There’s a lot of talk about California being a basket case, and the state certainly is suffering from the predictable results of bad policies.
But the good news is that state and local governments’ decades-long failure on issues such as homelessness and crime has mobilized residents to organize and seek solutions. And we’ve been able to tap into this demand by building and supporting a Beyond Homeless private-sector coalition advancing bold initiatives.
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Yet beyond the prospect of having a substantial, positive impact on the homelessness crisis is an even more exciting prospect: that, through working together and seeing success with this initiative, people will learn that together we can solve other issues of concern—we don’t need to beg city hall, the state capitol, or Washington, DC to solve our problems.
It’s a wonderful lesson, most compellingly captured in Alexis de Tocqueville’s portrait of early America in Democracy in America, documenting Americans’ self-sufficiency in forming associations to meet all their communities’ needs, from schools and libraries to hospitals, without looking to government.
In the almost 200 years since Tocqueville’s tour of America, we’ve been steadily fed the myth that only government can provide such so-called public goods. But as our Lighthouse logo and countless other examples attest, it just ain’t so!
 Fortunately, we have at-hand enterprising solutions to inspire action by organizations and networks that can unleash an era of unparalleled human flourishing at home and around the globe: from safety and national security—yes, individuals can impact even this—to education, healthcare, and more.
So, thank you for your support that makes moving ideas into impact possible. These are exciting times, and we look forward to being part of even greater changes ahead!
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Sincerely,
 
Mary L. G. Theroux
Chairman and Chief Executive
Independent Institute
100 Swan Way
Oakland, CA 94621
(510) 632-1366
Send email
www.independent.org
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