Marianne Cohan NCPA 25th Anniversary Gala. General Tommy Franks joins NCPA Board of Directors. Steve Forbes talks abut the Financial Meltdown at Latest Sumners Distinguished Lectur Series Luncheon.
1. Vol. XIV, No. VI Nov/Dec 2008
General Tommy Franks, former Commander-in-Chief of Central
Command of the United States Armed Forces, has joined the
NCPA Board of Directors.
“General Franks’s leadership and commitment to freedom and
democracy will make him a key asset for the continued growth of
the NCPA,” said NCPA Board Chairman Pete du Pont.
The Gen.Tommy Franks Leadership Institute partnered with
the NCPA and Oklahoma Christian University earlier this year for
the iDebate: Developing Leaders with General Tommy Franks youth
leadership program.
Gen. Franks (at right with NCPA President John C. Good-
man) was also keynote speaker at the NCPA’s 25th Anniversary
Gala. Event chairs were Ann and NCPA Board Member Ray
Wooldridge, and Honorary Chairs were Elise and NCPA Board
Chairman Pete du Pont.
General Tommy Franks Joins NCPA Board of
Directors; NCPA Celebrates 25th Anniversary
Steve Forbes Talks About the Financial Meltdown at Latest Sumners
Distinguished Lecture Series Luncheon
Steve Forbes, Chairman and CEO of Forbes,
Inc. and editor in chief of Forbes magazine
discussed “Why this Election Matters” at the
latest edition of the Hatton W. Sumners Foun-
dation Distinguished Lecture Series luncheon.
The NCPA and the Sumners Foundation
partnered with the Graduate School of Man-
agement at the University of Dallas in sponsor-
ing Forbes’ appearance.
Forbes told attendees to brace for sig-
nificant hikes in the capital gains tax and the
inheritance tax. “It’s taxation without respira-
tion,” Forbes said in referring to the so-called
death tax.
Forbes also noted that a Democrat-
controlled Congress will have its own agenda
regardless of who wins the election, and the
conduct of the Iraq war, the specter of Iranian
nuclear capability and the economic and
cultural problems in Afghanistan will be hard
problems for the next president to solve.
Photos from the NCPA’s 25th Gala — see insert, pages 3-6
2. National Center for Policy Analysis
NCPA Senior Fellow Devon Herrick addressed an international conference on employer-sponsored health benefits in Sao
Paulo, Brazil, outlining for conference attendees the problems facing employer-sponsored health care plans in the United
States. The conference, Forum Internacional Saúde Corporativa, was hosted by Fenix Editora, a firm that provides sup-
port for the Brazilian human resources industry.
Herrick focused on the need to move away from
defined benefit health plans and to adopt consumer
driven health care models. He also discussed how
firms should provide health care plans for their
employees that encourage workers to be healthy
while providing them with an incentive to be wise
consumers of medical care.
In addition, Herrick spoke on “Medical Tour-
ism: Health Care Free Trade” at the 50th Annual
Meeting of the National Association for Business
Economics in Washington, D.C., at the Institute for
International Research’s Health & Wealth Summit
in Miami and before a focus group of insurance
industry executives in Denver. His presentations
outlined the benefits and obstacles to global compe-
tition in health care.
EconomicGrowth,FamilyIssuesandHealthCare
Herrick Speaks About Medical Tourism, Employer Health Plans
TV Networks Rely on McTeer,
Neese During Financial Crisis
As the country’s financial crisis worsened, national
television news networks relied increasingly on NCPA
Distinguished Fellows Bob McTeer and Terry Neese to
explain the implications of the potential market melt-
down.
McTeer told the Nightly Business Report (PBS) that
the chief culprit for the financial meltdown, especially
among U.S. banks, is mark-to-market accounting.
“I don’t think the current fear in the markets has much
to do with rates,” McTeer said. “I think there have to
be other solutions, and a suspension of mark-to-market
accounting is long overdue.”
Meanwhile, NCPA Distinguished Fellow Terry Neese
told CNN that when candidates court working-class
Americans they need to think about flexibility.
“Hourly workers need to be able to choose between
wages and benefits. It’s critical.” Neese added that 71
percent of workers choose comp time over overtime pay.
3. ALERTNCPA
November/December 2008
Larry and Susan Hirsch (above) with NCPA President John
C. Goodman and an award presented to them as members of the
Antony and Dorian Fisher Society.
Hatton W. Sumners Foundation Board member Jerry Reis (right, above)
and Sumners Foundation Executive Director Hugh Akin (left, above)
with NCPA Board Chairman Pete du Pont.
NCPA 25th Anniversary Gala
Mary and NCPA Board Member Bob Wright
(above) and Nancy Dedman and Charles Sim-
mons (center) with Gen. Tommy Franks at the
Gala’s opening reception.
Marti and Larry Carlin (above) greet General
Tommy Franks. Gen. Franks is the newest
addition to the NCPA Board of Directors.
Event Co-chairs Ann and NCPA
Board Member Ray Wooldridge (above)
welcome guests to the 25th gala.
(l-r) Milo Kirk, Jesse Kirk, Mrs. Martha
Lattimore, Marianne Lattimore, Gen.
Tommy Franks, Cathy Franks, NCPA
Board Member Victor Lattimore and
Linda Whetstone.
4. National Center for Policy Analysis
25thAnniversaryGala
(l-r, above) G.J. Jensen, General Tommy
Franks, Lou Anne Jensen and James Jensen.
Peggy and NCPA Board Member Jere
Thompson (below).
NCPA President John C. Goodman (above)
and Linda Whetstone, daughter of the late
Antony Fisher (at left).
Ruth Buchholz (seated
above) and (l-r) John
Gurun, Mike Walker and
NCPA Board Member Don
Buchholz.
(l-r, at left) NCPA
President John C. Good-
man, Michael Rae, CEO of
Lexicom Internet Services,
Atlas Foundation President
Alejandro Chaufen, Joan
Rae, Heather Rae Johnson,
president of HRJ Consulting
Ltd., and Cliff Rae at the
two-day Atlas Foundation
conference “Risk in a Free
Society,” co-sponsored by the
NCPA, Photos of selected
speakers at breakout sessions
and luncheons at the Atlas/
NCPA conference can be
found on page 6.
5. ALERTNCPA
November/December 2008
25thAnniversaryGala
Elise and NCPA Board Chair-
man Pete du Pont (top, left) and
NCPA Board Member Jimmie
Thompson (above) receive their
Antony Fisher Society awards
recognizing their generous sup-
port of the NCPA.
Gen. Tommy Franks
(above) and with NCPA
Board Member Ray
Wooldridge (below).
NCPA Chief Development Officer Jeanette
Goodman and President John C. Goodman (top)
with COO Richard W. Walker.
Jane and NCPA Board Member Bud Smith
receive an award from NCPA Board Chairman
Pete du Pont.
Syndicated radio talk show host Mike
Gallagher (above) was M.C. at the
NCPA’s 25th Anniversary Gala.
Minnie and Bill Caruth (above) receive their award
from NCPA Board Chairman Gov. du Pont in
recognition of their support of the NCPA.
6. National Center for Policy Analysis
Prior to the 25th anniversary gala the NCPA co-spon-
sored the Atlas Research Foundation’s two-day interna-
tional conference, “Risk in a Free Society.” The two-day
conferenced featured speakers from around the world,
including several NCPA experts.
NCPA Advisory Board Member Derwood Chase
and Distinguished Fellow Bob McTeer led a discussion
about the international
implications of the widen-
ing financial crisis. “While
this is a time of high
anxiety in the world of
finance,” Chase said, “it
is also a time of exciting
25thAnniversaryGalaandAtlasEconomicResearchFoundationInternationalConference
NCPA Co-sponsors Atlas Freedom Conference on Freedom and Risk
NCPA Advisory Board Member
Derwood Chase (left), NCPA
Board Chairman Pete du Pont
with Linda Whetstone (above)
and Andrei Illarionov (right) led
discussions at the two-day Atlas
conference in Dallas.
Sara Sue and NCPA
Advisory Board
Member Don Potts
(left) with General
Tommy Franks at
the Gala reception
and Beverly and Don
Freeman (right).
Linda and Steve Ivy
(left) with General
Tommy Franks and
Connie Harkins
and Douglas Newby
(right) with Gov. du
Pont.
global opportunities.”
Atlas Foundation president Alejandro Chaufen key-
noted the two-day conference and led the discussion about
the role of think tanks in solving the dilemma of risk.
Andrei Illarionov, former chief economic advisor to
Russian President Vladimir Putin, keynoted the closing
luncheon address, focusing on how the recent invasion of
Georgia fit within Russia’s broader economic goals.
“Russia wants and needs to be the pipeline to Eu-
rope,” Illarionov said. “Their economy is not strong
without access to those
markets.”
Other speakers at
the two-day conference
included Argentinian
economist Armando
Ribas, Sebastian Gorka
of the Joint Special
Operations University,
Steve Emerson of the
Investigative Project
on Terrorism and Sally
Pipes of the Pacific
Research Institute.
7. ALERTNCPA
November/December 2008
Goodman Critiques Presidential
Health Reform Plans
Wyly Discusses New Book,Successes at NCPA Reception
NCPA President John C. Goodman told CNBC’s
Wall St. Journal Report with Maria Bartiromo
that neither presidential candidates’ health plan
will solve the major problems of an increasingly
dysfunctional U.S. health care system.
“Neither candidate has a permanent, realistic
solution for the types of promises we keep hearing
from them,” Goodman said.
The health care plans of both candidates
focus on the escalating cost of health insurance
and the number of uninsured Americans.
Sen. McCain’s plan would not eliminate
employer-sponsored health insurance, according
to Dr. Goodman, but will shift its focus. “Today,
it’s very unfair. If you buy your own health insur-
ance you get no tax relief. Current tax subsidies go predominantly to high-income people. McCain would give the same
deal to everyone.”
Meanwhile, “Sen. Obama’s plan is a pay-for-play tax that falls mainly on middle-income uninsured workers. That’s
taxing the same people you’re trying to help,” he added. “It’s also taxing the people least able to afford health insurance.”
Dallas entrepreneur Sam
Wyly (below, left) discusses
his new book with NCPA
President John C. Goodman
(below, right). Wyly, an
alumnus of Louisiana
Tech University, sponsors
an NCPA Junior Fellow
from his alma mater. The
Wyly Junior Fellow assists
with research, publishes
articles and is an integral
component of the NCPA’s
youth outreach program.
Sam Wyly, who built several best-of-breed businesses from
the ground up, discussed his recently released memoir, “1,000
Dollars & an Idea,” with NCPA John C. Goodman at a
reception sponsored by the NCPA.
“You have to work hard, apply yourself fully, do your
homework diligently, but you also have to be true to your
interests, your ethics, your ideas, your desires and your pas-
sions,”said Wyly.
His memoir (www.1000DollarsAndAnIdea.com.) details
how after his first job at IBM, he risked $1,000 of his sav-
ings to become a millionaire before he was 31.
Wyly also created software companies such as Sterling
Software and Sterling Commerce,
grew Bonanza Steakhouses to
600 restaurants, grew a small
arts-and-crafts company into
more than 900 Michael’s stores,
created Green Mountain Energy,
arguably the most profitable
“green business” in the U.S., and
waged an anti-monopoly battle
against AT&T while building
the first telephone company for
computers.