In the late 1970s, Jane experienced Washington firsthand while working at the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare during the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. “It’s mostly about process, but then there are places like Cato that actually do policy.”
wish everyone had a chance to spend some time in Washington and really see how the federal government works,” says Jane Johnson about her partnership with Cato. “Most Americans are totally unaware,” she continues. “Cato informs Americans about what’s actually happening in Washington while also advancing the principles I believe in.”
Several years ago, Jane relocated to California, where she had lived in the 1960s and 1970s as a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley. Experiencing California’s changes over the years has strengthened her passion for supporting limited government and equal opportunity. “When I was a student at Berkeley, California was a relatively well-run state, but now it’s a mess. Successful people are leaving—and more will follow—because our system is rotten to the core.” The latest proposals for convoluted and harmful wealth taxes to fix the state’s fiscal crisis are yet another indication that policies in California are headed in the wrong direction.
She also notes that she’s become increasingly concerned about the damaging effects of interventionist policies on individuals, businesses, and government itself. “I’m increasingly concerned about the ever-expanding regulatory state,” Jane says. “Most Americans don’t understand the difference between laws and regulations or how invasive the regulatory apparatus is in our daily lives.”
“I’m increasingly concerned about the ever-expanding regulatory state. Most Americans don’t understand the difference between laws and regulations or how invasive the regulatory apparatus is in our daily lives.”
Jane has been gratified by recent developments such as the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn the Chevron deference. “I look forward to seeing how this plays out,” she says. “The regulatory state is far more dominant than when I worked in the federal government in the late ’70s.”
In addition to Cato, Jane supports other organizations that align with her values, including the American Enterprise Institute, Manhattan Institute, and Independent Institute.
Jane now uses qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) from her retirement savings—a tax-efficient way to meet her IRA’s required minimum distributions (RMDs)—to support Cato’s work. “There are many people like me who planned ahead and fortunately don’t need to live off RMDs,” Jane says. “I’m so glad I found out about the qualified distributions for charities, and I believe everyone should know about them.”
We are incredibly honored that she has also chosen to name Cato as a beneficiary of her retirement accounts. Her commitment to liberty strengthens our ability to plan and advance freedom and prosperity for generations to come. As she notes, “Live and let live might be my motto in life, and I’m proud to support Cato’s mission to protect that ideal.”
For information on Cato’s Legacy Society, please contact Brian Mullis at bmullis@cato.org. To learn more about planned giving, please visit
