The Policy Circle was pleased to welcome five new Circles starting up in Texas, Illinois, Ohio and Indiana during the months of March and April, bringing our total to 18 Circles. This summer will also mark the start of our first Policy Circle in New York, right in the heart of Manhattan.
What Circles Discussed
18 different Circle meetings took place during March, April and May about a variety of policy topics, including free-enterprise, poverty, taxes, and education reform. Many Circles follow “A Year of Circle Conversations,” which provides an outline for suggested monthly topics with accompanying briefs for Circles to read and discuss. Various Policy Circle briefs provided content for discussion this spring, including briefs on Poverty; Taxation, with specific information for Illinois Circles who live in a state with some of the highest real estate taxes in the nation; and Education Reform, which remains a popular topic across Circles in many states. Several groups have discussed vouchers, school choice, consolidation of school districts and measures of student progress.
The Solutions
Groups discussed solutions to these problems and how to influence change; for example, in terms of poverty reduction, members emphasized limiting “government involvement and instead focus on more local efforts” and private organizations to achieve positive results. One example cited was Safe Families for Children, “an organization founded in Chicago and currently operating in 70 cities in the U.S., with which two Liberty Circle members are personally involved…Safe Families has a 93% success rate of reuniting parents and their children with the goal to keep kids out of the ‘system.’ “
Becoming an Influencer
In Illinois, regarding taxation, several women decided to contact legislators about reform on bills that could reduce the layers of municipal government (the legislation eventually passed!). Several also travelled to Springfield to meet face-to-face with legislators to support protecting their governor’s role in contract negotiations with state workers.
Policy Circle members in several states also participated in a variety of local events such as lunch with AEI President Arthur Brooks, a presentation by journalist Cokie Roberts, Yankee Institute’s Tax Advocacy Day and a movie screening with Free to Choose Network and CATO scholar Johan Norberg. One of the benefits of membership in The Policy Circle is access to a variety of outside events with organizations who share a core belief in individual liberty and the power of free markets.
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