In advance of the Oct. 4 vice presidential debate at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, dozens of students and faculty there participated in an interactive federal budget exercise last week.
It was the first in a series of programs on the budget that The Concord Coalition is presenting at universities where this year’s presidential and vice presidential debates are to be held.
The budget exercise, “Principles and Priorities,” calls for participants to work in small groups to develop plans to put the budget on a more sustainable course. They consider dozens of proposals involving taxes, defense, Medicare, Social Security and other domestic issues.
Participants at Longwood represented various departments across the campus, with most studying economics, finance, accounting and math.
“I am so pleased that we are having this citizen discussion,” said Caroline Crowder, one of the student participants. “We need to take politics out of it. Lawmakers should worry less about their jobs and focus more on policies that impact positively the livelihood and futures of the people they represent.”
The program was co-sponsored by Longwood’s General Education Program, the Center for Financial Responsibility, and the Department of Math and Computer Science.
External links:
Debate 2016 (Longwood University)
Principles & Priorities (Concord)
