Goldwater Institute
| 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.
Financial support
The Institute's funding comes from other political institutes, private foundations and from individual donors. The Institute does not accept government funds and it is tax exempt, so that its income is not subject to any income tax and all donations to it are tax deductible.
Issues
On education reform, the Goldwater Institute has published articles promoting digital learning, supporting tax credit scholarships, and criticizing administrative bloat at American universities. It also created the concept of education savings accounts that can be used by many Arizona students to use toward private education services. The accounts were first signed into law in 2011 and were expanded in 2012.
On economic policy, the Goldwater Institute has published articles for paying off government debt, reducing regulations, and significant tax cuts.
On constitutional policy, the Goldwater Institute has criticized Arizona's Clean Elections system and campaign finance reform in general, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and government abuse of eminent domain power. The Institute has also pushed for more transparency in government.[12]
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.[13] 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.[14] 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.[15] 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).[16][17]
- 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
- ^ http://www.prwatch.org/files/Report_on_the_Goldwater_Institute_final.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ http://goldwaterinstitute.org/goldwater-dinner
- ^ Schlomach, Byron. Piercing the Fog: A Call for Greater Transparency in State and Local Government, Policy Report, Goldwater Institute, 29 July 2008.
- ^ 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 | ||
