Past events
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2008
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2007
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2006
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2005
Regional Small Business Forums Wrap up; More than 600 Gathered to Discuss Issues across Washington
Over the past several weeks Washington Policy Center has held Small Business Forums in Spokane, Tri-Cities, Bellevue, Wenatchee, Tacoma, and Vancouver. We've been holding these forums for three years and 2008 brought the most participants ever!
In Bellevue, Wells Fargo economist Dr. Eugenio Aleman talked about the federal economic bailout and its implications for small businesses. Rep. Larry Seaquist (D-Gig Harbor) and Rep. Bill Hinkle (R-Cle Elum), who both serve on the House Health Care & Wellness Committee, talked about their parties' agendas for health care reform, particularly the issue of access for small
businesses.
The Wenatchee and Tacoma forums were part of the regular gatherings for the local chambers of commerce. Carl Gipson, director of WPC's Center for Small Business, spoke about the business climate in general and the B&O tax in particular. Todd Myers, director of WPC's Center for the Environment, talked about eco-fads and how market-driven mechanisms are greening our economy and lifestyle much more effectively than government-imposed mandates. Donna Steward of the Association of Washington Business looked ahead to the upcoming legislative session and discussed the various health care reform plans lawmakers are considering.
• Carl Gipson, Center for Small Business Director give Overview of WPC & Small Business Center
• Donna Steward, Association of Washington Business talks about Potential Health Care Changes
• Michael Ennis, Center for Transportation Director discusses Transportation Policy in 2009
• Todd Myers, Center for the Environment Director on How to avoid “eco-fads”
• Questions and Answers
The Vancouver forum welcomed a packed room of area business owners and community leaders, including new WPC board member Jerry Nutter. WPC experts spoke on transportation and the environment. Gary Smith, executive director of the Independent Business Association, spoke on health care reform and gave an overview of proposed reforms from the perspective of small businesses.
• Carl Gipson, Center for Small Business Director discusses his B&O Policy Note Series
• Gary Smith, Executive Director, Independent Business Association discusses health care issues
• Michael Ennis, Center for Transportation Director discusses Transportation Policy in 2009
• Todd Myers, Center for the Environment Director on How to avoid “eco-fads”
• Questions and Answers
Special thanks to all of the statewide and local forum supporters who made these exciting and informative events possible. Input from local small business leaders helps us craft our policy recommendations that we bring to legislators every year.
Spokane and Tri-Cities Small Business Forums Draw More than 200 Leaders; Legislative Leaders Debate Health Care Reform
In Spokane, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers addressed the forum about the recent federal bailout, expressing her concerns about a number of the measure's flaws. She also praised WPC for its invaluable work on state policy issues.
, legislative leaders debated health care reform issues and access for small businesses. Sen. Karen Keieser, Chair of the Senate Health & Long-Term Care Committee, joined Rep. Bill Hinkle, Ranking Republican on the House Health Care & Wellness Committe, to share their goals for reform in the upcoming legislative session.
• Dann Mead Smith, WPC President and Carl Gipson, Center for Small Business Director introduces the panel
• Senator Karen Keiser, Chair, Senate Health & Long-Term Care Committee
• Rep. Bill Hinkle, Ranking Member, House Health Care & Wellness Committee
• Questions and Answers with Sen. Keiser and Rep. Hinkle
• Todd Myers, Center for the Environment Director on how to avoid "Eco-fads"
• Mike Ennis, Center for Transportation discusses I-985
KNDU, the NBC TV affiliate station in Tri-Cities, covered the event and interviewed several small business owners to get their perspective on the health care challenges they face. You can read the story and watch the coverage online here.
Economic Bail-Out of 2008
Panel included:
Dr. John Lott, Senior Research Scientist, University of Maryland Foundation,
Dr. Alan Hess, Professor of Finance and Business Economics, University of Washington,
Dr. Mike Siegel, long-time Seattle talk-radio host as moderator
An Evening with Economist Stephen Moore
Stephen Moore, a member of the The Wall Street Journal editorial board and senior economics writer, spoke about the current economic situation and what the future may hold.
He splits his time between Washington and New York, focusing on economic issues, including budget, tax and monetary policy. Steve was the founder and former president for the Club for Growth, which raises money for political candidates who favor free-market policies. Over the years, Steve has served as a senior economist on the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, as the budget expert for the Heritage Foundation and as a senior economics fellow at the Cato Institute, where he published dozens of studies on federal and state tax and budget policy. He was a consultant to the National Economic Commission in 1987 and research director for President Reagan's Commission on Privatization.
On October 1st, Washington Policy Center hosted it's Annual Dinner featuring 2008 Columbia Award Recipient
Vaclav Klaus,
President of the Czech Republic. 2008 Stanley O. McNaughton Champion of Freedom Award
Recipient Phil Smart, Sr. was also honored. Commenting on the 2008 election was the Executive Editor of The Weekly Standard and FOX News Commentator .
You can read President Klaus' speech online here!
Sound Transit 2: A Case of Now or Never? |
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Michael Ennis, Director of the Center for Transportation, was a featured panelist along with Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, Bellevue Mayor Grant Degginger, and Dick Paylor, discussing Downtown Bellevue as a centerpiece in the Sound Transit expansion plan headed to the ballot in November. |
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Michael presented facts from 2008 Citizens' Guide to Sound Transit, Phase 2 while debating the merits of ST2 with both mayors. |
Washington Policy Center cosponsored this event with Cascadia’s at the Microsoft Conference Center
Washington Policy Center co-presented a series of lectures which were hosted by Discovery Institute.
These lectures were part of the Gorton Summer Lecture Series, named for the Discovery Institute's distinguished board member and former U.S. Senator Slade Gorton. The series introduced young people to the nature and ideals of public service.
On July 15th, WPC was pleased to have acclaimed author as our keynote speaker. Mr. Lomborg’s best sellers include Cool It and The Skeptical Environmentalist. He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2004 and one of the "50 people who could save the planet" by the UK Guardian in 2008. The Daily Telegraph called The Skeptical Environmentalist "... probably the most important book on the environment ever written." In 2004 he started the Copenhagen Consensus Center, a conference of Nobel prize winning economists who come together to prioritize the best solutions for the world's greatest challenges.
The event also feature two panels addressing Climate Change, with , Professor Emeritus, Department of Geology, Western Washington University (View his PowerPoint) and , Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington (View his PowerPoint), and Ecofads with , Professor of Political Science, Central Washington University and , President, Cascade Policy Institute speaking.
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Hear Bjørn Lomborg on Kirby & Co.
Hear Bjørn Lomborg on The Dave Ross Show
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Dann Mead Smith spoke about what the “state of the state of small businesses in Washington” means to new and minority business owners and how the WPC Small Business Center works on making our state friendlier to the small business owner.
The Dirty Dozen: How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom
The Puget Sound Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society sponsored a talk by William Mellor, co-author of the new book The Dirty Dozen: How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom. The lunch event, co-sponsored by Washington Policy Center, took place at the Washington Athletic Club.
On June 17th, Washington Policy Center held its Annual Center for Transportation Event. This year’s event featured a breakfast keynote address by transportation and economics expert and Senior Research Fellow with the Heritage Foundation, Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D. He addressed congestion relief and discussed ways Washington State could improve.
Listen to Dr. Ronald Utt speak with Kirby Wilbur.
Listen to Dr. Ronald Utt speak with The Commentators (John Carlson & Ken Schram).
Washington Policy Center and our board members Fred Bovenkamp and Amb. Della Newman
hosted a special evening reception for our Whatcom County supporters
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
5:30 – 7:00 pm
Hotel Bellwether, Bellingham
This special reception and wrap-up of the 2008 Legislative Session was for our supporters and those interested in learning more about our work. The recently completed Session was discussed, with a focus on how it will affect you and your business. WPC’s president and research center directors gave reviews of their work during Session, including publications on the state budget, taxes, health care, transportation, the environment and ways to improve the business climate. They also presented the top issues to look for during the remainder of this busy election year and previewed their new Policy Guide for Washington state.
On May 20th Washington Policy Center, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), and the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs hosted a free evening event.
Featured speakers included:
• , professor of Political Science at Central Washington University and Washington Policy Center advisory board member
• , Director of University Stewardship & the Culture of Enterprise Initiative at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute
• , Professor, History Department, University of Washington
• d, Dean of the University of Washington Evans School of Public Affairs will introduce the event
Panelists discussed the importance of civics education in light of a recent ISI civic literacy report, Failing Our Students, Failing America: Holding Colleges Accountable for Teaching America’s History and Institutions, showing many students lack even basic knowledge of our government and how it works.
Grace-Marie Turner of the Galen Institute was this years keynote speaker. She is a member of the National Advisory Council of Healthcare Research and Quality and recently served as a member of the President’s Medicaid Commission, charged with making recommendations to modernize and improve Medicaid. Grace-Marie discussed the presidential candidates’ health care plans.
Washington Policy Center and its new Center for Government Reform hosted an interactive conference on how to make government work best for taxpayers. Former U.S. Comptroller David Walker of the Government Accountability Office was the keynote lunch speaker.
Washington Policy Center (WPC) along with our board member Len Zarelli, hosted a special reception and wrap-up of the 2008 Legislative Session for our supporters and those interested in learning more about our work. The event included discusions about the recently completed Session, focusing on how it will affect you and your business. WPC’s president and research center directors gave reviews of their work during Session, including publications on the state budget, taxes, health care, transportation, the environment and ways to improve the business climate. They also offered a preview of the top issues to look for during the remainder of this busy election year.
This year’s Evening in the Desert, hosted by board member David Maryatt and his wife Sally,featured Dinesh D’Souza. D’Souza, named one of the “top young public-policy makers in the country” by Investor’s Business Daily and one of America’s most influential conservative thinkers by New York Times Magazine, is a prolific author and former policy advisor to President Reagan. He is the author of the bestselling book What’s So Great about America and Letters to a Young Conservative.
WPC's Center for Small Business screened the film "Call of the Entrepreneur," which follows the varied experiences of three entrepreneurs: a failing dairy farmer in rural Evart, Michigan, a merchant banker in New York City, and a refugee from Communist China. The film examines the unique role the entrepreneur plays in American society and the challenges they face. You can learn more about the film here.
The evening event featured a briefing on small business issues from Carl Gipson, director for small business at WPC, and WPC president Dann Mead Smith.
This free event was offered in cooperation with Greater Spokane Incorporated, and will be held at the Red Lion Hotel and Inn at the Park from 5:30 - 7:00pm on January 23, 2008.
2007 Statewide Small Business Conference a Success
Small-business owners and policymakers gathered at the SeaTac Hilton on Thursday, November 8, to discuss important issues facing small businesses. In addition to interactive breakout sessions, attendees heard from Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna and Freakonomics co-author Stephen Dubner.
Voting results from the breakout sessions on transportation, access to affordable health care, tax reform, paid family leave, streamlined sales tax, eminent domain and property rights, workers' compensation and unemployment insurance, and high-tech / data security, are available here.
Washington Policy Center participated in and co-sponsored this year's Annual Northwest Environmental Summit on October 17th and 18th at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center.
Todd Myers, director of WPC's Center for Environmental Policy, spoke on "Climate Change Challenges & Responses."
Gordon Campbell, British Columbia's 34th Prime Minister, keynoted the summit. Campbell won the election in 2001 with the largest majority in B.C. history. His re-election in 2005 made him just the 5th premier to be elected to two consecutive terms. Coming into office, Premier Campbell focused on revitalizing the B.C. economy.
This year's Annual Dinner was a tremendous success, and Washington Policy Center's largest ever. More than 1,000 people filled the Grand Ballroom of the Seattle Westin as WPC honored former Florida Governor Jeb Bush with the 2007 Columbia Award and Bruce R. McCaw with the 2007 Stanley O. McNaughton Champion of Freedom Award. Attendees included some of the state's top policymakers, business and community leaders. Susan Hutchison was the evening's Master of Ceremonies.
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“I commend Washington Policy Center for its efforts to promote free market solutions to the challenges facing the state of Washington and our country. From health care, to education, to the environment and a lot, lot more, the Center is making a difference.” |
Read the Annual Dinner Transcripts here.
Click here to watch it online.
Download the audio of the Annual Dinner from TVW here.
On September 20th, Dinesh D'Souza addressed a large group of WPC supporters in Spokane on Whitworth University's campus. A video of his talk is available here. A former policy advisor to President Ronald Reagan and a prolific author, D'Souza spoke about the challenges facing the U.S. in this age.
WPC's Center for Environmental Policy held its 5th Annual Luncheon yesterday at the Seattle Red Lion with over 140 people in attendance. This year the Center welcomed Irish filmmakers Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney, Producer and Directors of the documentary "Mine Your Own Business."
Both speakers gave an excellent first-hand account of the environmental movement's impact on efforts to create economic development in impoverished communities. The film examined proposed mining projects in Romania, Madagascar and Chile and the ways that they would not only help alleviate endemic poverty in those areas but would actually repair environmental damage born of a legacy of poverty. McAleer and McElhinney enlightened the audience with images of people living in poverty and their desire for development to gain employment so they can send their children to school and provide them with proper food. They contrasted their struggles with the efforts of wealthy, absentee environmental activists' views of what they felt was a "quaint" lifestyle.
The lunch also featured the presentation of WPC's Annual Environmental Innovator award. The Award was presented to the Cascade Land Conservancy (CLC) and its President Gene Duvernoy by Todd
Myers. Perhaps no other organization in Washington can boast a more diverse base of support, from environmental activists to family foresters. The Cascade Land Conservancy is a regional leader in developing approaches to the challenges of growth that preserve forests and open space, while respecting property rights and making use of market incentives. CLC has pioneered a number of approaches that raise funds to purchase development rights at market rates, earning the funding through responsible development and timber harvesting.
"Thank you very much for this award. This really means a lot to the Cascade Land Conservancy. It means we are starting to get it right." – Gene Duvernoy upon receving the award on July 19th
In addition to speaking at this year's CEP lunch, Phelim McAleer also wrote an opinion editorial for the event. His op-ed describes how in doing research for the documentary, "Mine Your Own Business," he uncovered a dark side to the environmental movement which has made him rethink his faith in the green movement.
Read the press release on Environmental Innovator Award recipient Cascade Land Conservancy here.
WPC's Center for Transportation Policy Kick Off Lunch Video Available Online
WPC's Center for Transportation Policy hosted its kick-off lunch on Monday, June 25th, featuring former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta and welcomed over 160 attendees. Attendees heard from both Center Director Michael Ennis and Mineta with the opportunity of asking questions at the end of the program. Prior to the lunch, WPC hosted a group of Washington's transportation leaders at a roundtable event to discuss ideas on relieving congestion.
Watch the lunch online here.
WPC’s Center for Health Care Reform sponsored its 5th Annual Health Care Conference on June 14th. The conference was attended by over 260 of Washington's top business owners, legislators, agency and legislative staff, patients, doctors and industry representatives.
The Conference welcomed lunch keynote speaker Dr. David Gratzer, a physician and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute who has practiced medicine in both the United States and Canada. Gratzer enlightened the audience by showing how the health care industry has really only taken off in the last century with medical breakthroughs and insurance and what can be done to reform the system. Dr. Gratzer’s most recent book “The Cure: How Capitalism Can Save American Health Care,” has received praise from some of the nation's top newspapers including The New York Times, The Washington Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.
Along with an excellent lunch keynote the Conference featured a legislative briefing from three of our state's
policymakers as well as interactive panels that encouraged audience interaction and participation. Moderated by KING 5's Robert Mak, the legislative briefing featured Rep. Eileen Cody, Chair of the House Health Care & Wellness Committee, Rep. Bill Hinkle, Ranking Member of the House Health Care & Wellness Committee and Jonathan Seib, Executive Policy Advisor in Governor Gregoire’s Office. The audience saw all sides of the current health care debate in Washington and had an opportunity to ask questions of the policymakers. The other three panels included Public Opinion on Health Care featuring interactive polling by Stuart Elway, New Directions in Health Care that looked at trends such as convenient care clinics and consumer-driven health care, and a Medicaid Reform panel that discussed recent reform in Florida and innovative ways to control Medicaid costs.
Video of all the panels and the keynote speaker is available online.
- Panel #1: Legislative Briefing
- Panel #2: Public Opinion on Health Care
- Panel #3: New Directions in Health Care
- Panel #4: Medicaid Reform
- Lunch Keynote Speaker Dr. David Gratzer
Washington Policy Center welcomed former board member Partricia Herbold back to Seattle for her first event as U.S. Ambassador to Singapore. The lunch welcomed over 130 attendees from around Washington including the Consul General of Japan, Kazuo Tanaka. Amb. Herbold spoke about her experiences in Singapore and how far the country has come since its independence in the 1960's. She also discussed how the United States benefits by its relations with Singapore in terms of trade. Singapore can be seen as a model in terms of leadership, free-economy and preparedness. For example, Singapore would be one of the, if not the most, prepared country if ever there was an influenza outbreak. Special thanks to all of our co-sponsors and TVW for attending and taping the event. Video of the event is available online here.
Federalist Leadership Center of Bellevue University and Washington Policy Center hosted a special luncheon featuring syndicated writer and television commentator Robert Novak. Novak shared with us and the students at our Seattle Leadership School the relevance of the Founders' Federalist principles to events in today's Washington, D.C., a city he has covered as a working journalist for over 50 years. There was also an opportunity to learn about the work of Professor Donald Devine, a member of President Reagan's cabinet, and the exciting effort he is leading at the Federalist Leadership Center. Their mission is to teach America's future civic leaders the importance of philosophical understanding, specifically the Federalist thinking of America's founders, who is essential to the formation of true leadership.
Our 2006 Annual Dinner welcomed Pulitzer Prize winning author and journalist George Will as our featured speaker and Columbia Award recipient.
The Dinner also featured Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas. Huckabee is recognized as a national leader in the areas of education and health care reform. He also served as chairman of the National Governors Association and is the author of "Quit Digging Your Grave With A Knife And Fork," released by Time Warner Book Group in May. Our 2006 McNaughton Award recipient was Charles "Chuck" Pigott, retired CEO of PACCAR. Pigott also is the former President of the Boy Scouts of America (1986-1988) and former board member of The Boeing Company.
Streaming video of the dinner is available at www.willinseattle.com. TVW also covered the event.
Washington Policy Center's Center for Environmental Policy hosted its 4th Annual Luncheon on July 25, 2006. The lunch featured guest speaker Dr. Patrick Moore, a founding member and longtime leader of Greenpeace. He discussed his departure from the current environmentalist movement to the idea of sustainable development and the need to consider social and economic issues along with environmental concerns. A full Policy Note on this year's CEP luncheon will be available soon. Video of the lunch will also be available for viewing this week on our website.
Listen to the full conference online here.
WPC launched its Center for Small Business & Entrepreneurship on Thursday, June 22nd, 2006 at a luncheon in Seattle. The event marked the official transition of WPC's part-time Small Business Project into a full-time research center with dedicated funds and staff. The Small Business Project has been conducting research and analysis on issues facing small business owners since 2001.
The lunch featured C.J. Buck, President and CEO of Buck Knives. Mr. Buck discussed his reasoning for moving his business from California to Idaho rather then Washington. Although initially considered, Washington state was ruled out early due to an unfriendly business climate closely resembling that of California. "Idaho provided a better legislative climate," said Mr. Buck.
Conference Highlights are now available for viewing! To watch keynote speaker Nina Owcharenko click here!
WPC held its 4th Annual Health Care Conference, "Moving Health Care Forward: Tools and Techniques for a Healthier Washington," last Tuesday. The Conference was attended by over 250 people including business owners, legislators, agency and legislative staff, patients, doctors, and industry representatives. Debates on long-standing and newer health care issues invoked frustrations and an eagerness for action among attendees and participants. Some fundamental issues brought up included reforming Medicaid, promoting consumer driven health care like HSAs, deregulating the health insurance market, examining parts of Massachusetts' Health Plan, promoting patient focused care, and consumer access to health care cost and quality information.
The Conference also introduced two new WPC publications including a revised version of "The Pocket Guide to Health Savings Accounts," and a Policy Note "What Washington Can Learn from Massachusetts Health Care Reform." The Policy Note is available online.
Watch the full health care conference on tvw.org here.
SeaTac—Small business owners, legislators and policymakers gathered for the 2005 Statewide Small Business Conference at the SeaTac Hilton to discuss Washington state’s business climate. Governor Gregoire gave the keynote lunch address and laid out her plan to forgo the planned 3.8% workers' compensation increase for January 2006.
"We applaud the Governor's announcement to ease the burden on small businesses," said Washington Policy Center president Dann Mead Smith. "By listening to small business owners and not implementing the planned 3.8% workers' compensation increase will save small businesses millions of dollars. It will not, however, fix the system, as small business owners pointed out today at our Conference."
During several breakout sessions covering issues such as employer regulations, workers’ compensation, transportation, tax reform and health care, business owners were able to suggest solutions that would bring about a better business climate.
See Thursday's breakout session voting results online.
See Eastern Washington's breakout session voting results online.
To watch the Conference Legislative Session click here.
To watch Gov. Gregoire's Keynote Lunch Address click here.
To watch the Conference State Agency Head Panel.
To read the Seattle-PI coverage of the conference click here.
To read the Tacoma News Tribune coverage of the conference click here.
One of the year's most popular events honored former Georgia Governor and Senator Zell Miller and recently retired Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn yesterday, September 27th at the Westin Hotel in Seattle. Past award recipients and speakers have included Rudy Giuliani, Karen Hughes, P.J. O'Rourke, and Colorado Governor Bill Owens. Read more about the dinner here. Watch and listen to the dinner now online.