• Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s challenge to the people of California—“If you don’t like the cuts, sit down with a pen and pencil and figure out where the money is going to come from”—seems even more necessary now that voters overwhelmingly voted against the Legislature’s budget proposal. In an effort to help Californians close the budget gap, Next 10, sponsor of the non-partisan California Budget Challenge, is offering access to free online budget tools. “We stand ready to help any voter, any resident, answer the Governor’s challenge by trying to balance the budget. All it takes is 10 minutes. We’ll even help you email him your budget solution,” Next 10 founder F. Noel Perry said in a press release. The nonpartisan California Budget Challenge is a free online educational tool from Next 10 that lets users try to balance California’s budget and see how their choices will affect the state five years into the future. More than 80,000 people have taken the California Budget Challenge, and created a budget that reflects their values and vision for the future. Take the California Budget Challenge at next10.org/challenge.
This article appears in May 28 – Jun 4, 2009.