New Free-Market Think Tank Set Up in Florida

There is a new public policy organization in the Sunshine State pushing for free-market solutions -- the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) which is based in Naples.

Individual freedom and private enterprise are the keys to Floridas economic future, said Tarren Bragdon, the president and CEO of the new group, on Thursday. The Foundation for Government Accountability will be a resource for taxpayers and policymakers who seek a Florida booming with new entrepreneurs, well-educated children, a top-rate health care system, and an affordable, open government that protects freedom.

The FGA will be tackling health care and government transparency, as well as economic and job growth.

As government grows in size and complexity, and as people lose faith in their elected officials, its important that organizations exist to influence government on behalf of the taxpayers, and move the state toward common-sense reforms and a growing economy, said Bragdon.The Foundation for Government Accountability will give the public peace of mind that their financial security and personal freedom will be at the forefront of all policy debates.

Bragdon certainly has the background to launch a think tank at the state level. His impressive background includes a long tenure with the Maine Heritage Policy Center as director of health reform initiatives and, eventually, CEO. From 1996 until 2000, he served in the Maine House of Representatives. Bragdon was 21 -- by less than two weeks -- when he was first elected, making him the youngest legislator in the states history (take that James G. Blaine, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and Hannibal Hamlin -- yes, all the politicians I know from Maine are from the 19th century). Bragdon also was a special assistant to Maine Senate President Richard Bennett after his stint in the House and oversaw Gov. Paul LePage's budget workgroup after the 2010 elections.