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Nonpartisan nonprofit AmericaSpeaks is hosting a "21st Century town hall meeting" on the national budget this weekend, choosing Portland as one of 19 main cities to hold the public forums. Living up the the "21st century" part of the "21st Century town hall meeting," the nationwide events will be linked via the internets and AmericaSpeaks will pull together the public input for a report on citizens' thoughts about the economy and budget for a report to Obama's office.

Unlike a lot of political events in Portland, this one actually aims to include the ideas of Republicans and conservatives. According to organizer Julie Massa, plenty of tea bagger types have RSVP'd for the discussion, so now AmericaSpeaks is trying to reach out to young people and progressives. If you're concerned about the national budget dialogue being dominated by tea baggers and have some opinions on the economy yourself, consider stopping by Portland's town hall this Saturday, from 8:30 am - 3:30 pm at the convention center. Things could get interesting.