The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: A History

Save the Treehouse Today! Join Treehouse Dad at Zoning Meeting at 9 AM today!

November 30, 2011

Save the Treehouse Today! Join Treehouse Dad at Zoning Meeting at 9 AM today!

In October, Fairfax County authorities told a Falls Church father and Iraq war veteran that the tree house he built in his yard had to come down. On Wednesday, Mark Grapin is taking his case, and 1,500 signatures of support, to the county zoning board. After he returned from his last tour of duty in the Middle East, Grapin spent six weeks and $1,400 to build a 10-by-10 foot tree house in his front yard. But after an anonymous complaint, Fairfax County put him on notice that the structure violated zoning laws.

BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS MEETING

NOVEMBER 30, 2011

WHEN: 9:00 A.M. MARK W. GRAPIN, VC 2011-MA-007 Appl. under Sect(s). 18-401 of the Zoning Ordinance to permit accessory structure in a front yard on a lot containing 36,000 sq. ft. or DH less.

LOCATION:

Board of Zoning Appeals Meeting

1200 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA

Main Commissioner’s Auditorium

posted by Heather Smith on 11/30/2011 6:43:01 AM

Taxes and Debt, a Debate

Pledge or Wedge? Grover Norquist vs. Ross Douthat on the Taxpayer Protection Pledge

The American Enterprise Debates

Tuesday, November 29, 2011 | 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

AEI, Twelfth Floor
1150 Seventeenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036

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Event Registration is Closed

Video

About This Event

Online registration is closed. Walk-in registrations may be accepted.

If you cannot attend, we welcome you to watch the event live on this page.

In the next American Enterprise Debate, Grover Norquist, founder of
Americans for Tax Reform, will argue that the Taxpayer Protection
Pledge is an effective bulwark against tax increases. New York Times
 columnist Ross Douthat will counter with his claim that the tax
 pledge has created political gridlock that threatens to derail serious
 tax reform and deficit reduction. AEI research fellow and former
 chief economist to the House Ways and Means Committee
 Alex Brill will moderate.

Agenda

5:15 PM
Registration

5:30 PM
Introduction:
ALEX BRILL, AEI

Debate:
GROVER NORQUIST,  Americans for Tax Reform
ROSS DOUTHAT, New York Times

Moderator:
ALEX BRILL,  AEI

6:30
Adjournment
Wine and Cheese Reception 

Event Contact Information

For more information, contact Daniel Hanson at daniel.hanson@aei.org
 or 202.862.5883.

Media Contact Information

For media inquiries, contact Veronique Rodman at vrodman@aei.org
or 202.862.4870.

Speaker Biographies

Grover G. Norquist has been one of most effective issues
management strategists in Washington for three decades. Mr.
 Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), a
 taxpayer advocacy group he founded in 1985 at President Reagan’s
 request. ATR is a coalition of taxpayer groups, individuals and
 businesses opposed to higher taxes at the federal, state and local
 levels. ATR organizes the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, which asks
 all candidates for federal and state office to commit in writing to
 oppose all tax increases. In the 112th Congress, 238 House members
and 41 Senators have taken the pledge. On the state level, 13 governors
 and 1,249 state legislators have taken the pledge.

Ross Douthat joined the New York Times as an op-ed columnist in
 April 2009. Previously, he was a senior editor at the Atlantic and a blogger
 for theatlantic.com. He is the author of Privilege: Harvard and the
 Education of the Ruling Class (Hyperion, 2005), and the co-author,
with Reihan Salam, of Grand New Party: How Republicans Can
Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream (Doubleday, 2008).
He is the film critic for National Review.

Alex Brill, a former senior adviser and chief economist to the House
Ways and Means Committee, also served on the staff of the President’s
 Council of Economic Advisers (CEA). In Congress and at the CEA, Mr.
 Brill worked on a variety of economic and legislative policy issues,
including dividend taxation, the alternative minimum tax, international tax
policy, social security reform, defined benefit pension reform and U.S.
 trade policy. At AEI, Mr. Brill studies the impact of tax policy on the U.S.
 economy; the fiscal, economic and political consequences of stimulus
 legislation; health care reform; pharmaceutical spending; unemployment
 insurance reform; and financial innovation and technology.

RON PAUL – An Appeal to Democrats

December Roundtable: 2012 Presidential Election

December Roundtable: 2012 Presidential
Election

Public Event · By America’s Future Foundation

EventsInvite Friends

Going

You’re going.

See All

• • When

    Wednesday, December 14, 2011
  • Time

    6:30pm until 9:00pm

• Description

  America’s Future Foundation presents a December Roundtable  discussion with representatives from the 2012 GOP presidential campaigns. Speakers to be Announced Soon 6:30 pm Drinks & Appetizers 7:00 pm Program The Fund for American Studies 1706 New Hampshire Ave. NW Washington, DC 20009 Metro: DuPont Circle $5 for General Public, Free for Members – Join Now For more information, call (202) 331-2261 or email Heather Curry at heather@americasfuture.org

Left Turn: How Liberal Media Bias Distorts the American Mind

BOOK FORUM
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
11:30 AM (Luncheon to Follow)

Featuring the author Tim Groseclose, Department of Political Science, UCLA; with comments by Alex Mooney, Executive Director, The National Journalism Center; moderated by John Samples, Cato Institute.

Mount Vernon Place, Undercroft Auditorium, 900 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001

Purchase Book

Many people believe that the mainstream media favors liberal points of view. Studies of media bias, however, have found mixed results. Tim Groseclose, a professor of political science and economics at UCLA, has spent years constructing precise, quantitative measures of the slants of media outlets. Utilizing these tools, he finds that all mainstream media outlets have a liberal bias and that while some supposedly conservative outlets lean right, their conservative bias is less than the liberal bias of most mainstream outlets. Equally important, Groseclose shows that the general leftward bias of the media affects the political views of Americans. Media bias matters in shaping elections and policymaking. Please join us to hear Professor Groseclose discuss his new book, a work that could not be more important as we enter a presidential election year.

Cato events, unless otherwise noted, are free of charge. To register for this event, please fill out the form below and click submit or email events@cato.org, fax (202) 371-0841, or call (202) 789-5229 by 11:30 AM, Tuesday, November 29, 2011. News media inquiries only (no registrations), please call (202) 789-5200.

David Friedman at CATO

Physicist turned law and economics professor, Milton Friedman’s son, and father of the Seasteading Institute’s Patri Friedman speaks on market generated law.

The Market for Law

POLICY FORUM
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Noon (Luncheon to Follow)

Featuring David Friedman, Author, Law’s Order and The Machinery of Freedom; moderated by David Boaz, Executive Vice President, Cato Institute.

Mount Vernon Place, Undercroft Auditorium, 900 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001

Is there a market for good law? Without the state providing law, could it be offered by multiple, private, and competing agencies? David Friedman, professor of law at Santa Clara University, explored this idea in his classic 1973 book, The Machinery of Freedom: Guide to a Radical Capitalism. But in the years since, he’s revised and strengthened some of his theories. In this talk, Friedman will offer these new ideas from the last 30 years of thinking about the market for law.

Why America Needs to Stop ‘Going Green’ and Start ‘Going Industrial’

Why America Needs to Stop ‘Going Green’

and Start ‘Going Industrial’

Public Event · By GMU Objectivists

nDecline

You might go.

See All

• • When

    Thursday
  • Time

    8:00pm until 9:30pm

• Where

  George Mason University, Sub II, Ballroom

• Description

  Please join GMU Objectivists for our second speaking event of the year featuring Objectivist author, philosopher, and activist Alex Epstein! GMU Objectivists is a student club that and seeks to promote Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism, on campus. Lecture synopsis below: In the wake of two recessions following two fleeting, largely service-sector bubbles—the dot-com bubble and the housing/financial bubble—Americans are hungry for a new wave of industrial progress. But few realize that the major force holding back America’s industrial progress is the ubiquitous  “green” movement, whose anti-development political policies have made  it ruinously difficult to start new industrial projects. In this iconoclastic  speech, Alex Epstein, Founder of the Center for Industrial Progress,  argues that Americans need to re-embrace industrial progress–the  improvement of our environment through energy and development– as our cultural ideal. Alex Epstein’s bio here: http://alexepstein.com/about/ Directions to campus and campus map here:  http://www.gmu.edu/resources/welcome/Directions-to-GMU.html

Students for Liberty conference in DC in February

5th International Students For Liberty Conference

What: The World’s Largest Gathering of Pro-Liberty StudentsWhen: Friday, February 17 – Sunday, February 19, 2012Where: Grand Hyatt Hotel, Washington DC

We are pleased to invite all students and alumni interested in liberty to attend the 5th annual International Students For Liberty Conference! The International SFL Conference is the premiere event of the year for students dedicated to liberty and advancing freedom on campus. The world’s largest crowd of pro-liberty students will gather for a weekend of learning about liberty from contemporary leaders in liberty, discussing best practices for promoting liberty on campus, and getting more involved in the larger movement for liberty.

The ISFLC has grown every year in size and quality and this year will be by far the best yet.

Special Features of the 2012 ISFLC

The STOSSEL Show, Part II: John Stossel enjoyed recording an episode of his show at the 2011 ISFLC so much that he is coming back for round two.  This year John will be bringing with him not just one guest but a libertarian all-star lineup with different special guests for each segment. Our special guests will be announced as we get closer to the conference.

Opening Performance by GoRemy: The 2012 International Students For Liberty Conference will open with a bang with a special guest performance by GoRemy, the creator and star of such videos as the Raise the Debt Ceiling Rap, The Arlington Rap,Do the TSA Pokey Pokey and many more!

Friday Keynote by Peter Thiel: We are thrilled to announce that our Friday Night Keynote will be libertarian entrepreneur, PayPal founder, Facebook investor, and venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who will be accepting the first SFL Alumnus of the Year Award!

Breakout Sessions, Something for Everyone: We will once again have a diverse offering of breakout sessions at the ISFLC.  Topics will range from Liberty 101 to Advanced Austrian Economics and Civil Liberties.

New Hotel Venue, The Grand Hyatt Washington: The ISFLC has grown so much that we can no longer hold it in a campus venue.  We are moving to the Grand Hyatt in downtown Washington, DC with a special discount rate for conference attendees.  Space is limited, so click here to make your reservation today.

Reduced Registration Prices: This year we have dramatically reduced the registration costs so that as many students can attend as possible.  Early rates are $10 for students and $20 for alumni (all non-students).  Lock in these incredibly low rates now by registering at http://2012isflc.eventbrite.com/.

RSVP on Facebook and Invite your friends!

The Market for Law

POLICY FORUM
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Noon (Luncheon to Follow)

Featuring David Friedman, Author, Law’s Order and The Machinery of Freedom; moderated by David Boaz, Executive Vice President, Cato Institute.

Mount Vernon Place, Undercroft Auditorium, 900 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001

Is there a market for good law? Without the state providing law, could it be offered by multiple, private, and competing agencies? David Friedman, professor of law at Santa Clara University, explored this idea in his classic 1973 book, The Machinery of Freedom: Guide to a Radical Capitalism. But in the years since, he’s revised and strengthened some of his theories. In this talk, Friedman will offer these new ideas from the last 30 years of thinking about the market for law.

Cato events, unless otherwise noted, are free of charge. To register for this event, please fill out the form below and click submit or emailevents@cato.org, fax (202) 371-0841, or call (202) 789-5229 by noon, Monday, November 28, 2011. News media inquiries only (no registrations), please call (202) 789-5200.