As I announced at the closing of our convention, I am working to establish a policy institute based on the BTP platform. Since our initial name of the "Gallatin Institute" has been taken by some Ford Foundation project (probably advocating socialism instead), I have decided to name it the Lysander Spooner Institute. Lysander Spooner was an American 19th Century entrepreneur, scholar, radical abolitionist, natural law advocate, and individualist anarchist. You can read his biography and some of his writing at LysanderSpooner.org (link not associated with our institute).

Raymond, Darryl, and I have set up a blog, wrote a mission statement, and started the process of pursuing non-profit incorporation and a 501(c)3 tax exemption. The blog will be the institute's less formal publication, but for now it provides a glimpse of the type of research we'll be doing. I have already submitted posts on state government reform, congressional reform, and the BP oil disaster. I am currently working on a study of how state assembly reforms could promote liberty, reduce corruption, and foster economic growth. I am nearly finished with the data-gathering process, and will be moving onto analysis of the data shortly.

Please keep in mind that the institute will require some initial investment before we can achieve non-profit and tax-exempt status and begin sponsoring more significant research projects. Those projects will strengthen BTP candidates with stronger platforms that will help them be competitive in both state and federal campaigns. The LSI, while not officially connected to the BTP, will soon be one of the party's greatest assets. I will be posting again to seek your support soon. Please follow the progress of the Spooner Institute and its preliminary research projects at the LSI blog, spoonerinstitute.blogspot.com.