Would you like to tell your State government what is important?  Would you like to take a crack at spending the state's money where it would do the most good.  Take the budget and decide where you would spend the money, schools?  Prisons?  Environment?  And more.  This is the California Budget Challenge.  It is a good exercise for students, but why not everyone?  It is interesting to see your challenges when you spend too much or too little in one area.  And what is your budget goal, philosophy which is a natural thought process in deciding what to cut and what to spend.  Think about it...good for social media and just overall discussions.  Try it, I dare you...For you guys outside of California, try the Federal budget challenge and see what you come up with.  I know what I'd do...

California Budget Challenge - UPDATED September 2009 Edition  (Yes 2009, but think of it like a game, or an exercise, something you can talk with your kids about...so give a try and see what you think.

http://next10.org/next10/programs/budget_challenge.html

And as for the Federal budget:

Excerpts from the www.Next10.org website

Next 10 partnered with the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to educating the public about the causes and consequences of federal budget deficits, to create the Federal Budget Challenge, an online simulation that lets users make policy decisions and try to reduce the federal deficit.

In the months to come, Next 10 and The Concord Coalition will take the Federal Budget Challenge on the road, visiting classrooms and town hall meetings across the country. Please email sarah@next10.org for more information.

www.federalbudgetchallenge.org