Time to Play Budget Hero: Election Edition

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Public opinion polls consistently show Americans ranking the federal budget deficit as one of the more important issues in the coming election. But amid today's partisan rancor, where can Americans go for unbiased information on the policies proposed for addressing growing public debt?  On Wednesday, September 19 at 11:30 a.m., about 80 students from the University of Maryland School of Public Policy will gather to try to answer those questions at an event rolling out a brand-new 2012 Election Edition of the popular budget simulator game called "Budget Hero."  
 
Developed by the Wilson Center and its partners, "Budget Hero" is a choose-your-own-adventure-style computer game created from data from the Congressional Budget Office and a wide variety of other sources such as the Congressional Research Service.  It serves as a nonpartisan tool for bringing the American public into the debate over our federal budget.  The new Election Edition of the game features the budget proposals of each presidential candidate and options for playing with the impeding "fiscal cliff."  The goal is to help Americans better understand the critical budget and debt issues we face - skills they can use as voters and citizens.    
 
Joining the students in the discussion about how to bring down the federal government debt and deficits will be former U.S. Rep. Jane Harman, now Wilson Center director, president and CEO; Don Kettl, dean of the School of Public Policy; and Professor Phil Joyce, formerly of the Congressional Budget Office.  
 
WHEN: Wednesday, September 19, 2012, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

WHERE: School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, 2101 Van Munching Hall, College Park, Md.
 
Featuring Comments by:

• Don Kettl
  Dean, Maryland School of Public Policy
  
  
• Congresswoman Jane Harman
  Director, President, and CEO, The Wilson Center
  
  
• Ambassador Joe Gildenhorn
  Chairman of the Board, The Wilson Center
  
  
• Professor Phil Joyce
  Professor of Management, Finance and Leadership, Maryland School of Public Policy
  
  
• And students from the Maryland School of Public Policy

Budget Hero