The best commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence we can imagine would be to put such notions to rest, because they get it exactly backward.
In today’s complicated world, where billions of people are interconnected in ways not even they can fully understand, policymakers intervene at their peril in the voluntary interactions among those people. The perverse incentives and unintended consequences from doing so are impossible to predict and are often dire.
The timeless principles and values of the Founding are reflected in the Cato Institute’s Statement of Principles. They are a thread connecting 1776 Philadelphia to our modern world and continuing into the future. They are the framework for human flourishing, raising our level of prosperity to a degree that would have been unimaginable 250 years ago. They established the moral ideal that sowed the seeds of slavery’s destruction and have challenged us to extend the promise of the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights to all Americans. So long as we continue to follow these principles, they will remain the path to a bright future for generations to come.
But unintended consequences and resulting diminished prosperity are not the most important reasons to uphold these principles. It’s their moral claims that most strongly call us to their defense, so that all people can exercise and enjoy the liberty and rights with which nature endows them as they chart the course of their own lives in a free and open society.
Our annual report resounds with Benjamin Franklin’s challenge to safeguard our republic because doing so, and preserving the values that underpin it, is the moral responsibility of our time. We mark the semiquincentennial at a moment when upstanding character and adherence to principle are in short supply, making Franklin’s charge both prescient and worthy of our commitment.
We’re determined that Cato will continue to stand out as a principled institution and set an example for the country. Cato’s leadership believes that consistent philosophical stewardship of the Institute is our most important responsibility.
But while our adherence to principle is unwavering, our strategies and plans to increase our impact are subject to constant change. Being an organization funded largely by voluntary contributions from generous individuals confers an important duty on us, as does today’s environment, in which challenges to both liberty and the principles of the Founding abound. And that duty is to keep getting better at what we do.
We’re proud to show that principle and impact are not mutually exclusive but can instead reinforce each other. And we’re proud to show that embracing a culture of continuous improvement fosters the accountability, innovation, and strategic thinking that allow us to keep raising our level of performance and impact.
Our Partners are, of course, the biggest factor in achieving these goals. Your support has allowed us to not only reach our original $300 million Vision for Liberty Campaign goal, but to extend it with a more ambitious goal of $400 million. Your generosity has enabled the investments that are fueling higher performance, while making it possible to think about Cato’s future in transformational and aspirational ways. We couldn’t be more grateful.
It’s true that our vision of a free future for tomorrow’s Americans faces serious challenges. But just as the Founders could not foresee the amazing world in which we live today, it’s equally true that, together, our steadfast dedication to realizing that vision will produce a brighter tomorrow than we can foresee today.
