New Orleans, the Census, and the Need for Community Data

By Andrea Scallon, AmericaSpeaks

Over the last couple of weeks, the Census has started to roll out results from the 2010 Census. For data junkies like me, witnessing the gradual unveiling and reporting of Census data is a very exciting once-every-ten-years event. My interest in finding out the most recent information about American communities has grown over the course of my work with AmericaSpeaks, mainly because gathering demographic numbers is an essential part of the outreach process for citizen engagement. Having worked specifically with the Unified New Orleans Plan outreach team to empower Louisiana residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina, I was particularly fascinated by new information about the current state of the New Orleans metro area.

Can Politics Online be De-polarized?

By David Stern, AmericaSpeaks

The shooting of Representative Giffords last month started a national conversation about the incivility of our political environment. Although the shooter turned out to not have been significantly influenced by national politics, the media honed in on the issue of civil political discourse in the shooting’s wake because as a country, we are looking for a way to change the way public policy is discussed. While this particular event may not have been the optimal launching point for such a shift, the shift is needed nonetheless.

Reform Leaders Speak about Strengthening Our Democracy (Video)

By Joe Goldman, AmericaSpeaks.  Cross-posted from Campaign for Stronger Democracy.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that C-Span has fully archived a panel discussion that was hosted at Brookings this past summer on strengthening our democracy. I highly recommend that you check it out — here is the first half and the second half of the event.

Civic Engagement Networking Night

By Carolyn Lukensmeyer, AmericaSpeaks

Our friends at Barnard College sent me this invitation and I wanted to share it with you.

The Student Governing Board of Columbia University and the Barnard Career Development Office invite you to join them for their third annual Civic Engagement Networking Night on Thursday February 24.

Tips for Writing Op-Ed Articles

By Joe Goldman, AmericaSpeaks

Below are a list of tips to consider when writing an op-ed article or a letter to the editor.

Limit the article to 750 words.
Shorter is even better. Unfortunately, newspapers have limited space to offer, and editors generally won’t take the time to cut a long article down to size. Make a single point — well. You cannot solve all of the world’s problems in 750 words. Be satisfied with making a single point clearly and persuasively.

Comcast – NBC Merger, Good for the Public?

By  Dianna Dauber, AmericaSpeaks

This past weekend Comcast Corp. finalized a deal for control of NBCUniversal, creating a media and entertainment empire that rivals that of The Walt Disney Company.

The deal gives cable giant Comcast a controlling 51-percent stake in the media-entertainment powerhouse, while US conglomerate General Electric retains 49 percent.

Obama’s Blockbuster State of the Union Surprise

By Carolyn Lukensmeyer, AmericaSpeaks. Cross-posted from The Fiscal Times

Almost lost in salmon and laughter was one of the biggest surprises of the night:  President Obama’s call for the most aggressive reorganization of the federal government in over half a century.

Baker’s Misconceptions about AmericaSpeaks

By Mary Lauran Hall, AmericaSpeaks

Google Alerts are a wonderful thing.  Thanks to an Alert for “AmericaSpeaks,” I catch many tidbits of coverage about our organization’s activities that I never would have stumbled across on my own. Google’s search monkeys deliver great articles to my inbox: op-eds by participants who hope to see more public engagement projects, local papers’ coverage of city planning meetings, and other bloggers’ thoughts about the role of public voice in efforts to open the government. Unfortunately, I also continue to see false claims that AmericaSpeaks’ Our Budget, Our Economy national town meeting was and is part of a widespread conspiracy to destroy Social Security and Medicare—a maddeningly unfounded rumor drawn out by a few persistent authors.

Live From the White House

By Dianna Dauber, AmericaSpeaks

Tuesday night, I had the honor to watch the President’s State of the Union address live from the White House. Following the speech, I was invited to stay and participate in a Town Hall style meeting with Senior Administration officials.

The Town Hall was moderated by Kalpen Modi (of “Harold and Kumar” and “House” fame) and live-streamed at whitehouse.gov. For about an hour, the panel took live questions from the audience, and from viewers who submitted their questions via Facebook and Twitter.

Coming Together to Reduce Defense Spending

By Carolyn Lukensmeyer, AmericaSpeaks

For the past two years, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been warning of the need to reduce the rate of growth in the Defense Department’s budget in acknowledgement of the nation’s fiscal challenges.  He has made important moves to eliminate wasteful weapon systems and streamline the Pentagon bureaucracy. This month, Gates called for $78 billion...