Upcoming event: Social Security at 75: The Legacy and Vision

Bloggers note: Good thing they have Doug Holtz-Eakin on one panel; I think otherwise they would have been legally required to call this a rally rather than a forum. An event marking Social Security's 75^th is a great idea, but a bit more balance would make it a better event.

Social Security at 75: The Legacy and Vision

June 22, 2010, 9:00 am — 4:30 pm

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Location	National Press Club 529 14th Street, NW 13th Floor Ballroom Washington, DC 20045 United States
Contact	Benjamin Veghte

A forum sponsored by the National Academy of Social Insurance in collaboration with the Insight Center for Community Economic Development, Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative

Event Chair: Lisa Mensah, Executive Director, Initiative on Financial Security, The Aspen Institute

Social Security helped pave a humane path out of the Great Depression in 1935 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's broad agenda that lifted the poor and fostered the growth of a strong middle class. In today's Great Recession, pundits question whether we can still afford Social Security's promise to empower the vulnerable and sustain a vibrant middle class for tomorrow's working families. This forum explores lessons from history that shed light on the future.

8:30am   Coffee and Light Breakfast

9:00am   Welcome
Lisa Mensah (Event Chair), The Aspen Institute

9:15am   Social Security at 75: History, Impact, Vision
Moderator: Lori Montgomery, Economic Policy reporter, Washington Post
Nancy Altman, Co-director, Social Security Works
Kilolo Kijakazi, Program Officer, Economic Development, The Ford Foundation
Eric Rodriguez, National Council of La Raza

10:30am   Break

10:45am   Social Security, Economic Growth and the Middle Class
Moderator: Janice Gregory, President, National Academy of Social Insurance
William Rodgers, Professor of Economics, Rutgers University Social Security, the Middle Class, and the Wealth Gap
Jill Quadagno, Professor of Sociology, Florida State University

11:45am   Break

12:15pm   Luncheon Keynote

1:15pm   Break

1:30pm   A Debate: Can We Afford Social Security in the 21st Century?
Moderator: Lisa Mensah, The Aspen Institute
Dean Baker, Center for Economic and Policy Research
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, American Action Forum

2:15pm   Engaging Communities in Shaping the Vision
Moderator: Susan Daniels, Daniels and Associates
Hilary Doe, Roosevelt Institute Campus Network
Ashley Carson, OWL – The Voice of Midlife and Older Women
Alexander Hertel-Fernandez, Economic Policy Institute
Donna Butts, Generations United

3:15pm   American Values and the Social Security Debate
Moderator: David Wessel, Economics Editor, The Wall Street Journal
Michael Graetz, Professor of Law, Columbia Law School
Janice Gregory, President, National Academy of Social Insurance
William Arnone, consultant, former partner in Human Capital practice, Ernst & Young

4:00pm   The Future of Social Insurance in a Diverse America
Rep. Xavier Becerra, Congressman from California's 31st District, introduced by John Rother, Executive Vice President of Policy and Strategy, AARP