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{{Tobaccowiki}}'''The Independent Institute''' (TII) is a non-partisan, scholarly public policy research organization [[think tank]] that was founded in 1986 by [[David J. Theroux]], who is was also the president of the think tank.

TII has been a vocal opponent of the "war on drugs", immigration restrictions, corporate welfare, censorship, the neoconservative ("Bush Doctrine") of pre-emptive war, restrictions on reproductive rights, and the death penalty. In so doing, <font color=brown>Don't confuse it contests policies based on scientifically discredited findings, such as with the view of the need to curb greenhouse gas emissions through measures that would enrich various special interests and harm the world's poor.[http://www.uoguelph.ca/~rmckitri/research/trc.html[Independence Institute]]which was established in Colorado with funding from [[http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/07192006hearing1987/Wegman.pdfJoseph Coors]][http://climatesci.atmos.colostate.edu/2006</07/12/open-arctic-ocean-commentary-by-harvey-nichols-professor-of-biology] As TII has stated, "consensus science is not science."font>

=== Antitrust ProtectionismThe Independent Institute has been a vocal opponent of the "war on drugs", Microsoftimmigration restrictions, corporate welfare, censorship, and Oracle ===As with its opposition through its Center on Peace & Liberty[http://www.independent.org/research/copal] to the neoconservative ("Bush administration's Doctrine") of pre-emptive warswar, restrictions on reproductive rights, national security statism and the trampling on civil liberties, another example death penalty. Some of their analysts oppose the dominant view of scientists of how TII has taken on tough issues is the following:need for urgent action to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The ''New York Times'' had on September 18, 1999 an article by Joel Brinkley called "&#8216;Unbiased&#8217; Ads for Microsoft Came at a Price". The ads had printed TII's ''Open Letter on Antitrust Protectionism'', which was signed by 240 academic economists However they are also part of the libertarian think-tank phenomenon and claimed that the economics in ("network externality" theoryabout) was erroneous that formed 1992 the basis for Institute under [[Robert Higgs]] took over the administration of the governmenttobacco industry's antitrust cases against such high-tech firms as Intel, Microsoft, Cisco Systems, VISA[[Cash for Comments Economists Network]] from [[Robert Tollison]], [[James Savarese]] and MasterCard. The signatories claimed that such policies were a form of mercantilism (corporatism or corporate statism) which would reduce competition and harm consumers, and were being pursued at the behest [[Center for the Study of rival firms who supported such measures as protectionism[http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=483Public Choice]].

In his article, Brinkley alleged that TII's position on this issue was the direct result of support it received from Microsoft, which he claimed had been a <table width="30%" bgcolor="eeeedd" border=1 rules=all cellpadding=5 align=right><tr bgcolor="secretcccccc" donor><th>RELATED ENTRIES</th></tr><tr><td>[[The Independent Institute/Personnel]]</td></tr><tr><td>[[Independent Institute (Doc Index)]]<tr><td>[[David J. In reply, Theroux noted that TII's research and publications on this matter began many years before (with numerous studies by TII research fellows and the first TII book on the subject, ''Antitrust and Monopoly'']] &nbsp; [[http:Robert Higgs]]</td></www.independent.orgtr><tr><td>[[Cash for Comments Economists Network]]</publicationstd></bookstr></book_summary.asp?bookIDtable>===31], published ten years earlier)TII, prior to the "browser wars", the Microsoft case, the Internet itself, Money and any support from Microsoft for TII. He further noted that when the ads were released, 3 1/2 months prior to the ''Times'' article, he publicly anounced at a June 2nd Washington press conference that Microsoft was then providing 7-8% of TIIOracle's total donations, far less than the 20% claimed by the ''Times'' article. Theroux further noted that Microsoft was never TII's largest supporter, a fact proven to be the case[http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?idPrivate Investigators ===1069].

As [[Jacob Sullum]]In May 1999 The Independent Institute published the book ''Winners, an opponent of all victimless crime economic Losers and Microsoft: Competition and social laws, noted Antitrust in a syndicated column, the High Technology''Times'' story was published the exact Sunday before the day of the closing arguments in the Microsoft case[http://reasonby Stan J.com/sullum/110399Liebowitz and Stephen E.shtml]Margolis. Sullum A media release promoting the book stated that, the book "The story, which appeared just as closing arguments were being made in makes a compelling case that the Microsoft case, was based on purloined documents provided by 'real danger to American high technology leadership is a Microsoft adversary associated with the computer industry.'" Moreovertoo powerful, even David Callahan admitted in an attack article in the ''Washington Monthly'' that, "Given their world view, Theroux too intrusive government which believes it knows consumer preferences and his colleagues at the Independent Institute would probably be bashing the government prosecutors after Microsoft regardless of who gave them moneyneeds better than they do."[http://www.washingtonmonthlyindependent.comorg/featuresstore/1999/9911book_detail.callahan.think.htmlasp?bookID=50] In response, Sullum then noted that, "This is no small concession, since Callahan’s argument hinges on the idea that corporate funding influences the conclusions that think tanks reach." Inded, as Theroux noted, "Our restriction on ''all'' funding is that it is non-contractual, meaning that the funding sources have no say in the research and how the funding is spent. All of the Institute’s work is based on one and only one criterion, peer-reviewed science." He further stated that, "There is absolutely ''no'' evidence that ''any'' aspect of the Institute’s research has ever been affected one way or the other by whether Microsoft or anyone was or was not a supporter of The Independent Institute. Furthermore, there is ''no'' evidence that ''any'' of the Institute’s findings are incorrect."

Theroux pursued the matter furtherOn June 2, insisting that the 1999 The Independent Institute "sponsored" full-page advertisements - titled ''Times'Open Letter on Antitrust Protectionism' piece's admission that another computer firm was behind the story was indeed the case. Nine months later, front-page articles appeared in the ''Wall Street JournalWashington Post'' and the ''New York Times'' confirming Theroux's claim. The ads were signed by 240 academic economists and claimed "headline-grabbing cases against Microsoft, Intel, Cisco Systems, Visa and MasterCard, reporting that when finally corneredalong with a flurry of merger investigations now under way, Oracle Corporation CEO Larry Ellison had admitted would appear to launching demonstrate the need for a clandestine campaign vigorously enforced antitrust policy that will create checks and balances to try to discredit TII’s workeliminate consumer harm. However, consumers did not ask for these antitrust actions — rival business firms did. [http://www.wiredindependent.org/pdf/open_letters/antitrust.compdf] (Pdf) (See accompanying [http://newswww.independent.org/politicsnewsroom/0,1283,37278,00article.htmlasp?id=483 media release]). Oracle had hired Terry LenznerThe advertisement also promoted ''s CIA-connected Investigative Group International (IGI)Winners, fronting as "Upstream TechnologiesLosers and Microsoft: Competition and Antitrust in High Technology''. The same day," to TII held a media conference in Washington D.C. unveiling the advertisements as Theroux notedwell, "employ backco-inciding with the resumption of the anti-alley tacticstrust trial involving Microsoft. A little over three months later ''New York Times'' reporter Joel Brinkley revealed that the advertisements had been paid for by [[Microsoft]]. Public relations manager for the company, subterfugeGreg Shaw, and disinformation in order to achieve its aims. For told Brinkley that "we thought this was an organization that uses IGIimportant, 'Upstream Technologies'substantive letter, and others we were interested in contributing to front its operationsmaking it visible. In our view, we fail the letter speaks for itself." [http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/biztech/articles/18soft.html] Based on internal TII documents "provided to see how Oracle has The New York Times by a leg Microsoft adversary associated with the computer industry who refused to stand onbe further identified", Brinkley revealed that Microsoft "has secretly served as the institute's largest outside financial benefactor in the last year." [http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/biztech/articles/18soft. Andhtml] Brinkley reported that while the Institute's Theroux had "long acknowledged" Microsoft as a funder of the think tank, since Oracle grew out he downplayed the company's role as being "just one of 2,000 members" which had paid an annual membership fee of roughly $10,000 a contract year. Theroux told Brinkley that all Microsoft gained was "free copies of our publications, discounted tickets to our events" and denied that Microsoft had any role with the CIA and is proudly named after newspaper ads which he said were "were paid for out of our general funds." [http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/biztech/articles/18soft.html] However, TII internal documents revealed that CIA projectMicrosoft had contributed $203, what does this say about 217 for the corporate culture at Oracle? We challenge Oracle’s executives--and renew our invitation year to Assistant Attorney General Joel Klein--that June, making it the single largest contributor. Brinkley calculated that Microsoft's contribution amounted to publicly debate approximately 20% of the central economicfunds in that year from external sources, legalexcluding $304, and social issues 725 that Theroux contributed to his own foundation. [http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/biztech/articles/18soft.html] One of antitrustthe documents provided to Brinkley was a bill for $153, competition, and high technology868." 67 covering the cost of the ads plus Theroux further noted that six months prior 's travel expenses from San Francisco to Washington for the news conference. The bill was sent to Microsoft''Times'' article and threee months prior to s John Kelly. When asked by Brinkley about the bill Theroux confimed that Microsoft had paid for the adsbut claimed it made no difference. "The academic process we use is independent of sources of revenue, " he said. [http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/biztech/articles/18soft.html] When contacting the academics to sign on to their advertisement, TII did not disclose Microsoft's funding. One of the At least one academic who signed the ad disagreed. Simon Hakim, an economist at Temple University told Brinkley "He should have told us. I would not have participated if I had sent Ellison known. It's not right to use people as a copy vehicle for special interests," he said. [http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/biztech/articles/18soft.html] Nor did Stan Liebowitz, one of the manuscript for co-authors of the then forthcoming TII published book, ''Winners, Losers & and Microsoft'', know of the company's funding though he stated "it doesn't matter to me." [http://www.independentnytimes.orgcom/library/tech/99/09/publicationsbiztech/booksarticles/book_summary18soft.asp?bookID=50html] The day after Brinkley's article appeared, asking for commentsTheroux issued a media release focussing on the origin of the documents from a Microsoft adversary and claiming they had been "stolen". When published in that late springHowever, Theroux did not dispute the book, which was based on TII's research from years earlier, critiqued specific funding amounts referred to. He stated that "network externalityour final year-end records do not agree with the numbers he had been provided by his source" theory and received universalclaimed that at the media conference he had stated that the Microsoft funding amounted only to 7%. "It now appears the final figure is about 8%, a statistically insignificant difference, glowing reviews and far less than the 20% figure Mr. Brinkley claimed in ''The Economist''his article, " Theroux claimed. [http://independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1069] In June 2000 the ''Wall Street Journal'', ''Wired'revealed that the the Independent Institute's funding documents had been obtained by by staff of [[Investigative Group International]], a private investigation firm hired by Microsoft''Upside'', ''Financial Times'', and elsewheres rival Oracle. The WSJ reported that while Theroux added suspected they had been stolen, those familiar with the operation hinted that clearly Ellisonthey were obtained by rifling through the think tank's response was that since he could not refute TII's analysis office trash. [http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-502575.html] == Environmental Issues ==Much of the Anti-Global Warming rhetoric published by The Independent Institute is the work of a few persons, and one stands out, both in quantity of releases, as well knew as notoriety, [[S. Fred Singer]] who ran the climate-denial tobacco-funded organisation [[Science & Environmental Policy Project]] (SEPP).  Other analysts at the Independent Institute agreed that TII could ''not'' be bought by anyonethe environment was a pressing concern, his choice was to try to kick up enough dust to cloud including the issue of greenhouse gas emissions. Where they dissented from current environmental theory is in their proposed methodologies for remediation; they propose strong private property and prevent any real public discussion when free market solutions rather than regulation, a libertarian model for environmentalism. {{Template:AntiEnvironmentalArchives}} == Tobacco Industry ==[[Robert D. Tollison]], [[Richard E. Wagner]] and [[Thomas Gale Moore]] are members of the Board of Advisors at the case was reaching its climaxIndependent Institute, [[Gary M. Anderson|Gary Anderson]], [[Robert Ekelund]], [[Dwight R. Lee]], [[Mark Thornton]] and [[S. Fred Singer]] are Research Fellows and [[Richard Vedder]] is a Senior Fellow .  All of the above have a long history of working for the [[Tobacco Institute]] (Theroux TI) and/or [[Philip Morris]] and all nine were also noted that at no time during members of the antitrust case did Microsoft use 'Academic Advisory Board'anyfor the pro-tobacco junk science report '[[Science, Economics, and Environmental Policy: A Critical Examination]]' of TII's analysis.published by the [[Alexis de Tocqueville Institution]] (AdTI) Howeveron August 11, despite the confusion that resulted 1994. AdTI received money from Oracleboth TI and Philip Morris. (''See:'s campaign, TII's work remains unrefuted today.[[AdTI-Funding]])

On its website the Institute TII states that it "receives no government funding. Instead, it draws its support from a diverse range of foundations, businesses and individuals, and the sale of its publications and other services." [http://www.independent.org/aboutus/] The Institute does not list which foundations or corporations it receives funding from its contributors on its website, stating their rationale for this is in compliance with the [http://www.independent.org/membership/donorsbill.asp Donor's Bill of Rights]. However, the Donor's Bill of Rights does not require secrecy.

*[[Exxon]] donated $10,000 in 1998 [http://web.archive.org/web/20011031010631/www.exxonmobil.com/contributions/public_info.html] ; $5,000 in 2000 and again 2001, $10,000 as [[Exxon Mobil]] in 2002. [http://www2.exxonmobil.com/files/corporate/public_policy1.pdf]; $10,000 in 2003 and $30,000 in 2005. [http://www.exxonsecrets.org/html/orgfactsheet.php?id=46]

According to Media Transparency, TII has received $678718,000 (unadjusted for inflation) between 1995 and 2005. [http://www.mediatransparency.org/recipientgrants.php?recipientID=1119] Grants have included those from: *The [[John M. Olin Foundation]] gave in 1996 to The Independent Institute $40,000 for "''The promotion of two books: The Diversity Myth, by [[David O. Sacks]] and [[Peter a Thiel]]; and The Melting Pot, by [[Richard K. Vedder ]] and [[Lowell E. Gallaway]]''" and in 1998 another $25,000 for "''The Institute's book program''". *The [[ David H. Koch Charitable Foundation]] gave in 1995 - 2001 in total $160,000 for "''General Operating Support''".

*The [[Castle Rock Foundation]] gave in 2002 for "''General operating support''" $25,000. == Board of Advisors ==*[[Herman Belz]], Professor of History, University of Maryland *[[Thomas Bethell]], Columnist and Author, ''The Noblest Triumph: Property and Prosperity Through the Ages''*[[Thomas E. Borcherding]], Professor of Economics, Claremont Graduate School *[[Boudewijn R. A. Bouckaert]], Professor of Law, University of Ghent, Belgium *[[James M. Buchanan]], Nobel Laureate in Economic Science, University Professor, [[Center for the Study of Public Choice]], [[George Mason University]] *[[Allan C. Carlson]], President, Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society*[[Robert D. Cooter]], Herman F. Selvin Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley*[[Robert W. Crandall]], Senior Fellow, [[Brookings Institution]] *[[Richard A. Epstein]], James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law, University of Chicago *[[A. Ernest Fitzgerald]], Author, ''The High Priests of Waste'' and ''The Pentagonists: An Insider's View of Waste, Mismanagement and Fraud in Defense Spending''*[[B. Delworth Gardner]], Emeritus Professor of Economics, Brigham Young University *[[George Gilder]], Senior Fellow, [[Discovery Institute]] *[[Nathan Glazer]], Professor of Education and Sociology, Harvard University *[[Ronald Hamowy]], Emeritus Professor of History, University of Alberta, Canada; Editor, ''Dealing with Drugs''; Author, ''The Political Sociology of Freedom''*[[Steve H. Hanke]], Professor of Applied Economics, Johns Hopkins University *[[Ronald Max Hartwell]], Emeritus Professor of History, Oxford University, England*[[James Heckman|James J. Heckman]], Nobel Laureate in Economic Science, Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics, University of Chicago*[[Wendy Kaminer]], Contributing Editor, ''The Atlantic Monthly''; Member, Board of Directors, ACLU*[[Lawrence A. Kudlow]], Chief Executive Officer, Kudlow & Company; former Associate Director for Economics and Planning, [[Office of Management and Budget]]*[[John R. MacArthur]], Publisher, ''Harper's Magazine,'' Author, ''Second Front: Censorship and Propaganda in the 1991 Gulf War''*[[Deirdre N. McCloskey]], Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago *[[J. Huston McCulloch]], Professor of Economics, Ohio State University *[[Forrest McDonald]], Distinguished University Research Professor of History, University of Alabama*[[Thomas Gale Moore]], Senior Fellow, [[Hoover Institution]], Stanford University*[[Charles Murray]], Senior Fellow, [[American Enterprise Institute]] *[[Michael Novak]], George Frederick Jewett Chair in Religion and Public Policy, [[American Enterprise Institute]] *[[June E. O'Neill]], Director, Center for the Study of Business & Government, Baruch College, former Director, U.S. Congressional Budget Office*[[Tom Peters]], Co-Author, ''In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies,'' Author, ''Liberation Management'' and ''A Passion for Excellence: The Leadership Diffference''*[[Charles E. Phelps]], Provost and Professor of Political Science and Economics, University of Rochester *[[Paul Craig Roberts]], Chairman, Institute of Political Economy; former Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy, U.S. Department of the Treasury; Co-Author, ''The Tyranny of Good Intentions: How Prosecutors and Bureaucrats Are Trampling the Constitution in the Name of Justice''*[[Nathan Rosenberg]], Fairleigh S. Dickinson, Jr. Professor of Public Policy, Stanford University *[[Simon Rottenberg]], Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts*[[Paul H. Rubin]], Professor of Economics and Law, Emory University, Editor, ''Managerial and Decision Economics''*[[Bruce M. Russett]], Dean Acheson Professor of International Relations, Yale University, Editor, ''Journal of Conflict Resolution''*[[Pascal Salin]], Professor of Economics, University of Paris, France *[[William F. Shughart, II]], Robert M. Hearin Chair of Business Adminsitration and Professor of Economics, University of Mississippi *[[Vernon L. Smith]], Nobel Laureate in Economic Science, Professor of Economics and Law, Interdisciplinary Center for Economic Science, [[George Mason University]]*[[Joel H. Spring]], Professor of Education, State University of New York, New Paltz; Author, ''Education and the Rise of the Corporate State''*[[Richard L. Stroup]], Professor of Economics, Montana State University; former Director, Office of Policy Analysis, U.S. Department of the Interior*[[Thomas S. Szasz]], Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus, Health Science Center, State University of New York, Syracuse; Author, ''The Myth of Mental Illness'' and ''Pharmacracy: Medicine and Politics in America''*[[Robert D. Tollison]], Robert M. Hearin Chair of Business Adminsitration and Professor of Economics, University of Mississippi *[[Arnold J. Trebach]], Professor of Law, American University; Author, ''The Great Drug War''*[[William Tucker]], Author, ''The Excluded Americans: Homelessness and Housing Policies''*[[Gordon Tullock]], University Professor of Law and Economics and Distinguished Research Fellow, George Mason University*[[Gore Vidal]], National Book Award-Winner, Playwright, Screenwriter, and Author of the ''American Chronicle'' Series of Historical Novels (''Burr'', ''1876'', ''Lincoln'', ''Empire'', ''Hollywood'', ''The Smithsonian'', ''The Golden Age'', and ''Washington D.C.'')*[[Richard E. Wagner]], Hobart R. Harris Professor of Economics, [[George Mason University]] *Sir [[Alan Walters]], Vice Chairman, AIG Trading Company*[[Paul H. Weaver]], Author, ''News and the Culture of Lying'' *[[Walter E. Williams]], Distinguished Professor of Economics, [[George Mason University]] *[[Charles Wolf, Jr.]], Senior Economist and Corporate Fellow, International Economics, [[RAND Corporation]] ''In Memoriam Board of Advisors''*[[Stephen E. Ambrose]], Professor of History Emeritus, University of New Orleans *[[M. E. Bradford]], Professor of English, University of Dallas *[[Arthur A. Ekirch Jr.]], Professor of History, State University of New York, Albany *[[Jonathan Kwitny]], Author, ''Endless Enemies'' and ''The Crimes of Patriots'' *[[Merton H. Miller]], Nobel Laureate in Economic Science; Robert R. McCormick Distinguished Professor of Finance Emeritus, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago *[[Murray N. Rothbard]], S. J. Hall Distinguished Professor of Economics, University of Nevada, Las Vegas *[[Arthur Seldon]], Founder-Director, [[Institute of Economic Affairs]], London, England*[[Julian L. Simon]], Professor of Business Administration, University of Maryland *[[William E. Simon]], former Secretary, U.S. Department of the Treasury *[[Aaron B. Wildavsky]], Class of 1940 Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley

== Staff Personnel==*Ken Barnes, Controller*Nichelle Beardsley, Customer Service Director*Bruce L. BensonThe number of personnel involved in the Independent Institute as Directors, Senior Fellow*Elizabeth Brierly, Media Coordinator*Martin Buerger, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer*John Campbell, Development Director*Carl P. Close, Academic Affairs Director*Roland de Becque, Production Coordinator*Ivan Eland, Senior Fellow*Gabriel GasaveFellows, Research Analyst*Anthony Gregory, Research Analyst*William J. Griffith, Fulfillment Coordinator*Fred Hamden, Sales Fellows and Marketing Director*Robert Higgs, Senior Fellow in Political Economy*Kenny Kasarda, Executive Assistant others is so extensive that it has been posted to the President*Christopher Layne, Research Fellow*Pat Rose, Public Affairs Director*Wendy McElroy, Research Fellow*Callie Rucker Oettinger, Public Affairs Counsel*Pat Rose, Public Affairs Director*Sanjeev Ka separate page. Saini, Librarian*Alexander Tabarrok, Research Director*David J. Theroux, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer*Mary L. G. Theroux, Vice President*Paul J. Theroux, Website Administrator*Alvaro Vargas Llosa, Research Fellow*See [[Richard K. VedderThe Independent Institute/Personnel]], Senior Fellow

*[http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=7991/ Charity Navigator rating of The Independent Institute, August 28, 2006]*[http://www.nira.go.jp/ice/nwdtt/2005/DAT/1398.html/ NIRA's World Directory of Think Tanks]*[http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,37278,00.html/ Wired News - "'Twas Oracle That Spied on MS", June 28, 2000]*[http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=483/ Open Letter on Antitrust Protectionism, June 2, 1999]*David J. Theroux, "[http://independent.org/tii/news/990919Theroux.html Winners, Losers & Microsoft - Strikes a Sensitive Nerve, Response to New York Times Article]", ''The Independent Institute'', September 19, 1999*[http://reason.com/sullum/110399.shtml/ Jacob Sullum column - ''Flack Catcher'', November 3, 1999]*[http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/1999/9911.callahan.think.html/ David Callahan, "The Think Tank As Flack, How Microsoft and other corporations use conservative policy groups", Washington Monthly, September 1999]*[http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?idFunding=1058/ Theroux letter to the ''Wall Street Journal'', "A Challenge to Oracle", June 29, 2000]*[http://www.independent.org/issues/article.asp?id=385/ TII responds to ''Trust Us, We're Experts'' errors, February 7, 2001]*[http://www.independent.org/newsroom/news_detail.asp?newsID=44/ TII press release on ''New York Times'' and ''Wall Street Jourrnal'' articles revealing clandestine Oracle campaign to smear critics, June 28, 2000]