I hope everyone is digging out from this snow and ice and that you have power and plenty of supplies to stay warm.

Today, we are featuring an interesting member of the Seattle non-profit community, the Washington Policy Center.  WPC was founded a number of years ago and is a non-partisan public policy research institute.  Their mission is "to promote free-market solutions through research and education".

With today's policymaking seemingly focused only on bailouts, it is refreshing to have a group in Seattle that looks at things slightly differently than the usual "just throw more government at the problem" attitude that prevails in Washington state.  WPC is not just about "less government" either.  They are thoughtful and researched-based, not necessarly ideologically driven.

Learn a little more about them on their website:  http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/aboutus/missionstatement.html

Check out some of the policy briefs and publications they have put out, such as this one on RFID, a subject that has been the subject of debate in Olympia the past couple years:  http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/Centers/smallbusiness/legislativememo/08_gipson_RFID.html

WTIA works with WPC on an ad hoc basis, depending on the issue.  WTIA works with a wide range of other business trade associations, policy research groups and issue based coalitions across a wide range of topics.  Some of these relationships are very informal; others are more formalized with Memoranda of Understanding.  We are looking to deepen our relationship with WPC on some key technology policy issues.  Keep an eye out in 2009 for events that we plan to co-produce with WPC.

Stay warm!