Grounds for change

PORTLAND, Ore. - Starbucks chief executive officer Howard Schultz changed how America drinks coffee. Now, he wants to change the political system.

The leader of the world's largest coffee company says U.S. political leaders have created a "crisis of confidence" with their recent political wrangling that he says is wreaking havoc on the economy. He said he wanted to give a voice to all citizens by hosting a national telephone forum Tuesday.

He's also running ads in the New York Times and USA Today ahead of the event, featuring an open letter that urges Americans to participate in the forum and insist that politicians end their hyperpartisan behavior.

"We must send the message to today's elected officials . . . that the time to put citizenship ahead of partisanship is now," Schultz says in the letter.

The forum comes weeks after Schultz called on other CEOs to halt contributions to U.S. political campaigns until the nation's leaders become financially disciplined and stop their political wrangling over the economy and the U.S. debt.

CEOs of more than 100 companies, from AOL to Zipcar, have joined Schultz in his pledge to halt contributions and do what they could to stimulate growth in their industries.

Schultz said he was moved to hold the forum after receiving hundreds of e-mails and letters from citizens who were struggling to find jobs, keep their homes, or send their children to school given the economic conditions.

"It looks like we struck a nerve with so many people," Schultz said in an interview. "I feel a personal responsibility to create a public dialogue and make a voice for people who feel like they can't be heard."

The forum will be hosted by the nonpartisan group No Labels and held the same week as the GOP presidential debate and the president's address to a joint session of Congress to share his plan for job creation.

The government reported Friday that U.S. employers created no new jobs in August, and the unemployment rate stayed at a high 9.1 percent of the labor force.

"America is at a fragile and critical moment in its history," Schultz said in his letter. "We must restore hope in the American Dream."