Please join us for an informative policy luncheon and intimate discussion with John Allison, president and CEO of the Cato Institute, and Chris Edwards, Cato’s director of tax policy studies and editor of Down​siz​ing​Gov​ern​ment​.org.

John Allison will discuss “The Philosophical Fight for the Future of America”—the battle of ideas and morality between Progressive collectivism and free-market capitalism that will define the future well-being of America. These divergent world views are not reconcilable and lead to radically different public policy outcomes. Cato’s president will examine the threat posed by the proliferation of statist ideas, as well as ways to increase public understanding of the merits of individual liberty and limited government.

Chris Edwards, a top expert on federal and state tax and budget issues, will review historical growth in federal spending and examine damage caused by today’s bloated budget. Although federal spending has leveled out in recent years, President Obama’s budget foretells accelerating spending and chronic deficits. Official projections—which don’t account for new spending or unanticipated negative shocks—expect spending to soar from $3.6 trillion in 2014 to $4.7 trillion in 2019. Edwards will recommend programs to cut and examine whether or not such cuts are politically possible.