Northeast Ohioans reflect on America's progress ahead of 250th birthday

America 250 Reflections Saturday is America's 250th birthday. It's a time to look back at our nation's history and reflect on where we are today as a country. The Declaration of Independence in 1776 guaranteed the rights to equality, liberty and democracy for all. Is America today living up to the promise of its founding? Do citizens today have equal rights and opportunities? Some will say, absolutely, but for others, it's a bit more complicated. On Monday's "Sound of Ideas" we're convening a panel of Northeast Ohioans from a diverse range of perspectives and lived experiences to hear what life is like for them in this country ahead of the 250th, and whether they like the direction the country is going at this moment in time. Guests: - Neil G. McCormick, Retiree, Cinecraft Productions - Poojajeet Khaira, M.D., Psychiatrist Physician - Dominic Harrison, Junior, John Carrol University - Michele Weiss, Mayor, City of University Heights Connect250 Project As the nation marks America's 250th birthday, the oral history nonprofit, StoryCorps, and NPR's Morning Edition are launching a nationwide initiative called "Connect 250" — pairing strangers from different parts of the country to record a conversation about their lives today and what America means to them. These 40-minute long dialogues will be permanently preserved in the Library of Congress, to serve as a time capsule of what life in America was like at 250 years old. StoryCorps Founder and President Dave Isay told us more about this initiative. Guest: - Dave Isay, Founder and President, StoryCorps