Cato Sponsors Prop. 13 Forum The Cato Institute will hold a policy forum luncheon on Proposition 13, Thursday, June 19. Featured panelists for this forum include: Rep. Doug Ose (R.-Calif.); William A. Niskanen, Chairman, Cato Institute; Jon Coupal, President, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA); Lewis Uhler, President, National Tax Limitation Committee; and Michael New, Adjunct Scholar, Cato Institute. Twenty-five years ago this month, California’s Proposition 13 launched a nationwide tax revolt, with reverberations still being felt today. In June 1978, 65% of Californians voted for a state constitutional amendment that limited property taxes. Within a few years, a dozen other states had imposed various forms of tax and expenditure limitations. Prop. 13 also helped pave the way for Ronald Reagan’s ambitious federal tax cut plan in 1981 and inspired numerous attempts to impose added budget restraints on the federal government. Have Prop. 13 and other tax and spending limitation measures been successful? Which types of budget limitations work best, and which should be pursued at the state and federal level? Cato’s panel of experts—including some who helped launch the tax limitation movement—will discuss the lessons learned and future options for tax limitation. Cato policy forums and luncheons are free of charge. To register for this event, please contact Krystal Brand: (202) 789-5229, fax: (202) 371-0841, or e-mail: [email protected]. News media inquiries only (no registrations), please call 202-789-5200. New Book Covers Legend of Prop. 13 A new book details the story of the greatest tax revolt in American history since the Boston Tea Party. In June 1978, Californians rose up in revolt against the state’s tax laws and passed Prop. 13. The populist anti-tax movement, led by 74-year-old Howard Jarvis, turned the political world upside down. Joel Fox, president emeritus of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA) and a former assistant to Jarvis, is the author of The Legend of Proposition 13. The book is the story of the politics, odd tales and bizarre arguments that have surrounded the fabled tax revolt from its success at the polls to its survival—despite constant attacks—25 years later. It is the story of a legend in the making. Current HJTA president Jon Coupal penned a foreword to the book. Coupal writes, "We hope that you will enjoy this book…and that you will be inspired by what thousands of ordinary citizens working together can accomplish to make possible a system of fair and reasonable taxation." The Legend of Proposition 13 (Xlibris, 242pp.) is available from amazon.com or directly from the publisher: www2.xlibris.com/ bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=17928. AIM Luncheon Covers Jayson Blair Fiasco Linda Chavez will discuss the Jayson Blair fiasco at the Accuracy In Media, AIM/McDowell Luncheon, Wednesday, June 18, 12:30pm at Charlie Chiang’s Restaurant, 4250 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. (Van Ness-UDC Metro red line [west] exit.) The Luncheon is $15 for reserved and $20 for non-reserved seats. For more information, contact Charlie Rozier (202) 364-4401 ext: 115 or email: [email protected]. Entertainer Pat Boone Joins 60 Plus Association Legendary entertainer Pat Boone has been named the national spokesperson for the 60 Plus Association, a rapidly growing senior citizen lobby entering its 11th year. Jim Martin, President of 60 Plus, said, "Pat Boone has been a long-time supporter of 60 Plus and is truly an entertainment legend—movie star, gold-record recording artist, best selling author, Broadway headliner and television star." Boone issued a statement from his Los Angeles office and noted that he will play an active role in seeking the immediate repeal of the death tax. "First and foremost 60 Plus is dedicated to repealing the federal estate tax, more properly known as the death tax, and the death tax is one that really hurts. This affects every one of us—we work hard our whole life, pay taxes on what we earn and then when we have the bad judgment to die, the government taxes what we have left." Boone is a native of Nashville, Tenn., attended college in Texas and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Columbia University in New York. He ranks as the 10th top rock recording artist of all time and is back on the Billboard charts with his album "American Glory" and the hit single "Under God." Additional information on 60 Plus is available on their website: http://60plus.org. Abstinence Clearinghouse Holds 2003 Vegas Conference The National Abstinence Clearinghouse 2003 Conference "Beyond the Neon: Creating a Culture of Character" will be held in Las Vegas, Nev., June 26-28, at the J.W. Marriott Las Vegas Resort, Spa and Golf. (Hotel reservations must be made directly with the hotel: (877) 869-8777 or www.marriott.com. Conference registration includes conference materials, attendance to sessions, admission to the exhibit hall, and meal tickets to two luncheons and then banquet. The mission of the Abstinence Clearinghouse is to promote the appreciation for and practice of sexual abstinence until marriage. It serves as a clearinghouse for abstinence information and an association of abstinence advocates. For more information on registration, conference fees, and the conference agenda, call the Abstinence Clearinghouse at (605) 335-3643 or visit the AC website: www.abstinence.net. Study Validates Florida School Choice Program Florida’s McKay Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities, the nation’s second largest voucher program with 9,200 students, is the subject of a comprehensive study conducted by two scholars with the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. Vouchers for Special Education Students: An Evaluation of Florida’s McKay Scholarship Program by Jay P. Greene, Senior Fellow, and Greg Foster, Senior Research Associate at the Manhattan Institute, finds that "McKay schools outperform public schools on nearly every measure available, according to parents, with the same or only slightly more money per pupil. Fully 92% of participating parents are satisfied or very satisfied with their McKay schools, while only 32% said the same of the public schools they had left." Clint Bolick, vice president of the Institute for Justice, noted that "social science research showing positive effects from school choice continues to grow . . . . As Congress is poised to consider a publicly funded scholarship program for the District of Columbia and as state legislatures nationwide debate choice, it is time for policy and politics to catch up with research. School choice works." The study also points out that children who attend McKay schools are in considerably smaller class sizes, which average 12.8 students per class, compared to public schools, which average 25.1 students per class. Eighty-six percent of parents report that McKay schools provide all of the services promised, while only 30% say they received all the services required by law in their public schools. For more information on the school choice study, visit the Manhattan Institute’s Education Research Office website: www.miedresearchoffice.org
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