Students Try to Cut Federal Budget in Online Game
15 December 2011
This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
Some people think of politics as a game. But an online game lets people think of themselves doing one of the hardest jobs in American politics: cutting the federal budget. The game is called Budget Hero.
(SOUND)
Students in Los Angeles and other cities have been playing it. Budget Hero lets them decide how they want to spend federal tax dollars.
STUDENT: "A simplified tax code and a tax code that more fairly and correctly taxes the wealth in this country is obviously preferable."
The game uses information from the Congressional Budget Office. It shows what effects each cost-cutting proposal would have.
High school student Dory Bennett says she thinks spending cuts are needed to keep the economy growing and keep the American dream alive.
DORY BENNETT: "I want to grow up, go to college, get a good job, have kids maybe, a dog and a house."
The students consider the same issues facing lawmakers in Washington.
The game was developed in two thousand eight. In the newest version, students make decisions about what spending is important to them. Do they want to reduce taxes? Spend more on environmental protection? What should they do about defense spending? Making these decisions helps clarify their goals.
A former Democratic representative from California offered students some ideas. Jane Harmon served in Congress for almost twenty years. She now heads the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, which helped create Budget Hero. More than one million people have played it so far, she says, and she thinks they have learned at least two things.
最新
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25