Reality check

The Cato Institute, the libertarian-leaning Washington-based think tank, is conducting its annual Cato University next week at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. It’s billed as an opportunity to explore “how the state has expanded during times of crises; the threats to liberty, privacy, and independence, as the rush for government-imposed solutions (and, hence, power) increases in pace; and, what can be done to restrain — or reverse — its growth.”