On Thursday, March 25th, AFF will hold its March happy hour at Ireland’s Four Courts from 6:00-8:30. Drop by for drinks and the chance to mingle with fellow AFF members.

Happy hour specials to be announced, but they are guaranteed to provide that dose of Irish pub that you’ll need while recuperating from St Patty’s Day festivities.

Ireland’s Four Courts is located at 2051 Wilson Blvd, within an easy walking distance from the Court House metro (orange line).

After Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s December 2009 attempt to detonate plastic explosives on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, a contentious debate has reignited as to what, if anything, governments and homeland security officials should do to try to further protect us from terrorist attacks, including the use of very controversial full-body X-ray technology to scan passengers more thoroughly.

Since September 11th, what we know about homeland security has change significantly. How do these new measures apply to travelers? Are we safer now than we were in 2001?  What is the most cost-effective means of ensuring safety and security without violating our civil liberties?

Our panel will include:

• Gary Leff, from the Institute for Humane Studies and President of FlyerTalk
• Jena McNeill, homeland security analyst from the Heritage Foundation.

More speakers to come!

AFF’s March roundtable will take place on Wednesday, March 31st. It will take place at The Fund for American Studies (1706 New Hampshire Ave. NW) with drinks at 6:30 discussion at 7pm. AFF Roundtables are free for members, and $5 for non-members, so join today! Please email Sarah Friederich at sarah@americasfuture.org with any questions.

We’ll be celebrating CPAC and “drinking one for the Gipper” at Hawk & Dove on Saturday, February 20th starting at 8:30pm!  Get details and RSVP on Facebook here!

We look forward to seeing you at the coolest CPAC after-party of 2010 – Reaganpalooza!

With CPAC almost here, and the first national Tea Party convention still reverberating, do movements or parties matter most in national politics today? Which, if any, should conservatives and libertarians count on heading into the ‘10 and ‘12 elections and beyond?  Our panel will include Soren Dayton with The Next Right, JP Freire with The Washington Examiner, Jonah Goldberg with NRO, LA Times, and AEI, and Kelly Torrance with The American Conservative. The panel will be moderated by James Poulos with Postmodern Conservative.

This roundtable will take place Wednesday, February 17th at The Fund for American Studies (1706 New Hampshire Ave. NW), with drinks at 6:30 discussion to follow at 7pm. AFF Roundtables are free for members, and $5 for non-members, so join today! Please email Sarah Friederich at Sarah@americasfuture.org with any questions.

The impeachment of disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has provided an opportunity for Republicans to capture the governor’s mansion in Springfield after a decade in the wilderness. But do any of the seven Republican candidates deserve conservatives’ and libertarians’ support in the February 2nd primary? Or is the lone Libertarian candidate in the race the only friend of liberty?

On January 13th AFF Chicago asked these questions at an event at Sullivan’s Steakhouse. Following the debate, chapter chair Richard Lorenc moderated a discussion with Libertarian Party gubernatorial candidate Lex Green and his running mate Edward Rutledge, along with David Scalzo, chief of staff for the Dan Proft campaign.

The debate itself featured a lively discussion between the seven contenders for the Republican nomination. The crowd responded to their answers with approving nods, the occasional applause, but also boos and laughter. In the end, it was clear the two candidates on stage who generated the most positive sentiment among the AFF audience were businessman and transparency activist Adam Andrzejewski and Republican consultant Dan Proft.

An informal show of hands following the debate, however, revealed that if AFF Chicago had its way, Dan Proft would be the Republican nominee. The crowd responded to Proft’s platform of tax cuts, spending caps, and school choice, as well as his entertaining style of answering questions.

During the post-debate discussion, Libertarian candidate Lex Green said Proft’s plan to cut income tax rates by 50% was only 50% right. As governor, Mr. Green said he would eliminate the income tax entirely. His running mate, Ed Rutledge, added that a Libertarian administration would review all spending decisions down the last cent.

Speaking for the Proft campaign, Dave Scalzo said many of Proft’s proposals spring from Libertarian ideas, but that to put those ideas in action it is necessary to work through the two-party system. He urged the Libertarians in the audience to vote for Proft, even if he doesn’t espouse every one of their ideas.

The panelists also debated the merits of third-party candidates and what influence the Tea Party movement could have on Illinois, as well as the division between conservatives and libertarians on social issues like abortion. All the panelists agreed, however, that single-party Democratic rule has destroyed Illinois’s economy, and that something has to change or else the state will slide further into decline.

The lively post-debate discussion was a great way for AFF Chicago to kick off 2010 and what should be an exciting moment in Illinois politics.

Be the first to know what we’re planning next by signing up for our mailing list. Be sure to check the Room 101 Chicago box.

Many of us in Washington viewed last year’s inauguration with mixed feelings, despite wide appreciation of its historical impact. Many had hope that the newly elected President Obama would bring wisdom and discernment to the office, while others were wary of the new president’s short resume and progressive past.

A year later, what is the verdict? What have been Obama’s defining actions and accomplishments? Join our panelists as we rehash the first year, and take a look at what the Obama Administration has in store for 2010.

Joining us to discuss this first year will be Jeff Berkowitz (director of research at the Republic National Committee)on the political implications, Abe Greenwald of the Foreign Policy Initiative and Tim Carney (author of Obamanomics) will serve as moderator and will comment on economic policies.

This roundtable will take place Thursday, January 21st at the Fund for American Studies (1706 New Hampshire Ave. NW), with drinks at 6:30 and discussion at 7pm. AFF Roundtables are free for members, and $5 for non-members, so join today! Please RSVP to Sarah Friederich at Sarah@americasfuture.org.

The impeachment of disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has provided an opportunity for Republicans to capture the governor’s mansion in Springfield after a decade in the wilderness. But do any of the seven Republican candidates deserve conservatives’ and libertarians’ support in the February 2nd primary? Or is the lone Libertarian candidate in the race the only friend of liberty?

On January 13th AFF Chicago asked these questions at an event at Sullivan’s Steakhouse. Following the debate, chapter chair Richard Lorenc moderated a discussion with Libertarian Party gubernatorial candidate Lex Green and his running mate Edward Rutledge, along with David Scalzo, chief of staff for the Dan Proft campaign.

The debate itself featured a lively discussion between the seven contenders for the Republican nomination. The crowd responded to their answers with approving nods, the occasional applause, but also boos and laughter. In the end, it was clear the two candidates on stage who generated the most positive sentiment among the AFF audience were businessman and transparency activist Adam Andrzejewski and Republican consultant Dan Proft.

An informal show of hands following the debate, however, revealed that if AFF Chicago had its way, Dan Proft would be the Republican nominee. The crowd responded to Proft’s platform of tax cuts, spending caps, and school choice, as well as his entertaining style of answering questions.

During the post-debate discussion, Libertarian candidate Lex Green said Proft’s plan to cut income tax rates by 50% was only 50% right. As governor, Mr. Green said he would eliminate the income tax entirely. His running mate, Ed Rutledge, added that a Libertarian administration would review all spending decisions down the last cent.

Speaking for the Proft campaign, Dave Scalzo said many of Proft’s proposals spring from Libertarian ideas, but that to put those ideas in action it is necessary to work through the two-party system. He urged the Libertarians in the audience to vote for Proft, even if he doesn’t espouse every one of their ideas.

The panelists also debated the merits of third-party candidates and what influence the Tea Party movement could have on Illinois, as well as the division between conservatives and libertarians on social issues like abortion. All the panelists agreed, however, that single-party Democratic rule has destroyed Illinois’s economy, and that something has to change or else the state will slide further into decline.

The lively post-debate discussion was a great way for AFF Chicago to kick off 2010 and what should be an exciting moment in Illinois politics.

Be the first to know what we’re planning next by signing up for our mailing list. Be sure to check the Room 101 Chicago box.

Following the debate, we’ll have representatives from the campaigns–including surrogates from the Andrzejewski, Green, McKenna, and Proft campaigns–to take your questions. This event will be enlightening to anyone who doesn’t yet know how they’ll vote in February, so consider bringing a friend or two to introduce them our group.

We will be hosting this event at Sullivan’s Steakhouse at 415 Dearborn in Chicago. You may RSVP by replying richard@americasfuture.org or on Facebook. Plan to stick around after the event for food and continued discussion with AFFers at a location nearby.

Will you join us with your own generosity – with a gift of $35, $50, $100, $250, or even $500?

With your contribution, you will set an outstanding example of leadership and support that will help us begin our ambitious 2010 agenda immediately. CLICK HERE to answer the Board’s challenge and support AFF’s programming and events!