This holiday season, CEPR decided that the best gift we could give would be to offer a free Econ 101 class to all those in need. And since there are so many in need, we had a hard time deciding where to begin.

We decided to start with the deficit hawks, that group of powerful elites who have continuously misled the public, the press and the policymakers on the true nature of U.S. debt (while also convincing millions of Americans that Social Security is the cause of large deficits and therefore needs to be cut).

With your help, we can teach the likes of Alan Simpson, Erskine Bowles, Peter Peterson, and the rest of the class of 2013 these basic economic concepts:

• Government debt is not a net burden to our children since our children will also end up owning the bonds;
• Large current deficits are the result of the downturn that was caused by the collapse of the housing bubble;
• There is no Fiscal "Cliff”;

• Social Security does not add to the budget deficit; it’s not “Broke”, and it doesn’t “Need Fixin”. (We will make them write this 100 times).

Your donation will help us to continue to push back against the misinformation and spin that make up most of the media coverage of these and a host of other economic issues. Click here to help support CEPR’s research, analysis, media and outreach.

And most importantly, our educational programs. This holiday season, help us send them back to school.

Thanks for your support,
Dean, Mark and CEPR Staff