The Concord Coalition's Paul Tsongas Project is an educational effort designed to encourage Americans from all walks of life, all ages, and all political persuasions to engage in a public debate about the generational implications of retirement policy, including Social Security and Medicare. Without a well-informed public debate about the long-term soundness of these programs, there is a real risk that narrow special interests and misleading demagoguery will sway public opinion.
Too often the "public" in public policy debates is a small group of paid experts and special interest professionals with their own agendas and limited perspectives. Unless we include all citizens in this discussion, the broad political consensus necessary for reform will fail to develop.
Since education is the primary goal of the Concord Coalition and this project, we are naturally pleased that Georgia Public Broadcasting, under the leadership of Dr. Werner Rogers, has agreed co-sponor the Tsongas Project in Atlanta. This joint effort will mean the inclusion of over 75,000 television viewers in Georgia and many more via Peach State Public Radio and possibly the Five-star satellite system that also broadcasts in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas.
The Tsongas Project is presenting public forums around the country that bring together budget experts, community members, elected officials and the media to discuss the coming retirement challenge and potential solutions. These nonpartisan discussions are free and open to all. As a result of their participation in these forums, panelists and audience members will be better equipped to participate in the national debate on retirement policy.
The first site of this forum was on October 4, in Lowell, Massachusetts, home of the late US Senator Paul Tsongas. The second site will be Kansas City on October 17 (KC Star Newspaper is co-sponsoring), then San Francisco on November 14, then Atlanta.
The Atlanta forum is a town-hall type event scheduled for taping at GPTV on Monday evening, November 17 at 6 PM (to be broadcast at a later date). The Concord Coalition will also be hosting a brief reception on the night of the taping at the new Ga. Public Broadcasting facility from 5:00 until 5:45 PM. Senator Nunn and other notable figures are scheduled to attend the reception.
The program will begin with an introductory video (5 min.) detailing the current status of our nation's entitlement programs. It will also inform the audience of the demographic challenges posed to the entitlement programs by three major facts:
After the video presentation, the panel discussion will begin with moderator Bill Nigut introducing the panelists. Senator Nunn will be among this group as well as a handful of other leaders and experts such as economist Donald Ratajczak from Georgia State University. We have also confirmed that David Walker, former member of the Social Security and Medicare Board of Trustees, will be joining us. Concord's Executive Director Martha Phillips will be on hand as will a representative of the AARP.
The specifics of the panel's time allotments and order of discussion are still being discussed. In an effort to ensure equal time and representation, we will announce these specifics as soon as possible.
The Paul Tsongas Generational Project in Atlanta is well timed and has significant potential for several reasons. Senator Nunn is making his Georgia debut as Concord's national co-chairman at the event. The Clinton Administration is indicating potential policy initiatives may be introduced later this Fall. As an "off-election year" the debate should prove to be more candid and thus more productive in terms of offering significant reform proposals.
For more information about this event please contact Phil Smith at (404) 584-0008.