With the United States' budget projected to hit a $418 billion shortfall by 2015 and a $1.3 trillion shortfall by 2030, the New York Times knows something has to be done. So they made a game.
The Budget Puzzle: You Fix the Budget allows you to get rid of that nasty deficit by clicking on check boxes that do everything from eliminating farm subsidies and reducing the number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, to bumping Medicare eligibility to 70 and reducing the federal workforce.
The best part? Those button clicks come guilt-free in this game. No need to worry about geriatric protests, a flare-up of violence in the Middle East or doctors fleeing to private practice that refuses Medicare patients. It's guilt-free.
Last week's budget game also includes an entire package aimed at discussing the country's budget woes, called Room For Debate.
Budget Puzzle: You Fix the Budget [The New York Times]