Sutherland Institute

Sutherland Institute
Formation 1995
Founder Gaylord K. Swim
Type Public policy think tank
Headquarters Gateway Tower West, 15 West South Temple, S-200
Location
President
 Boyd Matheson[1]
Budget
 Revenue: $2,027,205
Expenses: $2,332,305
(FYE June 2014)[2]
Website www.sutherlandinstitute.org

Sutherland Institute is a conservative public policy think tank located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Institute was founded in 1995 by Utah businessman and philanthropist Gaylord K. Swim. The Sutherland Institute believes that families, private initiatives, voluntary associations, churches and businesses are better than the government at solving problems.[3]

Organization

The Sutherland Institute is a 501(c)(3) organization, which is the IRS tax designation for a non-profit that is eligible for tax deductible donations. According to the Institute's website, Sutherland does not perform contract work or accept government grants.

George Sutherland, the Institute's namesake

The Institute's name is derived from George Sutherland, who was the first and only Utahn to have served on the Supreme Court of the United States. Sutherland also served as a United States Senator prior to being appointed to the bench in 1922. The Sutherland Institute was founded in 1995 by Gaylord K. Swim. Swim was a noted Utah businessman and philanthropist. He died in 2005 from brain cancer.[4]

Paul Mero served as president from 2000 until 2014, when he stepped down at the board's request.[5] In March 2016, Boyd Matheson, a former chief of staff for U.S. Senator Mike Lee, was appointed president of the think tank.[1]

Policy positions

Economic policy

The Institute's policy research on Utah's economy has focused on issues such as health care and property tax reform.[6][7] The Institute has advocated for increased charity health care as a method to provide health services for the uninsured.[8]

Education policy

Sutherland has advocated for greater educational freedom and less reliance on public schools.[9] In March 2007, Utah became the first state to pass a universal school voucher law. The voucher law, which was supported by the Institute, was overturned by referendum vote in November 2007. During the run-up to the referendum election, Sutherland issued a publication that presented the Institute's view on the history of education in Utah. Sutherland released a subsequent companion article in a peer-reviewed law journal as part of an academic conference about school choice.[10][11]

Sutherland's president Paul Mero collaborated with Daniel Witte, Sutherland's lead attorney, to publish a book titled Removing Classrooms from the Battlefield: Liberty, Paternalism, and the Redemptive Promise of Educational Choice, which focuses on the historical evolution of the Parental Liberty Doctrine.[12]

Immigration policy

In 2008, Sutherland issued two reports on illegal immigration in Utah, Onus or Opportunity: Conservatism and Illegal Immigration in Utah and Utah's Citizens and Illegal Immigrants: Side-by-Side.[13][14] These reports, which concluded that "We should welcome all people of good will to our state" drew criticism from Republican politicians and praise from the editorial board of the Deseret News, who wrote that Sutherland's immigration policy "stands squarely on the side of compassion, accommodation and realistic reforms."[15][16]

Family policy

In late 2005, Sutherland contacted 232 local Utah governments with a proposal for a resolution whereby cities would state their support of Sutherland's definition of the family as a man, woman, and children. One city, Kanab, Utah, accepted and enacted the resolution, which was criticized by some residents of Kanab and some Democratic elected officials.[17][18]

Limited government

In February 2007, Edwin Feulner announced the creation of Sutherland's Center for Limited Government. Areas of focus for the center include limiting the size and scope of government, promoting government transparency, and ending taxpayer subsidies of private companies.[19]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Conservative Utah think tank gets new leader". Washington Times. Associated Press. March 24, 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "Quickview data". GuideStar. See also "Charity Rating". Charity Navigator.
  3. ↑ Romboy, Dennis (January 20, 2004). "Utah think tank remaking itself". Deseret News. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  4. ↑ Nokkentved, N.S. (February 8, 2005). "Orem philanthropist, think tank founder, 56, dies". Daily Herald. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  5. ↑ Riley Roche, Lisa (2014-08-26). "Paul Mero steps down as head of Sutherland Institute". Deseret News. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  6. ↑ Monson, Derek (June 5, 2015). "My view: 4 guidelines for getting Medicaid expansion compromise right". Deseret News. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  7. ↑ Pugmire, Genelle (August 15, 2012). "Orem council votes to raise taxes by $1.7 million instead of $3.3 million". Daily Herald. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  8. ↑ Roche, Lisa Riley (May 21, 2013). "Charity care offered as alternative to Medicaid expansion". Deseret News. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  9. ↑ Harris, Chad Steven William (2007). Analysis of Utah's School-choice Debate: The Fellowship of the Conservative Ring. ProQuest. p. 173. ISBN 9780549395140.
  10. ↑ Barker, Brooke (May 10, 2007). "Governor sets voucher vote for Nov.". Daily Herald. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  11. ↑ Erickson, Tiffany (September 18, 2007). "Voucher foe in 'lion's den'?". Deseret News. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  12. ↑ Mero, Paul T.; Daniel E. Witte (2008). Removing Classrooms from the Battlefield: Liberty, Paternalism, and the Redemptive Promise of Educational Choice. Brigham Young University Law Review.
  13. ↑ "Onus or Opportunity? Conservatism and Illegal Immigration in Utah" (PDF). Sutherland Institute. May 5, 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  14. ↑ "Utah's Citizens and Illegal Immigrants: Side-by-Side" (PDF). Sutherland Institute. August 27, 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  15. ↑ Dethman, Leigh (August 28, 2008). "No Utah welcome mat for illegals?". Deseret News. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  16. ↑ "Good ideas on immigration". Deseret News. May 6, 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  17. ↑ Perkins, Nancy (March 2, 2006). "Family resolution divides Kanab". Deseret News. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  18. ↑ Detham, Leigh (April 6, 2006). "'Natural family' resolution is called 'exclusionary'". Deseret News. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  19. ↑ "Key Areas of Focus for The Center for Limited Government". Sutherland Institute. Retrieved 10 June 2015.

External links

Coordinates: 40°46′08″N 111°53′30″W / 40.7690°N 111.8916°W / 40.7690; -111.8916

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