America's 250th anniversary is here. How do we secure the next chapter of the American Dream? We sat down with four leaders to discuss national renewal — from protecting human flourishing and ensuring technology serves rather than diminishes our humanity, to the peaceful transfer of power and fighting government union overreach. These visionaries share their reasons for hope and the vital role of philanthropy in preserving our founding principles.
On how American values inform the Freedom Foundation’s mission
Our mission is to remove government unions’ influence from politics. Government unions are taking thousands of dollars from millions of public employees across America and spending it on causes and candidates that they may or may not agree with. I can’t think of anything more anti-American than what the unions are doing.
On American Exceptionalism
As somebody that immigrated to the United States, American exceptionalism is something that you can see, feel, and breathe when you are here. . . There’s a reason that there are so many successful businesses in America. There’s a reason that somebody like me that knows nothing coming to America about anything can become the CEO of an organization. American exceptionalism, I think, is rooted in freedoms. We have the freedom to flourish and prosper without government interference. And when the government doesn’t allow that, what you see on the other side is exactly what is happening in the U.K.
On the challenges we face and reason for hope
The radical Left wants to turn us into a socialist country, and government unions are the most out there about their goals. They want Americans to rely on government for their services so that they can expand the size of government, which therefore expands the amount of union dues that they can take, and therefore expands their influence. The way that the Freedom Foundation is fighting back on that every day is by getting more and more people out of the unions, reducing their influence from politics, and litigating some of the illegal activities that they’re doing.
On the role of philanthropy
Without donors and philanthropists, I’m just some guy shouting from his rooftop for government workers to leave their unions. . . (Without philanthropic support) we’re going to be significantly outgunned by the Left because we are not relying on government to support our mission. . . At the Freedom Foundation, like the Bradley Impact Fund, we do not take donors for granted.