Organizations, Websites and Games

Organizations:

Peter Peterson Foundation – an American foundation established in 2008 by Peter G. Peterson, former US Secretary of Commerce in the Nixon Administration and co-founder of the Blackstone Group, an American-based financial-services company. With an endowment of $1 billion, it focuses on raising public awareness about the need for long-term fiscal sustainability related to federal deficits, entitlement programs, health care and tax policy and supporting the development of policy solutions to these challenges.

Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget – an independent, non-profit, bipartisan public policy organization based in Washington, D.C. that addresses federal budget and fiscal issues. It was founded in 1981 by former United States Representatives Robert Giaimo(D-CT) and Henry Bellmon (R-OK), and its board of directors includes former Members of Congress and directors of the Office of Management and Budget, the Congressional Budget Office and the Federal Reserve.[1] CRFB was also host of the Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform, which released its initial report, Red Ink Rising, in December 2009 and its second report, Getting Back in the Black, in November 2010.

Fix the Debt – a nonpartisan movement to put America on a better fiscal and economic path. We have come together from a variety of social, economic and political perspectives, around the common belief that America’s growing national debt threatens our future and that we must address it now with a comprehensive, bipartisan plan. The Campaign mobilizes key communities — including leaders from business, government, and policy — and people all across America who want to see elected officials step up to solve our nation’s long-term fiscal challenges.

Concord Coalition
 – The Concord Coalition is a political advocacy group in the United States, formed in 1992. A bipartisan organization, it was founded by U.S. Senator Warren Rudman, former Secretary of CommercePeter George Peterson, and U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas. The Concord Coalition’s advocacy centers on ending deficit spending and promoting a balanced budget in the U.S. federal government. The group’s mission statement is to educate “the public about the causes and consequences of federal budget deficits, the long-term challenges facing America’s unsustainable entitlement programs, and how to build a sound foundation for economic growth.”

Truth in Accounting – an independent, non-profit, whose mission is to compel the U.S. Government to produce financial reports that are understandable, reliable, transparent, and correct. TIA’s research initiatives include “The Truth about Balanced Budgets, a Fifty State Study, “the Financial State of the States,” and the “Financial State of the Union.” Because of their expertise, TIA has testified before the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASAB), the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB), and numerous state legislative hearings on matters of proper government accounting.

Just Facts – a non-profit research and educational institute dedicated to publishing comprehensive, straightforward and rigorously documented facts about public policy issues. To accomplish this, Just Facts uses exacting Standards of Credibility to determine what constitutes a fact and what does not.

National Priorities – an American non-governmental organization based in Northampton, MA that aims to help citizens shape the federal budget by arming them with information they can use and understand. In 2014, the organization was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for their research on U.S. military spending.

The National Priorities Project was founded by Greg Speeter in 1983 to help community groups understand and respond to federal budget cuts in Massachusetts communities.

Curious why so many social programs were closing in Springfield, MA Speeter found that during a two-year period, the First Congressional District had lost over $54 million in federal funding for housing, education, health care and other areas.

Shocked by this report, the district’s Congressperson, Silvio Conte, became a strong supporter of more federal spending for community-based programs and came out against a “balanced budget amendment” that slashed the federal safety net.

Sunlight Foundation  – an American non-governmental organization based in Northampton, MA that aims to help citizens shape the federal budget by arming them with information they can use and understand. In 2014, the organization was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for their research on U.S. military spending.

The National Priorities Project was founded by Greg Speeter in 1983 to help community groups understand and respond to federal budget cuts in Massachusetts communities.

Curious why so many social programs were closing in Springfield, MA Speeter found that during a two-year period, the First Congressional District had lost over $54 million in federal funding for housing, education, health care and other areas.

Shocked by this report, the district’s Congressperson, Silvio Conte, became a strong supporter of more federal spending for community-based programs and came out against a “balanced budget amendment” that slashed the federal safety net.

Websites:

US Government Spending – Chris Cantrill developed this site to provide what seems to be an endless amount data on US revenues, spending and other related information. Virtually all of the data is sourced directly from official sources. Estimates are properly noted. For year, Chris has done a fantastic job of providing this information which can be viewed and downloaded.

The Balance  – is home to experts who know what they’re talking about, but don’t assume that you know your dividends from your distributions. They’re here to deliver clear, practical advice that will strengthen your lifelong relationship with money so you can earn more, spend smarter, invest well, and build a more secure future.

Games:

Brookings Institution – Launched a game ‘ The Fiscal Ship’ at Brookings that teaches players what will lower the debt – and what won’t. All along the campaign trail, presidential candidates continue to make promises they can’t keep. They promise to give voters trillions in tax cuts while also balancing the budget and protecting popular programs from budget cuts.

Fact-checking journalists and spreadsheet-wielding advocates of fiscal responsibility challenge those assertions, but reach a small slice of the population. So the Brookings Institution asked: What else can be done to communicate the scale and scope of the debt problem?

To start with, they made a game. Whimsical, but grounded in the fiscal facts, “The Fiscal Ship” allows players with little background in the budget to come up with their own plan to stabilize the debt without compromising their values.

Are you a fiscal hawk? Or a staunch environmentalist? Your own priorities will affect how you lower the debt, and “The Fiscal Ship” will teach you what will and won’t work.

The game was developed through a partnership between the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at Brookings.