Editors, news directors are asked to help start conversation about righting our ship of state for nation's 250th birthday

American Editors and News Directors:

The Designing Government Forum invites you and your audience to take part in a national conversation leading up to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

The Forum is a group of former government and academic experts and retired journalists who have been studying and discussing the state of America – how did we come to this state of affairs and are there ways to right our ship of state? A main concern of the Forum is communications between our leaders and those they lead. Our Founding Fathers believed strongly in the Wisdom of the People. Yet the People's voice no longer seems to be heard in the halls of power.

The DGF is completely non-partisan and independent, and does not participate in overtly political or ideological arguments.

We intend to begin this conversation by asking civic groups and individuals to suggest answers to a series of questions about the many crises that face us today – how did they come about, and how might they be best addressed?

We will start with the question: What does the American Dream mean to you? The replies would be submitted in essays in any format – written, artistic, music, videos, etc. They will be judged at every level – local, regional, national. Prizes will be awarded. The replies will also be published by the DGF on line as well as in your newspapers or other media.

Our request is that you publish at a selected time the accompanying announcement, as an op-ed or other category you choose, and that you or someone you select review and judge the replies, then send them on to us. As there are still a few details to complete (our web site is under construction), we will notify you when the program will begin.

You may, of course, publish as many or as few of those replies as you choose. We also will be asking civic organizations such as the League of Women Voters and others to participate.

A representative of the DGF – former Associated Press foreign correspondent Terry Anderson – is attending the National Newspaper Association convention this week, and is available to anyone who would like to know more about this effort. Terry's cell phone number is 954-218-8083. You can also email him: tanderson@theforum.us.org.