Help
For a detailed walk through on how to play the game, click the Intro tab.
I am using the Safari browser and can't get the game to work. What can I do?
What is a badge? How do I earn a badge? How do I know if I’m getting close to earning a badge?
What are the buildings and how do they work?
Why can’t I get cards from the Interest on Debt building?
How does time work in the game? What is the slider with the years labeled?
Why can’t I play in the year 2008?
How do I get a policy card? What do the cards represent? How do I enact a policy?
How do I learn more about a policy option?
How do I play a card?
How do I unplay a card?
What does Budget Bust mean?
When am I done?
What do I do when I’m done with my budget?
Do I have to submit my demographic information?
What is the Public Insight Network and why should I join?
What is American Public Media’s Privacy Policy?
I am using the Safari browser and can't get the game to work. What can I do?
This is a problem with the default Flash plug-in included with version 3.0.4 of the Safari Browser. You can either upgrade to the latest version of the Safari browser (at http://www.apple.com/safari/) or instead fix the problem by uninstalling your current Flash plug-in and then reinstalling the correct one from Adobe:
1: Uninstall the Adobe Flash Player using the appropriate uninstaller available here:
http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=tn_14157&sliceId=2
2. Install the latest version, obtained from here:
http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash
What is a badge?
How do I earn a badge?
How do I know if I’m getting close to earning a badge?
Badges embody a set of values or policy themes that are prominent in the national conversation today. Whether the badges truly reflect your values or if you just want to explore certain themes more deeply, you can earn a badge by playing a combination of policy cards which supports the set of values represented by the badge. The Badges you have chosen to pursue will appear in the left-hand portion of the dashboard, initially in black-and-white. As you play policy cards which support the spirit of the badges you have selected, they will gradually fill-in with color. When fully colored, you have earned your badge! But be careful – you could take a step backward should you unplay a card which helped you earn the badge.
What are the buildings and how do they work?
The buildings within Budget Hero graphically represent the level of spending by our federal government in different areas. The city skyline can be interpreted as a rough bar chart for all the expenses within the federal budget. The skyline will change from year-to-year based on the spending levels across the categories in that specific year. To make policy choices within a specific category, simply click on the building and the available policy options will display. Double click on the building to receive a description of the types of expenditures within the category.
Why can’t I get cards from the Interest on Debt building?
Interest on Debt represents the payments our government makes to the various institutions from which it has borrowed money. Just as you pay interest on the outstanding balance on your credit card, the federal government is obligated to pay interest to its creditors, which include state governments, corporations, individuals and foreign governments. The amount of debt carried by the government directly determines the level of net interest spending. The deficits and surpluses produced by your policy choices will either grow or reduce the debt, which will in turn raise or lower the amount of interest paid.
How does time work in the game?
What is the slider with the years labeled?
The budget you create today has effects today, tomorrow, and far down the road. Move the slider to see the impact of your budget in each year. The skyline will change and the dials will move in ways that might surprise you. You can choose to play the game within any year across the timeline. Every policy choice you make has a far-reaching impact, and the slider allows you to explore that impact at various points in time.
Why can’t I play in the year 2008?
Simply put, the 2008 federal budget has already been approved – and accounting for it actually began last year! The government plans its budget over 12-month periods which start in October. The federal budget for 2008 was approved in 2007 and the government’s fiscal year for 2008 began on October 1, 2007. Your 2009 budget would actually start on October 1, 2008.
How do I get a policy card?
What do the cards represent?
How do I enact a policy?
In Budget Hero, “cards” represent choices our government can make about how to approach the challenges of the future. To view the policy card options available for a particular category, click on the building corresponding to that category. The available policy cards will appear in the sky above the city skyline. Use the left/right arrows to scroll through the complete list of cards available within the category. Double click the card to get extended information regarding the policy choice, such as the social impact of the policy, as well as arguments for and against the policy.
How do I learn more about a policy option?
Whether you have yet to play a card or you have already moved it to the “Played Cards” area, you can always double click on the card to view a lengthier description of the option, the social impacts from enacting the policy, and the arguments for and against the policy.
How do I play a card?
To play a card, single click and drag it to the “Played Cards” area on the right side of the screen. Or, if you double click on a card to view the policy option’s social impact and arguments for and against, you can click on the “Play Card” button on the top of the card.
How do I unplay a card?
To unplay a card, simply click on the card in the “Played Cards” pane and drag it out to the city skyline. Should you reconsider and want to learn more about the policy option or re-play the card, click on the building representing the category of the card to locate the card again. Alternatively, you can double click on a played card in the “Played Cards” pane to view its impact, pros and cons – should you want to unplay it from this view, click on the “Remove Card” button.
What does Budget Bust mean?
“Budget Bust” represents the year when projected spending towards Health Care, Social Security, and interest on debt will equal or exceed projected revenue for the government. What’s so special about these categories? Health Care (primarily consisting of Medicare and Medicaid) and Social Security represent so-called “entitlement” programs which are not deliberated on by Congress on an annual basis. Instead, spending towards these programs is dictated by law, and can only be altered by new legislation. They are essentially government obligations to taxpayers, and any changes that would lower benefits or tighten eligibility requirements carry severe political costs. Congress has even less flexibility when it comes to interest on debt, since these are real obligations our government must service, due to the deficits our government has run for many years. Due to the obligatory nature of these spending categories, the year when spending on these three areas equals or exceeds projected tax revenue implies that no money will remain for what we typically think of the basic activities of government, such as defense, education, infrastructure, etc.
When am I done?
You’re done when you feel that you’ve put together a budget consistent with your values and your beliefs around fiscal responsibility. You decide how far you want to go to pursue your badges, to ensure the policies you value most are enacted, or to make the structural budget changes to ensure the long-term fiscal health of our country. You decide how you want to be a Budget Hero. When you’ve played the cards to meet your goals, click on “See How Your Budget Stacks Up!”
What do I do when I’m done with my budget?
Once you feel you have crafted a budget that either reflects your values, allows you to achieve your selected badges or produces fiscal impacts with which you are comfortable, click on the “See how your budget stacks up!” button in the lower right-hand corner of the game screen. You will see the impact of your policies on the skyline evolve over the twenty year period from 2009 through 2028. Keep a close eye on the building heights as well as the meters to get a sense of how your policy choices have affected the budget over this 20-year period.
After viewing this 20-year impact of your budget, you can view and print a detailed summary of your game play, compare your budget to other players, submit comments to the American Public Media newsroom about the game, pass along your game performance to friends, or discuss the game with others.
Do I have to submit my demographic information?
You don’t need to share any personal information in order to see if you have what it takes to be a Budget Hero. But – if you want to see how you stack up to other would-be heroes, and explore what values and priorities you share with your fellow players –tell us a little about yourself so we can make the comparison. This information is submitted anonymously and not associated with you in any way unless you opt to sign up for the Public Insight Network.
What is the Public Insight Network and why should I join?
Public Insight Journalism is a new approach that journalists with American Public Media shows like Marketplace, Marketplace Money, American RadioWorks and Weekend America are using to find diverse sources and a broader range of information. It involves partnering with the public and, at its heart, is our Public Insight Network – a group of tens of thousands of people who have agreed to help us cover the news.
Many of our public sources have told us about their work, education, passions and expertise. Almost daily, we ask some of these public sources in the network to share their observations and knowledge with us on specific stories. Our public insight analysts take that information, distill it, and pass it on to our reporters and editors. Analysts may follow up with a request for more information, or perhaps an interview with a public source.
We also ask public sources to tell us about stories that we should be covering – stories that matter to them and are not on our radar. And we ask people to participate in online interactives where they share ideas and stories, and reason through tough issues.
These public insights help us set our agenda for coverage and inform our reporting. We believe this partnership creates more diverse and in-depth news and cultural coverage. It also makes American Public Media programs more trusted and credible sources of news and information. To learn more about the Public Insight Network, check out our website at: http://americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org/publicinsightjournalism/.
What is American Public Media’s Privacy Policy?
American Public Media takes the privacy of our audience very seriously. Our privacy practices can be reviewed in full at: http://americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org/privacy/
