FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2010

For information contact:
Sara Kabakoff ~ 202.667.0901

Unprecedented National Town Meeting to Use Technology to Link Diverse Groups Representing the Diversity of the Nation

Washington, D.C. – Thousands of Americans will gather in more than 19 cities for a National Town Meeting on June 26^th on the nation’s fiscal future. The goal of the nonpartisan discussion is to find common ground about the choices necessary to address the nation’s growing deficit and national debt.  Local forums will be linked together by satellite and the Internet for a truly national discussion.  Recommendations will be shared with national leaders, including members of Congress and the White House’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.

This unique national discussion will be organized by AmericaSpeaks, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, and is supported by three leading foundations with a shared commitment to informing the American public and policymakers of the fiscal realities facing the country.  The Peter G. Peterson Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and W.K. Kellogg Foundation are providing $4.2 million to spur this critical national conversation.

As national leaders and policy experts work to jumpstart our economy, enormous challenges loom and threaten the long-term vitality of the United States – chief among them, a growing total federal debt that is projected to reach 95% of our GDP by 2020. As national leaders convened in Washington, D.C. this week to discuss fiscal challenges, the three foundations committed to ensuring that the public would have a voice in shaping the terms of the policy debate.

“The Peter G. Peterson Foundation is pleased to partner with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation on this unprecedented national citizen education and engagement effort,” said David Walker, president and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. “Working with AmericaSpeaks and other interested organizations, we are confident that this effort will help to better inform the ‘tough choices’ that elected officials need to make to put our nation’s finances in order.”

“Bringing together thousands of diverse Americans from across the country simultaneously to discuss the nation’s fiscal challenges holds the promise of spurring an even broader national dialogue to help build the urgency and political will necessary to tackle our deficit and debt,” MacArthur President Robert Gallucci said.  “MacArthur supported the recent nonpartisan report by the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Public Administration that offers tax and spending options to stabilize the debt within a decade, and we are pleased now to support this creative new effort to inform and engage the American public and find common ground.”

“Ensuring all families can thrive and our children have opportunities for success is at the heart of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s work, and we can’t reach that goal without a healthy economy,” said Sterling Speirn, the Foundation’s President and CEO.  “This public dialogue about America’s fiscal future is critical to real outcomes for vulnerable children. It’s our collective responsibility to ensure we create future opportunities for our national success without crippling our ability to help families today.”

The initiative will bring together demographically diverse groups in 19 cities and invite volunteers to convene smaller conversations in communities across the nation. The forums will be held simultaneously and linked together by satellite and the Internet for a truly national discussion, which will be the largest and most comprehensive opportunity to date for Americans to deliberate on our federal budget. Participants will weigh in on the policy options framed by a diverse, bipartisan group of experts. The resultant recommendations, reflecting priorities from a broad cross-section of the America public will be shared with policymakers as America’s solutions for a sustainable fiscal future.

“These grants testify to the foundations’ leadership roles in strengthening our democracy by providing the public with a seat at the table,” said Carolyn Lukensmeyer, the President and Founder of the nonprofit that will convene the discussion, AmericaSpeaks. “It is time to come together as a country to make the tough choices that will ensure America’s future.”

The national discussion is a project of AmericaSpeaks, a nonprofit organization committed to providing citizens with a greater voice on the most important policy issues that impact their lives. Additional information about the AmericaSpeaks: Our Budget, Our Economy National Town Meeting is available at www.USABudgetDiscussion.org.

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About the Peter G. Peterson Foundation

Founded by Peter G. Peterson with a commitment of $1 billion, the Foundation is dedicated to increasing public awareness of the nature and urgency of key fiscal challenges threatening America’s future and to accelerating action on them. To address these challenges successfully, we work to bring Americans together to find sensible, long-term solutions that transcend age, party lines and ideological divides in order to achieve real results. For more information, see www.PGPF.org.
Media Contact: Myra Sung, 212.542.9266, msung@pgpf.org

About the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. In addition to selecting the MacArthur Fellows, the Foundation works to defend human rights, advance global conservation and security, make cities better places, and understand how technology is affecting children and society. Visit www.macfound.org for additional information.

Media Contact: Andy Solomon, 312.917.0313, asolomon@macfound.org

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, established in 1930, supports children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society. Grants are concentrated in the United States, southern Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Visit www.wkkf.org for more information.

Media Contact: Kathy Reincke, 269.969.2148, kar@wkkf.org

About AmericaSpeaks
AmericaSpeaks is a nonprofit organization that provides citizens with a voice on the most important decisions that impact their lives. The nonpartisan organization has convened more than 150,000 people to shape policy making. For more information, visit www.americaspeaks.org.