The app provides a snapshot of the U.S.’s spending in Social Security, health programs, domestic programs, defense spending and education. Users must select various budget proposals that will show impact in hopes to balance the budget by 2021. Also, “users will be able to see the impact of their changes on the current U.S. budget, as well as on the long-term 10-year outlook,” stated in the Budget Control press kit.
Once satisfied, users can send their budget to their elected officials through a zip code search.
“If we’re really serious about where our country’s future is headed, there should be some sort of urgency from all political parties and citizens of the United States,” said Drew Brown, founder of the company.
Brown established Budget Control in January 2011. He officially launched the company in July 2011. He said his reasoning was because “there’s really nothing out there that explains this [budget] further.”
“I knew that all of these different budgetary revenues are out there, but they don’t let citizens see how the budget is changing,” Brown said. “I saw a need out there, and I thought if you can customize a pizza online, you should be able to do the same with the U.S. budget.”
A nonpartisan organization of young people designed the Budget Control web tool. According to the press release, it was designed “in the hopes that it would give the power back to the people.”
One student said it was cool to have an app that allows students to voice their concerns and opinions on the way the economy should be run.
Altheria Smith, a nursing student from Winter Haven, believes this app is “useful in making students aware of budgets to improve their financial budgeting.”
She also said that state deficit correlates with personal budget. She thinks the new app can teach students to avoid pitfalls and learn where they are financially.
Brown ended with his thoughts about reticent elected officials.
“Politicians present their budget proposals just months before the election, and they’re still not effectively resolving the issue at hand,” Brown said. “It should all be laid out before the primaries are finished so that citizens have a clear understanding of where each representative stands before voting decisions are made.”
For more information, visit www.budgetcontrol.com, www.facebook.com/budgetcontrol and/or www.chatterbuzzmedia.com.