Condoleezza Rice, the former U.S. Secretary of State and the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution, spoke at the Hoover Institution May 2009 retreat dinner on May 26 on “Why Democracy Matters.” (Photo courtesy of Stanford Visual Arts)

Hoover research fellow Russell Roberts asked “Is Capitalism Dead?” (Photo courtesy of Stanford Visual Arts)

“The threat of huge increase in federal debt should be a wake-up call,” said John Taylor, the Bowen H. and Janice Arthur McCoy Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, in his remarks titled “The Road Ahead for the Fed.” (Photo courtesy of Stanford Visual Arts)

Alvin Rabushka, the David and Joan Traitel Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, warned “Get Ready for Tax Hikes in 2011 and Beyond” in his remarks. (Photo courtesy of Stanford Visual Arts)

“Coping with Catastrophe: How the Economy Can Recover and What Policies Will Be Helpful” was a panel discussion featuring Robert Hall (on right), the Robert and Carole McNeil Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution; Edward Lazear (second from right), Morris Arnold Cox Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution; John Cogan (third from right), Leonard and Shirley Ely Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution; and Caroline Hoxby (on left), Hoover senior fellow and K–12 Education Task Force member. (Photo by Tin Tin Wisniewski/Hoover Institution Public Affairs)

Richard Epstein, Peter and Kirsten Bedford Senior Fellow and Property Rights, Freedom, and Prosperity Task Force member spoke on “Carbon Dioxide, the Pollutant: The Brave New World of Environmental Regulation” in his presentation. (Photo courtesy of Stanford Visual Arts)

In “American Foreign Policy: Enduring Challenges, No Easy Answers,” Stephen Krasner, Hoover senior fellow, reviewed the international political conditions. (Photo courtesy of Stanford Visual Arts)