On the final day of the Citizens Jury on the Economy and the Federal Debt, both committees worked to complete their tasks.
The Economic Issues Committee took time to review the major issues they had defined and discussed over the previous five days, then took one last vote to decide the three issues that policymakers should prioritize as they seek to strengthen the American economy. They chose:
- The Federal Budget (23% of votes);
- Unemployment (21% of votes); and
- Healthcare (20% of votes).
The final report will reflect the other part of the committee’s charge: a discussion of how the public and policymakers can have intelligent discussions about our economy, reflecting the kind of careful discussions that the Jury had. As one Juror noted:
The Debt Committee refined the top four statements they drafted for each of the three main positions on the debt (see Day 5 summary), and listed advantages and disadvantages of each (see attached).
In the end, none of the three major positions on the debt was able to gain the support of two-thirds of the Committee.
- The Demos position, downplaying debt reduction in favor of stimulus spending, received 5 votes.
- The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget position emphasizing long-term reform and debt reduction combined with some short-term steps, received 4 votes.
- The American Enterprise Institute position, stressing immediate debt reduction to spark private economic activity, received 2 votes.
In both committees, the process of considering the different proposals and positions was the most powerful aspect of the Citizens Jury. As an example, see the attached document from the Debt Committee listing the advantages and disadvantages of the three major positions they considered.
And the Jurors themselves left with a renewed hope in the power of ordinary citizens to make thoughtful decisions about our most complex challenges. After spending 6 long days working together, they spoke in glowing terms of the work they did together: