FreedomWorks Foundation

FreedomWorks Foundation’s mission is to educate Americans about free-market economics and limited government. We hold several educational events a year with volunteer members, as well as policy workshops with opinion-leaders and policy makers. The Foundation produces easy-to-read educational materials on our values and issues. These include booklets in plain English, online videos, and pocket cards with key facts. We believe in the power of ideas and work to make sure citizens understand the benefits of free trade, market competition, as well as the importance of fair and transparent regulatory, tax, and tort policy.

History:

THE PROBLEM: The America imagined by the Founding Fathers – a nation built on individual liberty, property rights, limited government, and the rule of law -- today faces serious challenges from an unrestrained, encroaching government. Government at the federal, state and local levels has grown to consume over 40 percent of the nation’s income. Taxpayers are assumed guilty under a federal income tax code that is complex, unfair, and abusive. Individual property rights are commonly sacrificed to a regulatory bureaucracy driven by special-interest agendas. And our children are denied their potential by government school monopolies that cannot teach and a Social Security system that is not secure.

How did we get here? Extreme liberal interest groups have hijacked the American political process for their radical agenda. By building powerful grassroots organizations, left-wing groups are able to systematically intimidate elected officials into supporting bigger, more intrusive government.

The result? Our best ideas, from fundamental tax reform to parental choice in education and Social Security privatization are ignored in the arena that matters most: public policy. For all of our innovative ideas, modern defenders of limited government and individual freedom are losing ground. Though intellectually bankrupt, the big government crowd continues to gain.

AN AMERICAN TRADITION: Two hundred twenty-five years ago, a group of men gathered in Philadelphia and declared their independence from the British crown. This act was perhaps one of the most momentous in the history of mankind, because it fundamentally challenged the idea that any individual monarch, despot, or government aristocracy could possess sovereign power over the individuals of a nation. Instead, these “Sons of Liberty” boldly asserted the sovereignty, liberties, and property rights of the individual. We must do this again. Our ideals are at stake.

The process that produced the Declaration of Independence was in some ways typical of American politics today. The result, however, was anything but typical of American politics. It was radical in principle. And, it was revolutionary in practice -- sweeping political change driven by a small cadre of committed individuals armed only with their passion and their principles. Politics as usual would not stop them.

It is hard not to view the Declaration as a political fluke, but it was not. The political momentum for liberty was in large part created by the efforts of an organized cadre of patriots, men who shared a passion for freedom and a willingness to stand up and be counted. These so-called “Sons of Liberty,” led by Samuel Adams, used targeted grassroots activism to undercut American support for British rule and create the political conditions that made ratification of the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution possible.

Speaking truth to power was important, Adams knew, but nothing beat the power of grassroots activism. In the early 1750s, Adams began recruiting activists to the cause of liberty. His tactics often involved anti-tax protests under the Liberty Tree, a large elm across from Boylston Market. Tax collectors were hung in effigy, as they mocked the Crown-appointed governor. Adams also organized boycotts of British goods and town hall meetings at Faneuil Hall, packing the room with patriots so that Tory voices were not heard. Every new policy handed down by George III and the House of Commons was used to build the ranks of the Sons of Liberty. Even the most famous act of Whig defiance against the Crown -- the Boston Tea Party -- was not a spontaneous looting by angry taxpayers, but an operation carefully choreographed by Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty.

The British response to the antics of the Sons of Liberty inevitably helped galvanize public opposition to British control, and ultimately led to the gathering of the first Continental Congress at Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia.

Thirteen years and a successful war for independence later, the Founders codified their ideas for a government that would unite the thirteen colonies while protecting the freedom of its citizens. The Constitution delineated severe limits on government power, created checks and balances within the system to help maintain those limits, and outlined the rights of individuals that could not be infringed by the government. But the Founders were well aware that the freedoms delineated in the Constitution would only survive through the active participation of future generations – new Sons and Daughters of Liberty.

“TRUE BLUE”: Freedom Works Foundation takes its strategic lessons directly from the American Experiment. First, our staff and volunteers alike hold the values of personal responsibility, individual freedom, and limited government dear. Second, we share the same passionate, patriotic commitment to succeed demonstrated by the original Sons of Liberty. Finally, we understand that an effective social movement is almost never built around an engaged majority of the public. As John Adams noted, it is only the “true blue” that count, because they stand up to be counted.

In other words, Freedom Works Foundation strategically targets audiences and communities most likely to show up, organize, and get educated. As everyone knows, most eligible Americans do not bother to vote. Even fewer pay attention to the basic public policy issues being debated by their county commission, their state legislature, or even the elected officials representing them in Washington, D.C. Still fewer know where their elected officials stand on these core issues. Only the “True Blue” take the time to know what is going on, and are willing to show up and let their voices be heard at rallies, town hall meetings, and in the media. These are the people who, like the original Sons of Liberty, drive the engine of our constitutional democracy.

UNDER THE LIBERTY TREE: The free market movement has a well-developed network of “thinkers” that produce an intellectual defense of individual freedom and free enterprise. Think tanks like the Cato Institute and the Heritage Foundation, and university programs at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and George Mason University do this work. But good ideas are not enough to win policy battles and the war of ideas.

While we have focused our energies on developing good intellectual ideas, the radical left has been winning education, marketing, and political battles by focusing on door-to-door, face-to-face grassroots mobilizing.

In other words, the conservative/limited government/free market movement has a big head (better ideas) and a little, weak body (no grassroots muscle). The result: bad ideas continue to dominate public policy while good ideas, like Social Security privatization, fundamental tax reform, educational choice, and economic deregulation become political liabilities for those public leaders brave enough to champion them.

Samuel Adams knew this. While his colleagues would engage in thoughtful discourse, he would gather average citizens under the Liberty Tree in Boston to demonstrate raw political force in opposition to government oppression.

FreedomWorks Foundation is one of the groups working to “take back the streets” for our values and the principles of limited government delineated by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution. We do this through programs that systematically identify, recruit, educate, and engage the “True Blue” of our great country, patriotic Americans willing to show up, learn, and make a difference.

How do we do it? Just like Samuel Adams did (with the help of some new technology): one recruit at a time. The following FreedomWorks Foundation programs are the building blocks of a sustainable citizen army – the Sons and Daughters of Liberty.

Educational Products: The reason FreedomWorks Foundation’s members join our cause is because we represent the ideas they believe in. One of the first things we do with new recruits is provide them with easy to read educational materials on our values and issues. These include booklets in plain English, pocket cards with key facts, and even talking points on timely issues that can be used for writing op-eds or speaking up at a town-hall meeting. While we know the power of ideas when placed in the right hands, we respect the time constraints of busy people. We seldom distribute lengthy white papers to audiences – whether they are members, legislators or reporters – because they seldom have the time to read everything that crosses their kitchen table or desk. We get to the point – clearly.
Internet Recruitment and Education: While Sam Adams did not have the luxury of the World Wide Web to recruit for the Boston Tea Party, we do have an ability to engage tens of thousands of Americans with the click of a mouse. Equally important, our web site, www.freedomworksforme.org, makes our educational products available to untold millions of surfers looking for answers on issues. The “knowledge problem” faced by citizens looking for current information on their government is solved with a quick Google search for “Fundamental Tax Reform.” New recruits are immediately folded into our educational programs, based on their request. Freedom Works Foundation is constantly investing in new technologies, better features, and timely content to maximize the potential of all our online members.
Conferences and Policy Events: One of the best ways to meet new recruits willing to stand up and fight for their freedoms is through events like Freedom Works Foundation’s “Scrap The Code.” This national series of over 40 events in cities across the country pitted House Majority Leader Dick Armey (an advocate of the flat tax) against House Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin (an advocate of the retail sales tax). Such events entertain, they educate, and they draw media attention. In the case of Scrap the Code, tens of thousands of Americans learned the principles of tax reform, many more read about tax reform in press coverage or while listening to live radio broadcasts, or while watching the debate on CSPAN re-runs. Most importantly, we signed up over 50,000 new members willing to engage in the fight to replace the current tax code with a system that is simple, low, fair, and honest. Not every Freedom Works Foundation policy event is as big as “Scrap the Code,” but the purpose is the same.
Liberty Summits: One of Freedom Works Foundation’s premier activities is our “Day At The Capitol,” where real citizens have an opportunity to speak to their legislators about the issues that matter most. While Freedom Works Foundation is careful not to advocate the passage or defeat of pending legislation, participants do “advocate” principles – lower taxes, fiscal restraint, regulatory relief and respect for property rights, Social Security privatization, and limited government. These events sometimes involve as many as 500 citizens at the state capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, or just a busload driving up to Salem, Oregon. Freedom Works Foundation also provides scholarships for members across the country to come to Washington, D.C. to one of our Liberty Summits, national forums to learn, train, and engage senior government policy makers. We even brought members to a Rose Garden ceremony to talk to President Bush about the importance of Personal Retirement Accounts. The purpose of these activities is to make the voices of liberty heard at the highest levels. No messenger is more persuasive than an active constituent armed with the facts and trained to communicate effectively.
Town Hall Meetings: We also keep our members informed about legislators’ town meeting, and provide attendees talking points online on timely issues. Again, freedom’s best voice is that of a concerned citizen willing to show up and make his or her voice heard.
Personal Calls with Policy Leaders: We often invite our most active members to join a private conference call (typically about 40 participants) to discuss important issues. We are looking to invest in broader conferencing capabilities.
Minutemen Club Meetings: These are typically local meetings that are organized by one of Freedom Works Foundation’s volunteer “Minutemen.” These meetings typically occur monthly, with an invited speaker (often a Freedom Works Foundation policy expert or state director) to discuss a timely policy issue. Others deal with training on the fundamentals of grassroots participation (e.g., “How to schedule a visit with your Senator,” or “How to write an effective op-ed”). While attendees typically leave with new information, the importance of these events is in building a sense of community among members and providing a forum for coordinating activities and joining forces. The fight for freedom often seems like a lonely struggle. It is important to know you are not alone.
Educational Mailings: We manage a central database with 280,000 active members and millions of additional names we have acquired. Regular mail communication is important to keep members educated on the newest issues and events, and to build our relationship with those most interested in volunteering their time. We send both newsletters and informational mailings to targeted segments in our database on a weekly basis.

PROTECTING THE FLAME: While the Founders did everything they could in the Constitution to establish a government that would preserve the rights of individuals, they were painfully aware that those freedoms would be protected only through the constant vigilance of the “Sons of Liberty” in succeeding generations.

At Freedom Works Foundation, we believe that the American Revolution for independence and the ensuing battle to ratify the U.S. Constitution were not ends, but two extremely important and successful battles in the continuing fight for the freedoms, sovereignty, and property rights of individual Americans. The Founding Fathers lit the “sacred fire of liberty” that George Washington referred to in his first inaugural address, but they knew that it would only burn bright as long as committed citizens actively fought to protect the flame.

Building a sustainable grassroots army to fight for more individual freedom, less government, and lower taxes is the sole mission of Freedom Works Foundation. We understand that this is not easy work. The radical left has worked longer and harder to “own the streets.” But it can be done. As the original Sons of Liberty demonstrated, freedom can overcome extraordinary odds armed with little more than the principles and passionate commitment of its defenders.

In truth, we have no choice but to fight. The battle has been joined. Please join us in the fight.

THE SOLUTION: We need to build a powerful, countervailing citizen force that can go toe to toe against the labor unions, liberal “consumer” groups, and radical environmentalists. The ideas of liberty need the political power that can be produced by an organized group of Americans committed to our values, trained in effective mobilization skills, and organized to drive the policy agenda at the local, state, and federal levels.

That is who Freedom Works Foundation is. That is what Freedom Works Foundation does. We recruit, educate and train citizens to fight for their beliefs. And we are effective.

Freedom Works Foundation’s mission is taken directly from George Washington’s admonishment to the citizens of the United States to take an active interest in preserving “the sacred fire of liberty.” We do this through the ongoing recruitment, education, and organization of local volunteers based on our core values of limited government and the protection of individual liberty. Freedom Works Foundation has active members in every state and congressional district across the United States. Our education and recruitment programs combine traditional communications methods such as mail, earned and paid media, newsletters, and publications with new methods such as email, interactive web sites, online education and petitions, local conference calls, community events and face-to-face relationships between activists and Freedom Works Foundation staff.

We also employ paid field staff in key states like Florida, Colorado, Texas, Washington, North Carolina, and Oregon. These state chapters are full partners (and not separate legal entities) with the national organization. While our state chapters often develop state specific programs and strategies, all grassroots recruitment programs, policy education activities and fundraising plans are coordinated nationwide. We maintain one integrated database, managed and updated and used by every department and state. On the ground, our staff and activists have developed relationships with key policymakers -- everyone from county commissioners and state legislators to members of Congress, the Bush administration and even President Bush himself. Like Freedom Works Foundation staff, our activists work on local, state, and federal issues, and belong equally to both the national organization and their state chapter.

The reason we have organized this way is straightforward. We believe that the only way to change the direction of public policy to reflect the core values of our Founding Fathers, our institution and our members is through an organized, national, and sustained grassroots presence across the country. This, not sound ideas, is how the organized left continues to win policy debates and thwart responsible reforms.

The Founding Fathers of our great nation always knew that republican government was a process that required the full participation of passionate and patriotic citizens. As Thomas Jefferson observed, “the People are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our Liberty.” The mission of Freedom Works Foundation reflects this view