Waubonsee Community College

A people's guide to the federal budget, National Priorities Project ; written by Mattea Kramer [and others] ; foreword by Barbara Ehrenreich ; afterword by Josh Silver

eng

Includes bibliographical references

illustrations

no index present

non fiction

A people's guide to the federal budget

bibliography

773024960

National Priorities Project ; written by Mattea Kramer [and others] ; foreword by Barbara Ehrenreich ; afterword by Josh Silver

Ideally, the federal budget is a reflection of our values and our vision for the role of our government. The $3.7 trillion the government is planning to spend this year is mostly our money. We contribute about 60 percent of the government's total revenues each year not including borrowing through individual income taxes and payroll deductions for such things as Social Security and Medicare. This means we are all stakeholders in the government's decisions about how this money will be spent. From history of the budget process to detail about the ongoing conflict in Washington, from charts explaining where every federal dollar goes to simple explanations of budget terminology, this book about the federal budget also covers up to the minute numbers and an explanation of President Obama's 2013 budget request. It is a resource on what every American should know about how our government raises and spends our tax dollars, and is for every American who wants to understand and participate in a process that affects all of us. Understanding the federal budget is essential. Our elected representatives in Washington make choices that impact not just us, but our children, and our children's children. We need to be in this debate, and be in it for the long haul, if we are to build the kind of government, and the kind of nation, that truly reflects our values

Federal Spending Categories -- Why Should You Care About the Federal Budget? -- The Big Picture. Speak the budget language ; Discretionary and mandatory spending ; Budget authority, obligations, and outlays ; Projected and actual ; Requested and appropriated ; Gross Domestic Product ; A guide to the numbers ; Inflation ; Per capita: scaling by population ; Fiscal and calendar years ; Now you speak the language. -- A Brief History of the Federal Budget. The creation of the Treasury Department ; The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 ; FDR and WWII ; Johnson and the Great Society ; Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. -- Who Decides the Federal Budget? An evolving process ; Before the budget ; How does the Federal Government create a budget? Step 1: The President submits a budget request ; Step 2: The House and Senate pass budget resolutions ; Step 3: House and Senate subcommittees "markup" appropriation bills ; Step 4: The House and Senate vote on appropriations bills and reconcile differences ; Step 5: The President signs each appropriations bill and the budget becomes law ; It's even messier than it sounds ; Political ideology and budget priorities ; Economic theory and Federal budget priorities ; Campaign money ; Lobbying ; All politics is local. -- Where Does the Money Come From? Income taxes ; Corporate taxes ; History of Federal Fund revenues ; Payroll taxes ; Borrowing. -- Where Does the Money Go? Mandatory and discretionary spending ; Tracking your income tax dollar ; Are Federal funds the same as discretionary spending? ; History of Federal spending. -- The Federal Debt. Why do we borrow? ; How does the Federal Government borrow? ; History of Federal deficits ; History of the Federal debt ; Who lends money to the Federal Government? ; Debt held by the public ; Debt held by Federal accounts ; The debt ceiling ; Limiting or eliminating Federal deficits. -- The President's 2013 Budget Request. A couple bumpy years for the Federal budget ; What is the President's budget request? ; The new budget ; Discretionary spending declines, mandatory grows as shares of the budget ; Where the money comes from in 2013 ; It's the economy ; The deficit ; Health care spending continues to grow ; Military spending in 2013 and beyond ; Funding education. -- Take Action. Know who represents you ; Register to vote ; Stay informed ; Contact your representatives ; Phone calls ; Writing a letter or e-mail ; Social media ; Meeting with your representative ; Other important ways to stay politically active -- For Educators. A letter to educators ; Two sample activators for high school learners ; Two sample chapter activities. -- Federal Spending in the States. Children's Health Insurance Program ; Community Development Block Grant ; Head Start ; Low Income Energy Assistance Program ; Medicaid ; National School Lunch Program ; Section 8 ; Temporary assistance for needy families ; WIC. -- Dashboard for the Proposed 2013 Budget