01 Jan 2003 National Center for Public Policy Research “In the News” newsletter – Spring 2003

Dear Friend, A few months ago, one of my colleagues here at The National Center got out a ruler and a calculator and figured out that, if copies of all the print media The National Center received in 2002 were laid end-to-end, the paper trail would cover the distance of almost two-and-a-half trips to the Observation Deck of the Empire State Building from the ground. I have to admit, I was kind of impressed. Of course, the way one gets attention like that for the conservative/free market causes is by having something significant to say. I think we do. In recent weeks, for instance, we’ve published our book, Shattered Dreams: 100 Stories of Government Abuse, our fourth compilation of stories of victims of regulatory and government abuse. In it, we’ve told 100 stories that should make any red-blooded American’s blood boil. Stories about how the National Park Service, in violation of federal law, blocks off roads in winter, forcing families in rural areas to walk home in wolf country. Stories about a church losing its building to government takeover without proper notice or full compensation. Or stories about how Janet Reno’s Justice Department tried to confiscate funds belonging to Third World orphans, or how a man may lose his brake repair business because his local government wants to give his land to a hardware store. I could go on, but I also want to tell you about our study showing how policies advocated by the environmental left disproportionately hurt minorities and the poor. Imagine that: the left loves to complain (falsely) that conservatives don’t care about the poor and minorities, yet it pushes policies that harm these very groups! (And we can’t help but notice that although our study received national publicity, Jesse Jackson hasn’t said a word about it.) Speaking of harm, we’ve also gotten a great deal of attention talking about the United Nations — and why no President of the United States needs U.N. permission to defend the U.S. from threats. If you’d like copies of our work, visit our website at www.nationalcenter.org, drop us a note or give us a call. We’d love to hear from you! With best wishes, Amy Ridenour President