[[Image:134 3406.JPG|thumb|200px|The Cato Institute's building in [[Washington D.C.]].]]
'''The Cato Institute''', a [[Washington]]-based [[libertarian]] [[think tank]],<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/22/anti-lgbt-discrimination-stifle-free-speech-critics-say/ Gay Discrimination Bill Will Stifle Free Speech, Advance 'Homosexual Agenda,' Critics Say] - [[Fox News]]</ref> is one of the [[United States of America|America]]'s most prominent [[nonprofit]] public policy research organizations, advocating less [[limited government|government]] involvement. Its research and reports cover numerous issues; such as the [[Second Amendment]] and [[gun rights]] versus the [[Police state]], [[defense spending]], [[social security]] and the [[Welfare state]], [[monetary policy]] and [[fiscal conservatism]], natural resource policy, [[international trade]]. Cato's current president is co-founder [[Edward Crane]]. The organization has approximately 95 full-time employees, 20 fellows, and 70 adjunct scholars, plus interns. <ref>http://www.cato.org/about/about.html</ref>
==History== In 1977, [[Edward H. Crane]] and [[David H. Koch]], formed the Institute with a $500,000 grant from [[Koch Industries]] (see [[Koch brothers]]), a [[chemical]] and [[petroleum]] company. They based the foundation in [[Washington D.C.]] and named it the Cato Institute, after a series essays by John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon <ref>[http://www.libertyfund.org/details.asp?displayID=1595] </ref> written in the 18th century called the [[Cato Letters]]. Cato stated that “Cato’s Letters… presented a vision of a society free from the tyranny of excessive government power. Those same ideals inspired the architects of the [[American Revolution]] and continue to inspire the work of the Cato Institute today."<ref>http://www.cato.org/about/reports/annual_report_2005.pdf</ref>
==Goal== According to the Cato Institute's website, it,<ref>[http://www.cato.org/], </ref>
{{Cquote| Seeks to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets and peace. Toward that goal, the Institute strives to achieve greater involvement of the intelligent, concerned lay public in questions of policy and the proper role of government.<ref>http://www.cato.org/about/about.html</ref>}}
Although many of the Institute's political positions are shared by [[social conservative]]s, the Institute's brand of [[conservatism]] leans more [[libertarian]]. The Institute takes a [[laissez faire]] approach to marriage, calling the federal marriage amendment “unnecessary, anti-federalist, and anti-Democratic.<ref>http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6379</ref>”
The Institute also supports the total abolishment of several federal agencies including the agencies of [[Department of Commerce| Commerce]], [[Department of Education| Education]], [[Department of Energy| Energy]], [[Department of Agriculture| Agriculture]], [[Department of Labor| Labor]], [[Department of Interior| Interior]], [[Department of Transportation| Transportation]] and [[Veteran]]s Affairs. Cato also supports the privatization of several federal services, including [[Social Security]].
The [[Washington Post]] referring to Cato’s policies stated, “"A soup-to-nuts agenda to reduce spending, kill programs, terminate whole agencies and dramatically restrict the power of the federal government.<ref>http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=9261 </ref>"
==Funding==
==Milton Friedman Prize==
Every second year since 2002, the Cato Institute has awarded ''The Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty'' (named after British economist [[Milton Friedman]]) to an individual judged to have made a "significant contribution to advance human freedom".<ref>http://www.cato.org/special/friedman/about.html</ref>. The recipients have been:
* 2002: [[British]] economist [[Peter Bauer]]
* 2010: [[Iranian]] writer and journalist [[Akbar Ganji]]
== See Also also ==
* [[Cato Letters]]
* '''[[Conservative news organizations]]:''' [[:Category:Conservative Media|Conservative Media]], [[:Category:Conservative Magazines|Conservative Magazines]] , [[Conservative blogs]], [[Conservative columnists]], [[Essay:Best News Sources|Conservative news websites]], [[Conservative video]], [[:Category:Conservative Youtube Channels|Conservative Youtube channels]], [[:Category:Conservative Podcasts|Conservative podcasts]], [[First Amendment]] and the [[Constitution First Amendment Press Association]] (<ref>[http://CFAPA.org|CFAPA.org]</ref>)* '''[[:Category:Conservative Organizations| Conservative Organizations]]:''' [[Major conservative organizations]]', [[Conservative think tanks]], [[List of conservative, neoconservative and libertarian think tanks]], [[:Category:Conservative Companies|Conservative Companies]]
* '''[[Conservative Links]] :''' [[Conservative resources]], [[Conservative humor and satire resources]]
* '''[[Strategic relocation]]:''' The [[Vote with your feet]] movement and [[American Redoubt]] - [[Free State Project]] - [[Free State Wyoming]] - [[Free state]]s versus [[Unfree state]]s
* '''[[Fiscal conservatism]]:''' [[Ludwig von Mises]]' [[conservative]] [[libertarian]] [[Austrian economics]] and [[Capitalist]] [[Conservative economic policies]] of [[Ron Paul]]
* '''[[Limited government]]:''' [[Conservative values]]/[[Traditional values]] - [[Modern conservatism]] - [[Preparedness | Modern preparedness]], [[Capitalism]] and [[Free enterprise]] are the original [[American]] [[Patriot]] [[Founding Fathers]]' values
* [[American values]] and [[Free enterprise]]-[[Capitalism]]
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==References==
==External Linklinks==
*[http://www.cato.org/ The Cato Institutes official website]
*[http://www.cato.org/people/directors.html Cato Board of Directors]