The "Tea Party" activists, a conservative group unhappy with the Obama administration’s “big government” policies, are taking to the road on a bus tour in an attempt to convince Americans to remove Obama’s congressional allies from office. The 44-rally tour will kick off on April 27 and end on Tax Day. According to Republican strategist Sal Russo, Tax Day was chosen to show "how much money the federal government is taking from the people."


The federal government uses tax dollars to fund the nation’s defense, its public school system, Medicare (health care for the elderly), Medicaid (health care for the poor) and Social Security (supplemental income for retirees and the disabled) among many other programs. Find an example of a program funded by the federal government in USA TODAY. Do you think the program is worthwhile? What would the consequences be if the government didn’t fund the initiative? Then, in small groups, go to www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy11/index.html
to browse the 2011 U.S. government budget. Select three of the government agencies listed in the chart labeled "Budget Documents." Click on the pdf for each and read the first section entitled, "Funding Highlights." As a group, decide whether any of the initiatives you read about don’t deserve funding. Based on your brief research, do you get the sense that the federal government is misusing or wasting tax dollars? Share your answer with the class.