Never has our country faced as many challenges and crises as we do now.

Levels of federal revenue are the lowest they have been since 1950 because of tax cuts and breaks for the very rich and for corporations.

Government agencies charged with safeguarding public health and safety are operating with slashed budgets that paralyze their efforts.

Jobs are being permanently relocated outside the country, while social and educational programs are being gutted.

Our food, water, air, and soil are increasingly found to bear toxins and debilitating pollution.

Every single level of government—local, county, state, and federal—is operating in the red, running up crushing amounts of debt.

Many of our allies and former friends around the world are disgusted with our imperialist foreign policy, militarism, and arrogant corporate behavior.

Realizing that our actions will be judged by future generations, how can we draw on the best of our traditions, calling forth a spirit of ingenuity and citizen participation to achieve a free, democratic, just, and responsible society, one that actively responds to the crucial ecological challenges of our time, rather than denying them.

We need to create a bold vision of our country's future!