Where Does the Money Go?

ON THE AGENDA

What Muslim Immigrants Say About America

Scott Bittle
Aug 12, 2010

The debate over whether an Islamic community center should be built two blocks from the World Trade Center site in New York has become a broader argument over tolerance toward Islam and sensitivity to 9/11.

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Does First Out of the Application Gate Mean Most Likely to Graduate?

Scott Bittle
Aug 12, 2010

There are people who wait until the last minute, and then there are people like high school student Cree Bautista, who holds the honor of being the being the first student in the United States to apply to college this year, a mere three hours and thirty minutes after the "common application" form went online.

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FACING UP TO THE
Nation's Finances

National Debt Clock

Where Does the Money Go?

• E-mail a friend about this important and remarkably entertaining book.

In "Where Does the Money Go? Your Guided Tour to the Federal Budget Crisis," an irreverent and candid guide to government's sea of red ink and the choices we face, Public Agenda co-authors Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson explain --in plain English-- exactly what the fat cats in Washington are arguing about.

The looming federal debt crisis will affect your savings, your retirement, your mortgage, your health care, and your children.

Here's essential information that every American citizen needs --and has the right-- to know.

This guide to deciphering Beltway jargon on the budget covers everything from the country's $9 trillion debt to the fact that, for 31 out of the last 35 years, the government has spent more than it has collected in taxes.

You'll also find out why elected leaders from both parties have so far failed to address this issue and what we need to do about it now.

Here's some of what you'll find inside:

The six points you need to know to understand the federal budget crisis
What's a billion dollars really worth? And how many Manolo Blahniks would it buy?
More than a dozen ideas for putting Social Security and Medicare on a solid financial path
Six glib answers to the country's budget crisis that aren't really getting us anywhere
Five signs you're being a lazy citizen and five signs you're part of the problem




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Award-winning journalist Scott Bittle is an executive vice president of Public Agenda, director of public issues analysis, and executive editor of PublicAgenda.org, twice-nominated for the prestigious Webby Award. Jean Johnson is an executive vice president of Public Agenda, director of its programs and Education Insights research, and a founder of the web site. She has written on public opinion and current issues for dozens of publications ranging from Education Week to USA Today.

Scott and Jean have been blogging about the budget on the Huffington Post:

When Talk Isn't Cheap: The Bailout, the Budget and Promises They Can't Keep

Stuff Happens: The Mortgage Bailout and the Federal Budget

Vampire Hunters, Taxes and the Campaign Trail

The Budget Debate for Grownups

Three Ugly Little Truths about the Federal Budget

It's Time to be Honest about the Cost of the War in Iraq

Earmarks: Faster and Easier Than Ever Thanks to Innovation

Presidential Candidates Channel Bart Simpson .

Bittle also blogs on budget issues at On The Agenda on PublicAgenda.org, at Our Fiscal Future on Facebook and at FacingUp.org.

For more information,
please contact:

Melissa Feldsher, Communciations Manager
Phone: 212-686-6610, ext. 50 E-mail: mfeldsher@publicagenda.org

Reviews & Interviews

Interview on Corporate Research Group's Health Care Week In Review, Sept. 15, 2008

Presentation by Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson, at the Philanthropy Northwest conference, Sept. 26, 2008

Review by Harry Hurt III, New York Times, March 16, 2008

Review by Kirk Shinkle, Feb. 28, 2008, U.S. News and World Report

Interview on C-SPAN's Washington Journal, March 3, 2008

Interview on Marketplace, Feb. 26, 2008

Interview on The Leonard Lopate Show, Feb. 19, 2008, WNYC radio, New York

Interview on Bill Moyers' Journal, Feb. 15, 2008, PBS

Interview on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Feb. 14, 2008, National Public Radio

Article: Dead on Arrival: Put Some Teeth Back Into The Federal Budget, by Thomas G. Donlan, Feb. 11, 2008, Barron's

Review: Iceberg Dead Ahead, by Steven Martinovich, May 12, 2008, EnterStageRight.com

Review by Cassandra M., April 20, 2008, Delaware Liberal blog

Review by Kimberly Amadeo, 2008, About.com

Since We Went To Press

Our most recent book is "Who Turned Out The Lights? Your Guided Tour to the Energy Crisis" (October 2009), but we continue to monitor the federal budget deficit and national debt crisis and advocate on behalf of increased citizen involvement in developing solutions for a more solid financial footing.