In the current election season, healthcare and elderly entitlement issues are very much in the news. The National Center for Policy Analysis is aggressively educating Americans about the benefits of consumer-directed healthcare and investment-based reform of Social Security. For example:

• Kenneth Thorpe, the primary architect of Sen. John Kerry's health plan, and I debated the Bush and Kerry health plans at the National Press Club and at a standing-room-only briefing in the Capitol on September 22.
• NCPA Senior Fellow and Public Trustee of Social Security and Medicare, Thomas R. Saving, wrote in a Wall Street Journal editorial that the Social Security and Medicare programs are on a course to consume all federal income tax revenues.
• My Wall Street Journal editorial on Sen. John Kerry's health plan argued that it would radically reform the U.S. healthcare system.
• In a surprise show of common ground, the NCPA and the Brookings Institution co-sponsored a Capitol Hill briefing on reforming 401(k) plans, with Reps. Bob Portman (R-OH) and Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), the leading House Republican and Democrat on pension issues; Gov. Pete du Pont chaired the meeting.
• NCPA Senior Fellow Bruce Bartlett told congressional staff and media at a July 9 Capitol Hill briefing that the financial outlook for Social Security and Medicare is bleak and the impact on the federal budget is immediate.
• A new study written by Senior Fellow Devon Herrick and me argues that Kerry's healthcare plan would lower the quality of healthcare many Americans receive.
  

You are a partner in our efforts to shape policy and improve the lives of all Americans. The NCPA has planned several events for our donors, including two new exciting conferences. The first, which is open to Chairman’s Council members only, will be at the exclusive Lyford Cay Club in the Bahamas. The second conference is open to all donors and will be a luxury cruise from Montreal, Canada, to New York City.

I would also like to announce several important organizational changes to help us have an even greater impact in the future.

The Board of Directors has agreed to become a driving force in fundraising and is proceeding under the direction of Development Committee Chairman Bob Wright with an established three-year development plan. The plan calls for a one-year fundraising goal of $6.4 million with $1.2 million for a reserve fund, and a board commitment to raise a three-year reserve of $5 million.

In order to reach this goal, the board created a governance committee chaired by Fred Meyer that is responsible for assisting the board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities. Thus far, they have established specific criteria for board membership and revised bylaws. The Board also adopted a succession plan to be followed in case of the death or departure of the chief executive. It includes a detailed transition plan and the purchase of a key person life insurance policy to provide the NCPA with one year’s revenue.

We are soliciting gifts for a reserve fund, which will fortify the NCPA in pursuit of its mission. As a contributor to the NCPA, you are a vital part in our work that has:

• Lowered your personal taxes,
• Lowered the cost of capital to companies, and
• Lowered the cost of healthcare for employees.

As a sponsor of the NCPA, you are helping us unleash the power of ideas that may have enormous power to change the course of human events. For instance, 250 million Americans would not have access to Health Savings Accounts today if not for your support of the NCPA and its efforts to develop and market this concept.

To see the long-term impact the NCPA has had on the nation since its origination in 1983, visit our Web site at www.ncpa.org. At this site, you will be linked to our other seven Web sites on numerous policy areas and have access to an important, five-minute NCPA video – http://www.ncpa.org/avo/visual/ncpa8.asx – which will keep you up to date on our most recent activities and achievements. The site also provides a daily update on what’s happening in the world of ideas, including links to major findings and articles from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and many more publications. We hope you will bookmark this site or change it to your homepage and use it as an information resource on the issues that affect your daily life.

Please read through our accomplishments over the past quarter and join me in looking forward to making a difference for our nation in the months ahead.

Warm regards,

Warm regards,

John Goodman
President

Third Quarter 2004: Report to Donors | Highlights | Activites | Quarterly Reports Home