WASHINGTON — Senators John Chafee (R-R.I.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) will
attend the Concord Coalition’s new interactive entitlement reform
exercise, Just Generations, on Tuesday, June 30, from 3-6:30 p.m., in
the Student Union Ballroom at Rhode Island College in Providence, R.I.
WASHINGTON — Senators John Chafee (R-R.I.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) will
attend the Concord Coalition’s new interactive entitlement reform
exercise, Just Generations, on Tuesday, June 30, from 3-6:30 p.m., in
the Student Union Ballroom at Rhode Island College in Providence, R.I.
Just Generations participants assume the role of
citizen-members of a Presidential Commission appointed to recommend
ways to keep Social Security and Medicare sustainable over the long
term. Working in small groups, participants will discuss options for
reform and recommend changes to avert the crises entitlement programs
will face when the Baby Boom generation begins retiring in the next
decade. At the end of the simulation, each group will announce its
results and participate in a discussion of the issues raised during the
event.
Concord is hosting the Just Generations exercise as a kickoff
to "The Great Social Security Debate" to be held the next day
(Wednesday, July 1) from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Rhodes on-the-Pawtuxet in
Cranston, R.I. Senators Chafee and Reed will also be participating in
"The Great Social Security Debate" with Vice President Albert Gore,
Jr., and other members of Congress.
"By their attendance, Senators Chafee and Reed will help highlight the
fact that Social Security reform is a bipartisan issue," said Concord’s
Northeast Regional Director Bob Hannon, who will host the event. "It
will also be interesting to see how people’s perspectives about Social
Security reform change after participating in this exercise and the
Debate the next day."
All participants in the Just Generations exercise will also be invited to the next day’s "Great Social Security Debate."
Just Generations was developed for the Concord Coalition’s Paul
E. Tsongas Project. The Tsongas Project is designed to allow 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, Medicare, and Medicaid.
The Concord Coalition is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization
dedicated to eliminating federal budget deficits and ensuring Social
Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are secure for all generations. The
Concord Coalition was founded in 1992 by the late former Senator Paul
Tsongas (D-Mass.), former Senator Warren Rudman (R-N.H.), and former
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Peter Peterson. Former Senator Sam Nunn
(D-Ga.) was named the new co-chair of the Concord Coalition in April
1997.
MEDIA ADVISORY: Members of the media are encouraged to
participate in the Just Generations exercise and to follow participants
during the "Great Social Security Debate" the next day. For more
information on participating in the simulation, call Craig Cheslog at
(202) 467-6222.
