You're Invited: 2 Big Events For Tackling The National Debt

If you believe, like we do, that the problem posed by the looming national debt is one calling for action, here are two chances to get more involved: the National Town Meeting, coming up on June 26, and a panel discussion in Washington, on June 30.

The National Town Meeting on the federal budget and the economy, Saturday, June 26, beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET in dozens of locations from Maine to California, will connect participants via satellite, webcast and interactive technologies. Sign up now to attend a meeting at a location near you. Participation is free and in some cases, childcare, transportation assistance and translation services are available. In addition to the deliberations at the Town Meeting locations, there is also an online-only discussion, in the virtual world Second Life.

The National Town Meeting is organized by America Speaks and Public Agenda is participating as part of the Choosing Our Fiscal Future initiative. The event is funded by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Another great opportunity you'll want to add to your calendar: the Wednesday, June 30 (please note: this is a new date), panel discussion on the national debt, including the findings of our new report, "The Buck Stops Where? D.C. Influencers Talk About The National Debt."

The event, sponsored by Public Agenda and another partner in Our Fiscal Future, the National Academy of Public Administration, will be from 8:30 – 10:00 a.m., with registration and coffee beginning at 8:00 a.m., at the National Academy of Public Administration, 900 7th Street NW, in the Meeting Level Auditorium.

Speakers will include Elaine Kamarck and John Castellani. Karmack is on the faculty of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She was a White House advisor to President Clinton from 1993-1997, and is the author of "The End of Government As We Know It: Policy Implementation in the 21st Century" and "Primary Politics: How Presidential Candidates Have Shaped the Modern Nominating System."

Castellani is the president and CEO of the Business Roundtable. He frequently provides news commentary on business and public policy issues, and has appeared on programs including NBC’s "Meet the Press," PBS' "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," Fox News Channel's "Special Report," and CNBC's "Street Signs."

Seating for "The Buck Stops Where?" panel discussion is limited; please RSVP in advance to OurFiscalFuture@napawash.org. For questions, please call 202-204-3653. And to learn more about this problem, check out our research and Our Fiscal Future, on the Web, Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.