Dear John,

Where I grew up, we had three words to describe building a better life through honest work: The American Dream.

In my career at Atlas Network, I’ve learned in so many unforgettable ways that people all over the world share that same ideal. 

I also hear a lot about how government overreach and corruption can crush the dreams of people who just want to make a living. Honestly, there isn’t a single country, including the United States, that doesn’t fall short in this area. 

What’s amazing about being part of a worldwide freedom movement is that people who want to uplift their country with the freedom to work are never alone in their efforts. Atlas Network partners regularly collaborate through our Liberty Forum conferences, webinars, trainings, facilitated workshops, and much more.

And we don’t just talk about how things can be better. We work to develop and support idea entrepreneurs with local solutions that truly remove barriers to economic freedom for millions—if not billions—of people.

Here in the U.S., Atlas Network partners are taking state licensing boards to court for standing in the way of workers and entrepreneurs serving their communities. 

In Louisiana, our friends at the Pelican Institute are helping Lara, a veterinarian and a working mom, fight back against an arbitrary rule that denied her the right to practice in her home state, solely because she made time to care for her kids while continuing her career: https://www.atlasnetwork.org/stories/louisiana-vet-working-moms 

In the nation’s capital in Washington, a number of Atlas Network partners are sounding the alarm on what’s going on at the U.S. Department of Labor. Regulators are attempting to make the rules for working in the gig economy so confusing and complicated that companies will avoid doing business with 1099 contractors, in fear of having to classify them as employees. 

Tens of millions of Americans could lose the ability to have flexible work opportunities, from working moms like Lara, to students, to people with disabilities. 

In times like these, it’s good to have allies and mentors who can light the path to victory. You see, these attacks on freelancers we’re seeing in the United States are also happening in the European Union, and our partners at Free Trade Europa have set a strong example for how to defend the freedom to freelance: atlasnetwork.org/stories/freedom-to-freelance.

And it’s not just gig economy workers or animal doctors who face these obstacles—governments around the world use bad laws to victimize people in virtually any field you can imagine. The standard we set at home has an influence on what happens around the globe.

Most of the working people on this planet still live under a thick layer of bureaucracy and corruption that prevents them from accessing formal economic opportunities—things like being licensed to work, or to freely register and run a business. 

Of course, existing outside the formal economy limits a person’s earning potential, but it also denies them the dignity that should be afforded to a human being. 

Their property can be destroyed or confiscated with no recourse, they can face demands for bribes, and ultimately, they can be met with violence and be put in jail, simply because they want to earn an income and better their circumstances.

These are all deeply troubling challenges that can seem too far away or hopeless. But I’m here to tell you that the idea entrepreneurs we support are proving they can solve these problems every single day with the principles we all share: individual rights, the rule of law, free competition, and economic choice. 

From Brazil, to India, and everywhere in between, Atlas Network partners are empowering and supporting each other—doing whatever it takes—to make the dream of economic liberty a reality.

All my best,

Kam