 Freedom's Front Line | |
| Established | 1985; 40 years ago (1985)[1] |
|---|---|
| Chair | Catherine Shopneck[2] |
| President | Jon Caldara[3] |
| Budget | Revenue: $2,230,351 Expenses: $2,782,204 (FYE December 2017)[4] |
| Address | 727 E. 16th Ave.Denver, Colorado 80203 |
| Location | Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 39°44′31″N104°58′40″W / 39.7419°N 104.9779°W /39.7419; -104.9779 |
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| Website | www |
TheIndependence Institute (II) is alibertarian think tank based inDenver, Colorado.[2] The group's stated mission "is to empower individuals and to educate citizens, legislators and opinion makers about public policies that enhance personal andeconomic freedom."[5]
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The Independence Institute was founded in 1985 byJohn Andrews, a former Republican state legislator from Colorado.[1][6] Since 1999, Independence Institute has been led byJon Caldara.[3]
The Independence Institute is a proponent ofeducational choice andcharter schools, as well as the right to bear arms in accordance with theSecond Amendment. II supported school board members inDouglas County, Colorado who became the majority there in 2009 and subsequently curtailed the power of the teachers' union, expanded school choice, and attempted to initiate a voucher system.[7][8] However, a new school board majority elected in 2017 has promised to reverse many of these policies.[9]
Prior to winning election to theUnited States House of Representatives as a Democrat,Jared Polis wrote a white paper for the institute about privatizing the U.S. Postal Service.[6]
Because of the Institute's pro Second Amendment stance, it supportsgun rights, including the right ofconcealed carry.[6][10][11]
In 2013, II opposed Amendment 66, an unsuccessful ballot measure that would have increased the state's income tax by $950 million (which would have begun the hollowing out of Colorado's Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR)).[12] The organization supported theTaxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR), which was passed by Colorado voters in 1992.[13]
II opposed theAffordable Care Act.[14][15] The Institute supports the use offossil fuels.[16]
