Every week, NPRI President Andy Matthews writes a column for NPRI's week-in-review email. If you are not getting our emails, which contain our latest commentaries and news stories, you can sign up here to receive them.
Our cause
I want to begin this week by thanking all of you who joined us Tuesday night at the Venetian for NPRI’s 23rd Anniversary Celebration. It was great to once again see so many long-time friends and supporters of the Institute, and to see plenty of new faces as well, as we celebrated 23 years of fighting for free-market principles here in the Silver State.
I’ve received an abundance of positive feedback from many who attended, and a lot of praise particularly for our keynote speaker, Judge Andrew Napolitano, who gave an impassioned speech about the importance of restoring and defending constitutional principles and the rule of law.
Again, my sincerest thanks to those of you who attended.
The only downside to the evening was the 4 a.m. wake time that awaited me the next day. On Wednesday morning, I boarded a plane for Denver, location of the 22nd Annual Meeting of the State Policy Network, where I’ve been for the past few days.
The annual SPN meeting always serves as a wonderful reminder that in this great cause of ours, we’re not alone. All across the country, state-based think tanks are working just as hard to advance sound policy ideas as we are in Nevada.
I’ve had a chance to talk with some of my fellow think-tank leaders, and it’s inspiring to hear what they’re up to. Whether they’re working to advance school choice, make government more transparent or implement tax and budget reform, they all share a commitment to the same underlying principles that you and I hold dear. And they’ve put in an enormous amount of time and effort fighting for those principles.
In my remarks at Tuesday night’s dinner, I noted that it’s often tempting to look at all the challenges facing us today, and to wonder whether we really have the opportunity to turn things around. And I added that when I looked across that room of supporters, and saw in their faces the passion for what we’re doing, the clear answer to me was: Yes.
And spending the past few days in Denver has reinforced that view. All across our country, dedicated, freedom-loving citizens are committing themselves to creating a nation filled with prosperity, opportunity and hope.
Our cause faces many challenges today. But make no mistake: Our cause is strong.
Have a great weekend,
Andy Matthews
NPRI President
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