policy Network, for outstanding leadership in the state public policy movement.

Commissioned a Kentucky Colonel by Gov. Paul E. Patton on June 19, 1996.

1996 Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award for Eco-Sanity: A Common-Sense Guide to Environmentalism (with coauthors).

Official Commendation for “numerous contributions to public policy research” by Alabama Governor Fob James, Jr., on September 17, 1997.

1998 Eagle Award from Eagle Forum.

2000 Edward Bushel Eternal Vigilance Award “for outstanding service and dedication to the principles of liberty” by the Libertarian Party of Illinois.

Elected a member of the Philadelphia Society in 2001.

2004 Champion of Liberty Award by the National Libertarian Party.

Elected to the Board of Directors of American Conservative Union in 2007.

PERSONAL

Born in 1958 and raised in the town of Kimberly, Wisconsin (population, 6,000), the sixth of eight children. Two-time state champion high school debater. Moved to Chicago in 1976 to attend the University of Chicago. Married Diane Carol Ver Voort (also a state champion high school debater) in 1981, and hired her as publications director for The Heartland Institute in 1986. (Smart move!)

Hobbies include carpentry and book collecting.

Last updated: 1/9/08