The U.S. Fiscal Deficit: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - Monday 10/15 Panel; Dinner Discussion for Students

The U.S. fiscal deficit has become one of the most significant topics of concern to Americans and others since the start of the recession in 2008. It has only been fueled by international struggles over debt and crisis management. With the upcoming presidential and congressional elections, this general apprehension must be addressed.

Two Dartmouth students, Adrian Ferrari ’14 and Sarah Morse ’15, will discuss the big questions with budget expert Bob Bixby of the Concord Coalition (IOUSA, The Movie) and the Rockefeller Center’s own Charlie Wheelan (author of Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science).  Moderator Marjorie Rose, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics, will probe audience reactions and questions with the panel on one of the key issues facing the U.S. electorate.

Robert L. Bixby is Executive Director of The Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to fiscal responsibility. The Concord Coalition was founded in 1992 by former U.S. Senators Warren Rudman (R-NH) and the late Paul Tsongas (D-MA). Former Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE) now serves as Co-Chair of the organization. Mr. Bixby was named Executive Director of the Concord Coalition in 1999, after serving as the organization's Policy Director, National Field Director, and in other capacities since 1992. He frequently represents Concord's views on budget and entitlement reform policy at congressional hearings and in the national media.

Adrian Ferrari ’14, a Government and Economics major, with a minor in Public Policy, served as a judicial intern to Judge John Mott '81 of the D.C. Superior Court. Adrian also serves as a policy analyst and researcher for the Policy Research Shop and the LGBT liaison on Dartmouth's Inter-Community Council. He is now a junior at Dartmouth.

Sarah Morse ’15, an Economics and Neuroscience major, first became interested in economic policy when she participated in the High School Fed Challenge during her senior year. She is now a sophomore at Dartmouth.

Charles Wheelan ’88 is Senior Lecturer and Policy Fellow at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center. Formerly a senior lecturer in public policy at the Harris School at the University of Chicago, the Rockefeller Center welcomed Professor Wheelan back to Dartmouth fulltime in June 2012. Since 2006, Wheelan has taught economics and public policy courses at Dartmouth during sophomore summer. Wheelan's first book, Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science, served as an accessible and entertaining introduction to economics and is now published in 10 languages. He has also served as a correspondent for The Economist, and written freelance articles for the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

Please join us for the panel, “The U.S. Fiscal Deficit: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” at Rocky 3 at 4:30 pm, October 15, 2012.  

Continue the discussion over dinner: student dinner with Bob Bixby at 6:15 PM.  RSVP here.