Goldwater Institute: Difference between revisions
| Line 38: | Line 38: | ||
== Controversies == |
== Controversies == |
||
In 2013, the [[Center for Media and Democracy]] released a report |
In 2013, the [[Center for Media and Democracy]] released a report, [http://www.prwatch.org/files/Report_on_the_Goldwater_Institute_final.pdf ''A Reporter's Guide to the Goldwater Institute''], criticizing the institute for it's secretive funding, lobbying operations as a nonprofit, and involvement in the [[American Legislative Exchange Council]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Report criticizes Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute|url=http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/articles/20130313report-criticizes-phoenix-based-goldwater-institute.html?nclick_check=1|accessdate=22 March 2013|newspaper=The Arizona Republic}}</ref> |
||
The Goldwater Institute has been criticized for a 2011 $1.9 million loan to Shamrock Foods Company, which is lead by Norman McClelland, a member of the institute's board of directors.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Reporter's Guide to the Goldwater Institute|url=http://www.prwatch.org/files/Report_on_the_Goldwater_Institute_final.pdf}}</ref> |
The Goldwater Institute has been criticized for a 2011 $1.9 million loan to Shamrock Foods Company, which is lead by Norman McClelland, a member of the institute's board of directors.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Reporter's Guide to the Goldwater Institute|url=http://www.prwatch.org/files/Report_on_the_Goldwater_Institute_final.pdf}}</ref> |
||
Revision as of 15:34, 22 March 2013
| File:LogoGoldwater.gif Institute logo | |
| Established | 1988 |
|---|---|
| Chair | Thomas C. Patterson |
| President | Darcy A. Olsen |
| Faculty | 28[1] |
| Staff | 20[2] |
| Budget | US$3.5 million (FY10) |
| Endowment | US$1.1 million |
| Address | 500 East Coronado Road Phoenix, Arizona 85004 |
| Location | |
| Website | www.goldwaterinstitute.org |
| Part of a series on |
| Conservatism |
|---|
 |
The Goldwater Institute is a Phoenix, Arizona-based conservative[3][4][5][6][7] public policy advocacy and research organization established in 1988 with the support of the late Senator Barry Goldwater.[8] The president is Darcy A. Olsen. The Goldwater Institute advocates and advances public policies with emphasis on lower taxes, limited government spending, school choice, and a reduction in government management of the economy. It describes its mission "to advance freedom and protect the Constitution,"[9] and it is devoted to the principles championed by the late Senator Barry Goldwater such as "individual rights, economic freedom, and a government of strictly limited powers." Although, later in his life Barry Goldwater became critical of the organization for becoming a big-business lobbying group.[10] In addition to its Arizona staff, the Goldwater Institute has a number of affiliated senior fellows who are not in residence, including Carrie Lukas, Randy Barnett, Alan Kors, and Gordon Tullock.
The Goldwater Institute's annual Goldwater Dinner[11] has featured several prominent conservative speakers including Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and Czech Republic President Václav Klaus. Former Navy SEAL and Lone Survivor author Marcus Luttrell also gave a stirring speech about his experiences in Afghanistan. In 2008 the Goldwater Institute won the Templeton Freedom Award for Initiative in Public Relations. In 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011, the Goldwater Institute was named "Best Capitol Watchdog" of all of the groups following the Arizona Legislature by the Arizona Capitol Times and its readers.
Financials & Funding
The Goldwater Institute is registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and is one of the largest conservative think tanks in the country. Despite being a nonprofit, the institute's staff have received large salaries and bonuses over the years, including Goldwater President Darcy Olsen, whose salary jumped from $180,000 to $268,182 between 2007 and 2011. As the compensation for the Goldwater Institute's top two executives rose 185% between 2007 and 2011, the real median household income in Arizona fell by 13.7% during the same time period.[12]
The Goldwater Institute is largely funded by out-of-state conservative foundations and most of their donors are kept secret. Known donors include the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, the Roe Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, the Bradley Foundation, and the State Policy Network.[13]
Over the years, the Goldwater Institute has received up to $1,000,000 in taxpayer dollars from the state of Arizona in claimed attorneys’ fees.[14]
Issues & Lobbying
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit the Goldwater Institute is limited in the amount of lobbying the organization can participate in, and in 2011 the institute reported to the IRS it spent $17,445 on direct lobbying.[15]
The Goldwater Institute regularly lobbies the Arizona legislature on bills dealing with various policy issues, including education, labor, healthcare, budgeting, pensions, and tort law. As a conservative nonprofit, the institute has supported measures that would stop Arizona from implementing a healthcare exchange under the Affordable Care Act, restrict workers' collective bargaining rights, and direct more public funding for education to private schools through school vouchers.[16]
The Goldwater Institute is also an active member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), where the institute works with corporations and state legislators to come up with "model" laws that support a conservative ideology. As a result, many of bills in Arizona that the Goldwater Institute has supported are actually ALEC's "model" bills.[17]
Controversies
In 2013, the Center for Media and Democracy released a report, A Reporter's Guide to the Goldwater Institute, criticizing the institute for it's secretive funding, lobbying operations as a nonprofit, and involvement in the American Legislative Exchange Council.[18]
The Goldwater Institute has been criticized for a 2011 $1.9 million loan to Shamrock Foods Company, which is lead by Norman McClelland, a member of the institute's board of directors.[19]
Litigation Center
The Goldwater Institute created the Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation, directed by Clint Bolick, in June 2007. The Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation engages in lawsuits against federal, state, and local governmental bodies to ensure adherence to constitutional law and to protect individual rights, such as property rights, from potential government intrusion. The Goldwater Institute funds its litigation center entirely from donations and sues on behalf of citizens free of charge.
The Goldwater Institute filed its first case on June 22, 2007 defending five charter schools from Arizona's department of education.[20] In Turken v. Gordon the Goldwater Institute sued the city of Phoenix over a $100 million corporate subsidy to the CityNorth development which the Goldwater Institute claimed was illegal under the Arizona constitution.[21] In December 2008, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Goldwater Institute saying the corporate subsidy violated the Arizona constitution's gift clause.
On August 21, 2008, the Goldwater Institute filed suit against the Matching Funds Provision of Clean Elections to protect the First Amendment rights of candidates who choose not to participate in the taxpayer-funded campaign finance system. A federal judge ruled the provision unconstitutional but refused to halt matching funds because she said it was too close to the election. On June 27, 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with the Goldwater Institute, declaring matching funds unconstitutional.
In another victory, Preston v. Hallman, the Goldwater Institute successfully sued the city of Tempe, Ariz. on behalf of a tattoo parlor owner whose permit to operate was revoked based on stereotypes of people with tattoos.[22] In two 2010 cases, the Goldwater Institute successfully defended the right of citizens to wear Tea Party T-shirts to the polls, protecting the constitutional right of free speech. Also, in Congress Elementary School District v. Warren, et. al., the Goldwater Institute successfully defended several mothers who were being sued by their school district for requesting their children’s student records.
Active cases
- Boice v. Aune
- Cheatham v. Gordon
- Coons v. Geithner
- Goldwater Institute v. City of Glendale—Public records case concerning the Phoenix Coyotes (NHL).[23][24]
- Korwin v. Cotton
- Niehaus v. Huppenthal
- Tombstone v. United States
- Vong v. Sansom
References
- ^ Senior Fellows, Goldwater Institute
- ^ Goldwater Staff, Goldwater Institute
- ^ Kirkpatrick, David D. (December 28, 2009). "Health Lobby Takes Fight to the States". The New York Times.
- ^ Steinhauer, Jenniffer (September 19, 2009). "In Phoenix, Weekend Users Make Light Rail a Success". The New York Times.
- ^ "Appeals court tosses Phoenix development deal". Tucson Citizen. December 24, 2008.
- ^ "Institute wins partial victory in suit vs Glendale". USA Today. July 21, 2009.
- ^ Sunnucks, Mike (January 12, 2005). "Goldwater group faults targeted tax cuts, others seek wider tax relief". Phoenix Business Journal.
- ^ "The Institute". Goldwater Institute. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ "About Goldwater", Goldwater Institute
- ^ "A Reporter's Guide to the Goldwater Institute" (PDF).
- ^ http://goldwaterinstitute.org/goldwater-dinner
- ^ "A Report's Guide to the Goldwater Institute" (PDF).
- ^ "American Bridge Conservative Transparency".
- ^ "A Reporter's Guide to the Goldwater Institute" (PDF).
- ^ "2011 IRS 990, The Goldwater Institute".
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ "A Reporter's Guide to the Goldwater Institute" (PDF).
- ^ "A Reporter's Guide to the Goldwater Institute" (PDF).
- ^ "Report criticizes Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- ^ "A Reporter's Guide to the Goldwater Institute" (PDF).
- ^ BASIS v. Horne, Goldwater Institute
- ^ Turken v. Gordon, Goldwater Institute
- ^ Preston v. Hallman, Goldwater Institute
- ^ "Glendale mayor urges watchdog to stop stalling Coyotes sale". TSN.ca.
- ^ "Goldwater Institute v. City of Glendale (public records in Coyotes negotiations case)". Goldwater Institute.
External links
- Goldwater Institute
- "Barry Goldwater, Presidential Contender" from C-SPAN's The Contenders, broadcast from the Goldwater Institute
| Political career |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Elections | ||
| Family |
| |
| Other | ||
