Reason Foundation

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank for American libertarianism, the Reason Foundation publishes Reason (magazine). Founded in 1968, it describes its mission as "advanc[ing] a free society by developing, applying, and promoting libertarian principles, including individual liberty, free markets, and the rule of law." The founder was Robert W. Poole, Jr., David Nott is the current presiden and Matt Welch is editor-in-chief of Reason.

While it supports the philosophy of libertarianism, it is not associated with the Libertarian Party or any other political group.

In addition to its magazine, it arranges for expert speakers and presents web pages and Internet videos.

National politics

It has published articles that express concern with mainstream media exaggeration of issues such as the Tea Party Movement and Rand Paul.

...the Tea Party movement is mainly conservative—which is hardly the stuff of headlines. That does not make it a haven for racists.

While the Tea Parties raise important questions about the growth of government, they certainly have their darker side: too often, they promote the politics of personal attack and demonization, of hyperbole and hysteria (though they are no more guilty of this than were Bush-era protesters on the left). Yet to respond with more hyperbole, demonization and hysteria directed at the Tea Partiers themselves will not address the problems but only compound the damage.

Columnist David Harsanyi suggests that liberals, such as Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post, are using opportunities such as the clumsy statement of Rand Paul to deny"The fact is, nearly everyone—including, it seems, most libertarians and Paul himself—agree that the Civil Rights Act was necessary in untangling repressive, government-codified Southern racism. The problem is that some of this kind of well-intentioned and important legislation has been used to validate the infinite creep of Washington intrusion into commerce and life."

Ask Rand Paul, the libertarian-leaning Republican who made the unfortunate decision to be a guest on MSNBC after his victory in the Kentucky's Republican primary for U.S. Senate. Paul went on to clumsily talk about the 1964 Civil Rights Act, expressing misgivings about the "public accommodation" provision that stopped segregation in privately owned establishments.

Alas, earnest ideologues do not make for good politicians. And Paul made the error of discussing the consequences of stripping citizens—even racists—of their right to free association and speech.