Increasingly this complex, global, integrated that oldfield or marketplace. Such is the nature of war and risk we have to understand better. Secondly, cyberspace. My good friend, general mike hayden has talked about the coming pearl harbor in cyberspace and i agree with him. Its going to happen and we are willfully bug prepared. The third area i was stressed is the growing demographic shift worldwide. For the first time as of last year more people live in cities and that trend is accelerating. If you like in societies like africa, what does that mean in terms of demographics or resources . These changes will accelerate and we need to be better prepared for the acrosstheboard. Those are three large general chunks we should focus on. Was focused a little tighter for a minute. You have been quoted as saying that there are very likely as many or more spies working against u. S. Interests inside the u. S. During the cold war, which was a head snapping quote when i read it. Who are these people and what are they after . I dont know that. Ive been on the government for six years, but if you look at the value of intelligence, importance of intelligence in the expenditures of resources by china, by russia, but others and look for them is one of the biggest is. Well its the u. S. Not only National Security secrets, the commercial seats as be of much of can be gleaned or stolen from cyberspace. It is a dire threat in part because we shifted so much attention, so much resource and the counterterrorism arena weve forgotten the necessity of oldfashioned counterintelligence and thats an important element of this. Often ive heard some people involved in counterintelligence tends to be seen as the redheaded stepchild of the intelligence world. Why is that when we need it and what is the cure for a . Effect in part because its something we dont want to think about. To think that our agencies and businesses have been penetrated by a foreign power, criminal organization and would rather think about how do we achieve that goal . A foreignpolicy goal or profit objectives. But its more fun. That is more positive and we are very positive nation. We can also be more disciplined about how we think of protecting our intellectual property and most of all our people. One of the things that also comes up in the hyper connected world that we are red with digital things is how does this spy that we think of safe from the 39 step, hitchcock thriller has to go through customs with their pictures are taken. Can they cannot be operation in abu dhabi several years ago when the hamas leader was killed and the perpetrators were seen. How do you go off the grid now as a spy . How can you go through . Just asking for little trade plan. Is that so wrong . [laughter] again, i would underscore the discipline. Trade craft is mostly about discipline and paying attention to detail or whether its a disguise with those cover story. Increasingly your partners. We tend to think of the spy as this unilateral hero and there is still some of that and there always will be. But the growing interdependence of an attack about a race, it is increasingly building alliances and partnerships, trusts and partnerships for you can work with other services and other entities around the world. That is overall a good thing. When you are called by director John Mclaughlin a genuine American Hero, he is not a who is given likely to that kind of thing. So we thank you for joining us as an American Hero. [applause] now, the National Urban league hosts a discussion on education and jobs. The penal code which includes the head of the urban league mark morel talks about the Spending Priorities as lawmakers face potential budget cuts. This is just over an hour. Let me contextualize urban ideas forum. Not recently, you heard it from that former candidate for high office talk about urban as being the reason that one ticket was not successful on november the sixth. In using a term, he may have been to characterize urban as meaning from them urbanist not. Urban is not a synonym for black or african american. Urban is not a synonym for hispanic latino or asian. Urban is not a synonym for communities of color. What urban represents is the coming together, the mixture, the melting, the synthesis of all the communities of america. Look at americas urban communities today. In americas urban communities, every group resides. Every economic class resides. Every strand of political philosophy resides. Great academic institutions make up the fabric of urban america. Great media organizations, libraries, cultural institutions make it the fabric of urban america. Urban represents the best of america and represents the 21st Century America is really all about, which is each and every one of us together, deplorably spooned them. So i encourage people b b around terminology that we understand what it means. And so the. , while it is a discussion about challenges, problems and solutions that urban communities face, it is a discussion about challenges, opportunities, solutions for the nation at large. I submit to you in 21st Century America, the suburbs are now part of urban america. Witness the suburbs of this capital city, whether its Northern Virginia or maryland and you find the very same tapestry of america that i describe. So the National Urban league and our policy institute in organizing this urban ideas forum begins what i hope and confident will be a series of forums like this where we can have a candidate, open a deal Oriented Exchange about some of the solutions that the nation needs today and some of the ata is that we will walk over to both the white house, the agencies in capitol hill and encourage because they are not only best for urban america, they are best for all of america. And that is the spirit with which we began this conversation today. Final points. I emphasize with colleagues and friends all the time that the National Urban league is not a tank tank, but we know how to sing. We are not a talk tank, but we know how to talk. We already do take. Our intent is discussion, a just and not leadership that lead to action and action that leads to result in results that the changes in the lives of old. And so today, there is an abundance of information thats going to be shared. I do want to highlight these two documents in the folders. One is our education, a plan. The other is our jobs plan, which have been assembled by a team of expert staff and others and affiliate leaders over the last two years, which frame up some of our thinking. So again, i want to take them back for coming. We appreciate everyone. Its a great great discussion today and have a great weekend and happy thanksgiving suv today. Its now my pleasure to introduce a good friend of the National Urban league and one of the nations most important voices in the 21st century on a wide range of issues. She leads the nations largest is a mix of deceit are. Ladies and gentlemen, jannette murguia. [applause] good morning, everyone in thank you so much for the opportunity to be here today. I want to especially of course thank my good friend and colleague, marc morial. He and i started about the same. Maybe he was on a year or two before i did and our respective organizations and im so proud and appreciative of the partnership that we have established in the understanding he and i share and this commitment to come together across communities of color and to tackle those issues and challenges that we face together. Mark is a true champion for economic justice, social justice, fairness and equality and its been a great mentor to me. Its no surprise at the center of an ideas forum, here is marc morial leading the way and the urban League Leading the way. Its at the point of right to be here. The National Urban league has worked together on a host of issues from addressing the foreclosure crisis that has decimated both our communities to expanding green jobs and other 21st century Job Opportunities to making sure all her kids and families have access to the latest technology and brought and peered our partnership is a model for how communities can Work Together on the issues of greatest importance to them. And i think all of you for that. Certainly there is no more urgent issue for communities and job creation. The tenets of africanamericans are experiencing Unemployment Rates are much greater than the National Average and i believe this has to be a primary focus for president obama and the congress in his icann chairman for the new congress. Why . Because that is what our communities, which turned out in record numbers voted for and we made the difference in this election despite the fact that some states and a lot of people tried everything in the book to keep us from voting. So we do have some work ahead of us and i want to highlight a few things we can do. First of the debate over the fiscal class im a to ensure working families or protect it, which means that eviscerated the programs that help support working families including workforce investment and important training programs. We need to stress that this is not just an issue for our communities, before the country country. Since africanamericans, Asian Americans and latinos make up one third of the u. S. Workforce today, a figure which will skyrocket in years to come. Second, investing in the future of children. Africanamerican and latino kids are the workforce of the future to the investments we make now will pay out dividends when i really need to in the decades to come as the baby boomers start to retire. They key is better education and especially important issues giving the communities of color represent nearly half of todays students in k12. We need to increase funding for education, especially preschool education, the single most effective way to ensure a childs academic success in school. Third, we need to support the local organizations that are on the ground serving these communities and making the most difference in our communities. Organizations such as local urban lakes and communitybased organizations in the hispanic community. The bang for the back week after investing in in these groups enormous because they know how to do it in innovative and entrepreneurial fashion and they have Business Models that have allowed them to succeed. Finally, there is a need or a deal of talk since the election whether there is no new light on the immigration issue. I believe there is and and were working hard to capitalize on the momentum, election provides on this issue. We havent heard about how enacting comprehensive Immigration Reform can help on the jobs and economy issue. Simply put, Immigration Reform would create a fair, humane and effective system that levels the Playing Field for all workers. Right now our immigration system doesnt work for anyone but unscrupulous employers. We need to take the power out of the hands of those who are exploiting our current immigration situation and put it back in the hands of workers and fair and honest employers. If all workers have a legal status, employers cant skirt labor laws said they have to pay fair wages and abide the rules. Immigration reform is the right thing to do as well as the economically smart thing to do. Children should not have to live in fear of their parents deportation every day of their lives and some of the hardest working and most honorable people in our society should not have to be subject to exploitation and harassment. Finally, i would just like to say that im truly appreciative of the support we have received from the urban league and other africanamerican leaders on this issue. I know that thereve been tensions in the past, but i believe like the reverend dr. Martin luther king jr. That when we have this tensions we have to embrace them so we can get past them. This is our time to come together, break issues down. Lets get a solution on this issue because i know when we come together we can figure this out. I had the privilege of march and most recently this year in the annual march from selma mike on my end for us to montgomery and alabama it was an incredible feeling. There i was with congressman john lewis, someone who obviously have the historic role from original march and so many others. It was at the kennedy. Who is reverend al sharpton and there were hispanic leaders there including myself. The patient Pacific American leaders and everyone came together. But we came over that bridge, i got a glimpse into what that might have been like in the past and i also go got a glimpse of what the future looks like. And it was powerful to me to know that we can come this far after her in so many challenges. The fact we were there together fighting against Voter Suppression was an antiimmigrant and antihispanic was that we came together as a coalition. He gives me great confidence to think that we can tackle many important issues we face today. You have a commitment from the National Council to work with you while you to help review solution so we can keep the country stronger. Thank you very much. [applause] and so at this time we are going to jab into the Panel Discussion and its my pleasure to introduce seamus phan capehart. Good morning, everyone. Thank you all for coming. I am not used to doing the good morning and then waiting for the response back. So my apologies. Thank you, jamal for the introduction. Again, im jonathan capehart, opinion brighter at the Washington Post an msnbc contributor. Theyve set the stage for why we are here this morning, so im not going to keep talking. Im just going to get started. You have heard from marc morial. Next is joel packer, noted authority in federal education policy. To his left is dr. Michael fauntroy at George Mason University where he teaches urban policy comes civil rights policy and American Government and we have just heard from Janet Murguia from National Council of the bras. With that, mr. Packer, to make is yours. First, thank you for the introduction and mark and chanel for others for having me on the piano with my colleagues here. So a couple of good things about the raising group in case you dont know. The briefing groups and government affairs, Public Affairs firm with 42 folks on our staff. Overall majority of clients or progressive nonprofit organizations. Firms really committed to advancing the ideals and missions of the whole broad range of the progressive community. Personally i do education policy. As far as what the raising group i work for the National Education association for 27 to doing policy for 35 years now. I wanted to talk first about some of the challenges were facing because we face a lot of challenges. Since her in washington all talk mostly about challenges we face, congress and the whole set of issues. So well start first with fun name. One of the clients they represent at raising group is the committee for Education Funding, which is a coalition of 100 National Organizations which the name focuses on increasing federal investment in education. We are facing massive challenges there. Since the recession started theres been a decline of 250,000 School District jobs. Theres fewer teachers come if your counselors, fewer bus drivers and other staff that means larger classes from an error in the curriculum old programs come at things that. 35 states this year are spending less money on a per pupil basis after adjusting for inflation and they spent four years ago because its been very sick if you cant state budget cuts to the state budget downturns. While state budgets start to recover, many School Districts are very heavily dependent on property taxes and Property Values are far from the cupboard where they were and often assessments like behind whats going on with Property Values so we can expect continued decline some local school funding. At the federal level in the last couple years weve had a billion and a half dollars and cut to education programs. At the higher levels from the federal government has been restrictions on eligibility for the pell grant program. Theres been restrictions on the student run program. So over the last couple Years College students have contributed about four and a half billion dollars out of their pockets to his deficit reduction. So weve had thoughts of things squeezing us at different levels. We are now facing biggest threat through sequestered. Janet mentioned the fiscal cliff in one part of the fiscal cliff is these acrosstheboard spending cuts to take effect january 2nd. Its going to be an 8. 2 acrosstheboard cut in education, job training and health, housing, fbi, air Traffic Controllers from the food safety, entire range of domestic programs. For education if you count headstart, which is at the department of health and Human Services a 4. 8 billion cut would be the largest education cuts ever in the history of the country. That would just move us essentially move us backwards on whether the goal is closing achievement gaps come increasing High School Graduation rates, increasing College Access and college completion. Our biggest challenge in the shortterm this lameduck lameduck session this to Work Together with groups like the urba