Steve Simpson, what are you working on?
In November, ARI’s director of legal studies, Steve Simpson, will be on ARI’s “Road to a Free Society” tour. Across the country he will be giving a talk titled “Cronyism, Corruption and Government Power.” Is there any truth to the claims that our government is corrupt and cronyism rampant? In his talk, Mr. Simpson will argue that there is something to the issues of “cronyism,” but not in the way that most people think.
“Cronyism and corruption are fundamentally about the wrong kind of government. The issue is not ‘big government’ or ‘bad people’ influencing good government. The issue is that government has too much power and has strayed far beyond its proper purpose of protecting rights,” says Mr. Simpson.
And he would know. As a former senior attorney at the Institute for Justice, Mr. Simpson has litigated constitutional cases — including many campaign finance cases — for over a decade. He has seen the impact of regulations and other government overreach for years — from New York’s effort to prevent out-of-state wineries from shipping directly to customers to the taking of hundreds of private homes via the power of eminent domain in New London Connecticut.
“Time and again, people complain that bad people are influencing a good system. But it is the system itself — and the ideas and people who support it — that is the fundamental problem. When government has the power to force you to do things that are contrary to your rights and your ability to pursue your own happiness, of course you are going to try to influence it — and, often, rightly so. The problem is not that all those people are bad. The problem is that we have created a system in which it is almost impossible for anyone to be good.”
Mr. Simpson speaks and writes widely on this issue and is currently working on a book on the subject. He also speaks and writes on constitutional law, freedom of speech, the rule of law and the regulatory state.
Over the years he has been interviewed on hundreds of television and radio programs, including PBS NewsHour and Stossel, and his writings have appeared in publications like The Cato Supreme Court Review, Chapman Law Review, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Legal Times, Chicago Tribune and Slate. In 2014, Mr. Simpson was a Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute. Mr. Simpson earned his law degree from New York Law School in 1994. He is a member of the bars of New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia.
So, when will Steve be talking in a city near you?
- November 11, 2014 — University Center Conference Chicago, 525 South State Street, Chicago, IL
- November 12, 2014 — CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
- November 18, 2014 — The Sheraton Palo Alto, 625 El Camino Real, Palo Alto CA 94301
- November 19, 2014 — ARI Headquarters, 2121 Alton Parkway, Suite 250, Irvine, CA
Register for these talks here.
Students attend for free.
Other resources:
