Should U.S. Fiscal Policy Address Slow Growth or the Debt? A Nondilemma
The United States has a simple path to a brighter economic future: slash expenditures and keep tax rates low.
January 9
While America has a tradition of private gun ownership for self-defense and sport, what can be done about the growing conflict between an individual’s right to own guns and the public’s desire to be safe from gun violence? The Second Amendment has long been one of the most divisive issues in American society. While there have been few national legal developments since the Supreme Court’s rulings in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and McDonald v. Chicago (2010), states have been adjusting their laws — and public facilities changing their security systems — ever since the Columbine school shooting in 1999, and litigation continues in the lower courts.
Unfortunately, national discussions of gun policy often devolve into sound bites, dueling headlines, lobbying campaigns, but accomplish little. Polarized, entrenched positions fail to constructively grapple with the fundamental policy question: How do we keep guns away from violent criminals? Should we focus on mental illness, background checks, assault weapons, or something else? In Living with Guns, former New York Times reporter and editor Craig Whitney re-examines the right to bear arms, why it was enshrined in the Bill of Rights, and how it came to be misunderstood. Whitney proposes pragmatic solutions to control gun violence rather than guns, and ideas to keep them out of the hands of the people whom everyone agrees shouldn’t have them. Commenting on this timely new book will be Alan Gura and Alan Morrison, who were on opposite sides of the Heller case.
January 23
Three years ago the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in Citizens United. Later, lower courts followed Citizens United in deciding SpeechNow v. Federal Election Commission, the legal foundation for Super PACs. The nation has now experienced mid-term and president elections governed by these decisions. This conference will examine the consequences of Citizens United. Did anything change? Our experts will then turn toward the future and ask what policies should be enacted (or not) in light of experience and Supreme Court doctrine.
9:00–10:30 a.m. - Panel 1: After Citizens United: Did Elections Change?
Moderator: John Samples, Cato Institute
Robert Bauer, Perkins Coie
Bradley Smith, Capital University School of Law
Ray LaRaja, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. - Panel 2: The Future of Campaign Finance Regulation
Moderator: Michael Malbin, Campaign Finance Institute
Don McGahn, Federal Election Commission
Lawrence Lessig, Harvard Law School
John Samples, Cato Institute
December 5
For more than 30 years, Colombia has been at the forefront of Washington’s international war on drugs. Cocaine production has fueled illegal armed groups and drug cartels whose wars against the government, Colombian society, and each other have cost the lives of tens of thousands of Colombians. However, since the implementation of Plan Colombia in 2001, violence has decreased significantly and the government has made great inroads in demobilizing or defeating the armed insurgencies. Drug production is nevertheless still high and much of it has been displaced to neighboring countries. The speakers will discuss the extent to which drug prohibition has fueled violence in Colombia, the effectiveness of interdiction and eradication efforts in tackling the illicit drug trade, and whether Colombia’s experience can be replicated in other countries such as Mexico.
This event is done in coordination with the Inter-American Dialogue.
December 13
Featuring Mark Calabria, Director, Financial Regulation Studies, Cato Institute; Edward Pinto, Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, Former Chief Credit Officer, Fannie Mae; and Michael Fratantoni, Vice President, Research and Economics, Mortgage Bankers Association of America; moderated by Alan Zibel, Reporter, Wall Street Journal.
December 13
Featuring a presentation and live discussion with Daniel J. Mitchell Senior Fellow, Cato Institute, author, Global Tax Revolution: The Rise of Tax Competition and the Battle to Defend It.
December 12
Featuring Asa Hutchinson, Former Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration; and Robert A. Mikos, Professor of Law and Government, Vanderbilt University Law School; moderated by Timothy Lynch, Director, Project on Criminal Justice, Cato Institute.
December 12
Featuring Michael F. Cannon, Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato Institute; and Louise Bennetts, Associate Director of Financial Regulation Studies, Cato Institute; moderated by Richard W. Rahn, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute, Chairman, Institute for Global Economic Growth.