Dear Bob,
With the holiday season is upon us, among my friends, there is a palpable desire to return to normality: holiday open houses and parties are resuming, warm greetings—including handshakes and kisses—are exchanged, and, overall, pandemic fatigue is being replaced with holiday cheer.
While we well know that COVID is not gone, it is increasingly accepted that it has been overblown into a pandemic of fear—as Independent proclaimed in these videos earlier in the pandemic:
- Fear: The Fuel of Government Power, Mary Theroux and Graham Walker, March 19, 2020
- Virus and Leviathan: Infectious Diseases and Government Growth, Graham Walker and Christopher Coyne, October 21, 2020
- Origins, Harms and Political Deception of the COVID-19 Lockdowns, Phillip Magness and Graham Walker, March 14, 2021
And while we do not discount that much death and misery has resulted from the pandemic, one thing is crystal clear: one-size-fits-none draconian shutdowns, vaccine and mask mandates, school closures, and other government “emergency” measures made little to no difference in outcomes—one need only look across geography to see that this is so.
Instead, individuals weighing the risks and benefits of differing courses of action for themselves and their families are best equipped to make choices most appropriate for them: protect the elderly (don’t put them in nursing homes controlled by governors!); follow common-sense health protocols, including access to all proven-effective treatments; and be guided by actual science that tells us facts such as children are at little risk and are better off in school (unmasked!)
Equally clear is that elected officials and unelected technocrats ought never have total control over a society and its economy. Unfortunately, in the name of “crises”—wars, economic reversals, terrorist threats, and now a virus—checks on government power have been whittled away, with virtually no protection of individual liberty remaining.
Every day, the Independent Institute leads the way in the vital effort to reverse this assault on our liberties and opportunities: with articles, interviews, op-eds, and videos promoting proven alternatives honoring human worth and dignity.
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Season’s Greetings from the Independent Institute.
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So, as we reach the end of another calendar year, I hope you will consider supporting our critical work to defend, preserve, and advance liberty and prosperity—at a time of great uncertainty and of grave threats to our free society.
Plus, our board has offered a matching gift challenge of $100,000: all donations made to the Independent Institute between now and December 31st will be matched two-for-one! That means that your gift of $100 brings Independent $300, $1,000 leverages to $3,000, and so on!
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Thank you for your kind consideration!
Best regards,
 
David J. Theroux
Founder and President
Independent Institute
100 Swan Way
Oakland, CA 94621
(510) 632-1366
www.independent.org
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