The Budget Balancer

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The Budget Balancer helps the WebQuest team understand why many people think having a $five trillion national debt is a bad thing. What impact do people think a debt like this has on the economy and will have on future citizens? As the Budget Balancer you can develop a basic understanding, learn more or become an expert. Go as far as you can because this will help your team make the most informed answer to the Question and reach the highest levels on the Rubric.

The Basics

1. Your main job is to find out why some people think the budget debt is a huge problem. Skim through the articles below. Read for meaning, not to understand every word and idea. Use the dictionary if you need to.
2. Write down or copy/paste an average of the three most important points from each article you read. Feel free to discuss them with your partners if they are available.

3. Be prepared to answer such questions as:
• Why is a budget debt a problem?
• Who will pay off the debt?
• What might happen in the future because of our $5 trillion debt?

Listen Up, Generation X

Here Comes the Millennial Generation

from the Concord Coalition

Concord Coalition Trumpets Benefits of Paying Down the Debt

from the Concord Coalition

FederalBudget.com

from Gene Simmons, Founder, National Debt Awareness Campaign

Grandfather Federal Government Debt Report

by Michael Hodges

Learning More

Use the links below to get a deeper understanding of what's happening now that we have a surplus? Challenge yourself to read the opinions critically but with fairness. Again, copy/paste or write down the facts, quotations, statistics and examples that you think are important.

Surpluses as far as the Eye Can See?

What the President's Plan Does and Doesn't Do

from the Concord Coalition

Greenspan asks Congress to hold off on tax cutting

a report from USA Today

Becoming an Expert

Now that you have a better understanding of this particular role, you can help your team more by pursuing additional questions that came up for you. Use the Hotlist of Links as a starting point. Consider some strategies provided by Jamie McKenzie in his article The Research Cycle.

Created May, 1996. Last revised February, 2005 Created by Tom March, tom at ozline dot com Applications Design Team/Wired Learning