Dear John,

It is hard to believe that it is almost 2011. It seems like just yesterday we were all taking about the big Y2K (2000) and potential computer crashes and system meltdowns. And it was twenty years ago on January 4, 1991, that I joined with Lynn Harsh and a group of dedicated board members to start a tiny non-profit organization we called the Evergreen Freedom Foundation.

The first few years at the Freedom Foundation were tough, no doubt about it. We were at the forefront of what has swelled into the Tea Party movement. When we began there were few voices of reason and common sense loudly proclaiming the need for government accountable to “we the people.”

I remember all the times I walked the halls of Olympia, passing out information about responsible budget principles. I remember how Lynn wrote about the need for better, proven solutions to education problem. I remember the days of marching into agency offices and demanding public documents so we could bring hidden government activities to light.

Some things never change.

Although I no longer need to walk the halls of the Capitol in order to get information to our elected legislators, they still need help with responsible budget principles. Those educational solutions now come in a wide variety of sizes and can be obtained on the internet as well as in a classroom or home setting. And while our public records laws have lead to much more responsive agencies, public records still need to be perused and brought to light…it is just much faster and easier thanks to today’s technology and world-wide information systems. Please click on the video to the right to see some examples and highlights from 2010.

The year 2011 will bring problems both old and new. While budget problems are old news, our state is facing one of the worst budget problems in its history. Next year our state will have the third-largest deficit as a percentage of its budget in the nation…7.1%. Only Illinois and Arizona are in worse shape.

The budget cuts and temporary patches passed by the legislature during their recent special session only delayed the inevitable. The legislature will have to make some hard decisions about what are the most important things for the state to do. We are working with legislative leaders to use this crisis to build a priority-based budget. This means fully funding the most important things first and reducing or eliminating everything else.

But legislators will not make good decisions without the backbone provided by active citizens from around the state. This is one of the reasons we began our Citizen Action Network several years ago. After so many years of working with lawmakers and holding them accountable before the public, we realized that lasting change would only come about when “we the people” became active and joined together to make a difference.

This is one of the reasons we have shifted many of our activities to educating and empowering citizens. While we still work with elected officials, we also work with large groups of freedom-loving people who are awakening to their duty to this and future generations.

One of my very favorite quotes is by former President Ronald Reagan:

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on to them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

This is at the root of what we do here at the Freedom Foundation. We want to make sure this generation fights for, protects and hands our heritage of freedom along to the next generation. And that the next generation will do the same.

Are you ready to do that? Are you willing to fight for, protect and hand freedom along to the next generation? Will you do your part to educate your children and grandchildren about the meaning and frailty of freedom, and their duty to the next generation after them?

I hope your answer is a resounding YES! I know I am doing all I can for this and the next generation. I have done and will continue to work as hard and as long as I can to give a better future to my children and precious grandchildren. This is the best legacy I can have.

If you are able, will you join with me in making a year-end contribution to support our activities in 2011? Online credit card contributions made before midnight on December 31 will count for your 2010 tax-deductible, charitable donations. Checks must be dated and postmarked by December 31 to count for your 2010 tax-year.

The challenges in 2011 will be great, but the opportunities even greater. That’s why I need you to join with me today to aid in the fight to preserve freedom for future generations.

If you have already made a year-end gift, thank you for standing with us! Know that you have joined with more than 5,000 others to make our work possible.

I hope you will have a very Happy New Year and may 2011 be the best year ever!

Cordially,

Bob Williams
Co-Founder and Senior Research Fellow

P.S. Please consider a year-end investment in the Freedom Foundation to help us fight for freedom if you are able. Thank you for your generous support! And may the next 20 years be better than the last!