DU will host a fiscal policy summit on Thursday, Oct. 22, to explore America’s current and future economic strategies.

The program, “Paying for America, a Fiscal Policy Summit,” will take place at the Cable Center and is sponsored by the Concord Coalition of Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public. 

Experts holding diverse ideological perspectives will analyze fiscal policies and attempt to give students an objective view of the issues.

The session from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. will be directed toward students and the session from 7 to 9 p.m. is designed as a brief overview of fiscal policies for community members and students that cannot attend during the day.

Jeffrey Thiebert, national director for the Concord Coalition, said that students should expect to gain an understanding of how financially involved they are although still in school.

He said students will be presented with general information about U.S. fiscal health, difficulties facing the current system and how young adults can help the country avoid future national financial disasters.

“It may not be the sexiest political issue, but it’s probably the most important,” said Thiebert. “These challenges are going to impact us and I do think that students have the most at stake.”

Thiebert said fiscal policies impact everyone, not differentiating between party affiliations or income levels.

Students should not be put off by the complexities of fiscal issues, as the symposium will offer breakout sessions for small group discussions.

One reason students should attend the summit is to enhance their financial knowledge because the biggest future fiscal danger in the country is inaction, said Thierbert. 

“A lot of programs are on autopilot,” Thiebert said. “If we don’t do anything, the economy of tomorrow is not one that America has ever had before.”

The Concord Coalition was founded at a time when fiscal responsibility became necessary to the success of this country.             

Since it is based in Washington, the Concord Coalition has a grassroots network that extends outside of the area to inform citizens.

The group wants to gain the support of people and allow them to inspire their governing bodies as opposed to the more traditional tactic of gaining the support of the top leaders and allowing support such as this to travel down the ranks.

Seating is limited for the event during the day. Registration is online at www.payingforamerica.org.