About Us
The Concord Coalition is a nationwide, non-partisan, grassroots organization advocating fiscal responsibility while 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 Bob Kerrey (D-Ne.) was named a co-chair of the Concord Coalition in January 2002.
The Concord Coalition is dedicated to educating the public about the causes and consequences of federal budget deficits, the long-term challenges facing America's unsustainable entitlement programs, and how to build a sound economy for future generations. The Concord Coalition's national field staff and loyal group of volunteers cover the country, holding lectures, interactive exercises, conducting classes, giving media interviews, and briefing elected officials and their staffs.
Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors consists of a former public officials and private sector leaders of both parties. Every one of them is serious about helping our nation restore and maintain fiscal discipline. Their advice and leadership are invaluable to us in our work.
Concord's History
The Concord Coalition takes its name from a heroic battle of the American Revolution. In the Spring of 1775, ordinary people, mostly farmers called Minutemen, answered a call to arms. They courageously stood together in the town of Concord, Massachusetts, against thousands of British soldiers, and successfully turned them back to Boston. Although many years of tough fighting and terrible sacrifice lay ahead, these brave Americans kept at it against overwhelming odds because they had a vision of the grand nation they wanted for their future and for generations to come.
Today our nation faces incredible fiscal challenges that threaten its greatness and the sacrifices made by prior generations all the way back to those soldiers. Our government currently borrows hundreds of billions of dollars annually to pay for today's consumption forcing productive national savings to take a back seat to benefits for middle-income and wealthy citizens; for special interests; for services we could, and should, do without; and for interest on the money borrowed in earlier years. Even worse--the nation's future promises will cause tomorrow's debt to dwarf today's. Elected leaders are afraid to cut back on spending and don't dare to raise taxes to pay the full bill. In fact, they continue to cut taxes while increasing spending in order to satisfy the ever-growing population of Washington special interests.
The Concord Coalition began in the early 1990's as the voice of the many concerned citizens motivated, like the Minutemen at Concord, to take a stand for America and speak out against the policies that have placed this great nation in financial jeopardy. Former Senators Warren Rudman (R-NH) and the late Paul Tsongas (D-MA) led the effort to help organize these citizens together without regard to party affiliation. Soon after, Concord Coalition volunteers could be found in every state and in most congressional districts. These volunteers still thrive over a decade later and are now ably lead by our Co-Chairmen, former Senators Rudman and Kerrey and our President, former Secretary of Commerce Peter G. Peterson.
http://www.concordcoalition.org/about.htmlIssues
Long-term projections from nonpartisan government analysts at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) show that current federal budget policies are unsustainable. The bottom line is stark. Unless we change course, widening federal deficits will eventually starve the economy of critical savings and shortchange investments for our children's future well being. No country can enjoy sustained living standard growth without investing, and no country can sustain high investment for long without saving.
The problem with deficits is that they soak up national savings and crowd out productive investment. Since America's savings pool is shallow, the impact of large deficits is especially harmful. The U.S. net national savings rate is already low both relative to other developed nations and to our own history. Current fiscal policies are due to push net national savings still lower, ultimately driving it beneath zero.
Let's hope that we don't have to suffer a fiscal and economic crack up before changing direction. The time to act is now, while people still have time to adjust and prepare--not ten years from now, when the trade-offs will be all the more painful. This is the last decade before the age wave rolls over the budget. Our elected leaders should make sure it's not a lost decade.
Federal Budget
It wasn't that long ago that our budget was in balance, and it looked like we would run surpluses for the next several years. Those days are over with only deficits on the horizon. The retirement of the baby boomers will tax our already overstressed public finances, and only careful financial planning will allow us to deal with these problems in an organized and fair manner. (Read More)
National Debt
Every dollar of debt is a dollar that our children will see in higher taxes, decreased spending, or reduced economic growth. It is a dollar of hard choices that we as a nation failed to make. We've accumulated trillions of these dollars, and the time to stop procrastinating is here. (Read More)
Social Security
Social Security is our nation's largest and most popular public program. For years it has helped reduce elderly poverty. Unfortunately, its financial situation will worsen beginning in 2009. (Read More)
Medicare & Medicaid
Our nation's two largest public health insurance programs face major financial hurdles. While many like to talk about Social Security, demographic changes, reduced workplace health benefits, and medical innovations make these programs the ones to watch. (Read More)
Facing Facts Quarterly
Our quarterly publication with in-depth information on a variety of fiscal policy issues. (Read More)
Congressional Scorecard
Ever wonder how fiscally responsible your elected representative is? Our scorecard rates every member of each Congress to find out who made -- or failed to make -- the tough choices. (Read More)
Fiscal Responsibility Report Card
Fiscal prudence, by its very nature, requires careful consideration and hard choices between different spending and taxation priorities. Every year we issue an update on how the President and Congress (as a whole) are doing in making responsible choices for the short, medium, and long term. (Read More)
http://www.concordcoalition.org/issues/
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