Budgetball — The National Budgetball League

Pass The Ball — Not The Buck

Take Action

There are many things you can do to stay informed and help spread the word about the fiscal crisis.

National Debt Resources:

  • The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has released Stabilize the Debt , a simulation designed to illustrate the tough budget choices that will have to be made and to promote a public dialogue on how we can set a sustainable fiscal course. Your mission, should you choose to accept it: stabilize the US Debt at 60% of GDP by 2018.
  • Our Fiscal Future features the report – Choosing the Nation’s Fiscal Future – which is the culmination of two years of effort by the NAPA/NRC Committee on the Fiscal Future of the United States. Committee members volunteered their time to produce an extraordinary body of work and the report not only examines the consequences of inaction, but also illustrates a variety of paths toward a sustainable fiscal future for America.
  • Government Accountability Office's Long Term Fiscal Outlook GAO maintains a long-term model of the federal budget to analyze and monitor changes in the long-term fiscal outlook. For over a decade, GAO has published the results of its long-term budget simulations in reports, testimonies, and other products.
  • InDebtEd is a campaign for college students that raises awareness about debt on both the personal and governmental level. It was brought about through the joint efforts of MTVU and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation (PGPF).
  • Public Agenda, along with FacingUp.org, uses a nonpartisan and free curriculum to educate college students and citizens about the federal budget deficit and the national debt.
  • America's Promise Alliance is made up of over 300 corporations, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and advocacy groups dedicated to enriching the lives of young people. They offer the $aving Our Futures curriculum to teach and engage youth on matters of financial responsibility.
  • Concerned Youth of America is an organization created by and for America’s young people, and is a nonpartisan group devoted to promoting fiscal responsibility at the local, state and federal levels.
  • PGPF’s mission is to increase public awareness of the nature and urgency of key economic challenges threatening America’s future. To learn more about them read their State of the Union.
  • The Concord Coalition’s mission is to increase public awareness of the nature and urgency of key economic challenges threatening America's future and accelerate action on them. You can read Taking Back Our Fiscal Future [PDF] online paper discussing fiscal responsibility, through them.
  • The US Budget Watch is a non-partisan blog, run by The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, dedicated to keeping the public informed about current fiscal issues and tracking the new president’s fiscal policies.
  • The National Academy of Social Insurance is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization designed to promote understanding of how social insurance contributes to economic security and a vibrant economy.
  • The Tax Policy Center is a conglomeration between the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institute that provides analysis and facts about tax policy to everyone from policymakers to citizens.
    • Take Action

    Check out these personal finance resources:

  • FDIC's Money Smart is a great program with different modules that talk about various aspects of personal financial literacy. Topics include checking accounts, credit cards and credit ratings and paying for college and cars.

  • Econ4U aims to educate people about economics and personal finance using entertaining and informative real life examples. They cover personal finance, business economics, entrepreneurship, and government and present this information in non-traditional places of education, such as movie theaters or bowling alleys, to engage populations that need to know the information but may not have had access to it.

  • Choose to Save is another excellent program with many brochures on different topics. They have brochures on topics ranging from setting long terms savings goals to your first job to maximizing your company's savings plan.

    They also have:

  • Do you want to learn how to save, invest, and manage your money better? Check out www.mymoney.gov.

  • Get on the path to personal fiscal fitness with The Federal Reserve:
  • The Federal Reserve also has Building Wealth ;
  • and a sortable list of resources by grade level, especially useful for teachers.

    • Videogames about debt and savings

    While Budgetball is fun sport to play outside or on a basketball court, there are a number of videogames you can play to raise your awareness about debt and savings without leaving your computer. The games are fun, but the websites they are on also feature a host of tools and resources you can explore in addition to the game.

    • Your Life, Your Money is an interesting game from PBS that lets you navigate various stages of life and examine the opportunities to incur debt or contribute to savings that you'll have. Features expert videos, facts, quizzes and good words to know.
    • In Budget Hero you run the budget. The site claims that "If you ever wanted to decide where tax dollars go, here's your chance to decide." You choose your priorities, pick which cards to play, and see how your budget stacked up!
    • At first a pig on a jetski may not seem like it has a whole lot to do with debt or savings management strategies. But, in Debtski, from InDebtED, you choose how much you'll have to achieve on each level and decide when it makes fiscal sense to spend money upgrading your jetski to advance to further levels.