March Conference Will Focus on Election Year Policy Choices

When NABE holds its 24th annual Washington Economic Policy Conference March 3-4, 2008, the national elections will be heating up and the field of presidential candidates will have narrowed.  It will be prime time to hear from the lineup of top policymakers and leading private economists on “Policy Choices for an Election Year…and Beyond.”

The 2008 Policy Conference will be held at the Marriott Crystal City at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va.  The conference will begin at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 3 and will adjourn at 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4.  Arrive early and attend the NABE president’s welcome reception at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 2.

Who will be the leading candidates in both the Republican and Democratic parties as the crowded and accelerated primary season draws to a close?  Recent polls show that once again economic issues top the list of greatest concerns among voters.  So the time will be ideal to hear all sides of debates about the wide range of key topics to be addressed at the conference.  As always, receptions and luncheons will provide networking opportunities.

Tax reform, climate change and related cap-and-trade options, monetary policy options, health care costs, the housing industry, and nanotechnology are high on the agenda to be covered by speakers at general sessions as well as concurrent sessions.

“We will have a great mix of speakers, from government, academia, Washington think tanks, and the private sector, covering topics from tax and monetary policy to the fallout from the housing downturn and mortgage market meltdown to policy responses to climate change,” said Robert Fry, conference co-chair with fellow NABE Board member Ken Simonson.  Fry, senior associate economist at Dupont, underscored that the co-chairs are working with other board members and Roundtable chairs on the program.

Simonson added that this forum also will “offer a great opportunity for networking with fellow members of both NABE and AUBER, plus representatives from media, foreign governments and international institutions.”  He is chief economist, Associated General Contractors of America.
 
As of mid-December, the confirmed speakers include:

• Edward Lazear, chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers
• Thomas McClarty, former Clinton White House chief of staff
• Frederic Mishkin, Federal Reserve Board governor
• Charles Plosser, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia president
• Martin Feldstein, National Bureau of Economic Research president
• Andrew Aulisi, World Resources Institute
• Richard Berner, Morgan Stanley
• Rayola Dougher, American Petroleum Institute
•  K.G. Duleep, Energy and Environmental Analysis
• James Edmonds, Joint Global Change Research Institute
• Jane Gravelle, Congressional Research Service
• Terry Holzheimer, Arlington (Va.) County Economic Development
• Lisa Jacobson, Business Council for Sustainable Energy
• Robert McGee, U.S. Trust, Bank of America Wealth Management
• Mary Novak, Global Insight
• Billy Pizer, National Commission on Energy Policy
• Ben Plowman, Luna Innovations
• Adam Posen, Peterson Institute for International Economics
• Vincent Reinhart, American Enterprise Institute
• Richard Seline, New Economy Strategy
• Gene Steuerle, Urban Institute
• Alan Viard, American Enterprise Institute

Register for the conference before Feb. 1 and save $50 off registration fees. Make hotel reservations by Feb. 22, for the discounted rate.  For hotel reservations, contact the Marriott Crystal City directly at 1-800-228-9290 or 703-413-5500.  Mention the NABE conference for the discounted rate of $239 single or double.

Program updates for the conference can be found at: http://nabe.com/pc08/

Call to Jazz Musicians!

Jazz musicians, bring your sax, horn, voice, or whatever to the Policy Conference for our third annual jam session set for the evening welcome reception on Sunday, March 2. Enthusiasm is more important than proficiency. If you sound like Stan Getz or Diana Krall, that’s cool; if you play outside – either on purpose or by accident – that’s cool, too. Our focus will be on relatively simple tunes – a mix of standards, blues, bossas and bebop tunes – in order to maximize participation. Head charts in C, B-flat, and E-flat will be provided. Also, the room will have a piano, drum set, stands and amps. We need to know how many will show up and what instruments, so please contact Bob Crow at (650) 343-7615 or rtcrow@comcast.net to let him know if you will participate and to offer comments and suggestions. Drop your inhibitions, bring your instrument, and be there!