Think You’re Smart? Balance the National Budget

If you like math puzzles, here’s one for you: The New York Times has put together an interactive puzzle wherein you can attempt to balance the national budget and keep the deficit from ballooning even further.

Today, you’re in charge of the nation’s finances. Some of your options have more short-term savings and some have more long-term savings. When you have closed the budget gaps for both 2015 and 2030, you are done. Make your own plan, then share it online.

If you want to play on Expert mode, consider that 1) As a politician, a lot of people and lobbies would be very, very angry if you tried to implement many of these changes (just try implementing a national sales tax) and 2) this is just the budget shortfall over the next five to twenty years; the total national debt is $13.723 trillion dollars.

>>>You fix the budget.

(NYT via FlowingData)