There are two sides to the national debt story: those who kicked the can, and those who stopped it.
This site is a private blueprint for a nationwide campaign to rally 50 million Americans demanding Congress act on the national debt. The public campaign has started, and it grows as funding does. What makes this effort different is the count: a district-by-district record of voters who have decided to hold their representatives to fiscal responsibility.
You're on this website because you have the propensity, resources, expertise, or relationships to be part of launching it. We call your group the American Vanguard.
money that buys nothing
Social Security's retirement trust fund is projected to run out of reserves in 2032, and Medicare's hospital insurance fund in 2033.
Sources: 2026 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports (June 2026); CBO Monthly Budget Review, September 2026; Treasury Debt to the Penny.
You already know this. You've watched Washington talk about it for 30 years while the debt kept climbing.
Past public campaigns failed because they spoke to Washington in policy language: white papers, testimony and think tank reports. None of it created political consequence.
A campaign to force Congress to act through two major reforms:
A bipartisan body that produces real reforms Congress must vote on. Up or down, on the record.
Makes fiscal responsibility permanent. Future politicians can't undo it, ignore it, or kick the can.
The Mechanism
Politicians act when they believe their seat is at risk. This effort is built to create that risk at scale.
First, we must convince millions of Americans that the problem is real and very serious, and turn them into voters who will demand congressional action on the debt. The data above makes this clear, but we have to get it in front of them in a convincing manner.
Then we will ask Americans to do two things:
- Decide not to vote for any candidate, state or federal, who does not support a statutory fiscal commission and advancing a constitutional amendment for fiscal responsibility.
- Tell candidates directly they have made that decision.
Every participant activates their decision into a countable, verifiable, non-partisan signal.
Direct Outreach
We make it easy for participants to tell their elected representatives and candidates clearly what they've decided, and to track our progress.
In-Person Pressure
We connect them to town halls, district meetings, and organized visits that show intensity in person.
Financial Alignment
We help them support candidates who meet the standard and move away from those who don't.
50 million committed participants makes this impossible to ignore.
What Makes This Campaign Different
We're speaking to the people, not Washington. We meet them where they are, with four audiences, each with tailored messaging, channels, and calls to action:
| Audience | Who They Are | What Moves Them |
|---|---|---|
| Inheritors | Entering the workforce, starting families, building credit. | They'll pay the longest. Student loans, housing costs, a future already mortgaged. |
| Providers | Raising kids, paying mortgages, caring for aging parents. | Stretched thin, paying into systems they may never benefit from. |
| Elders | Approaching or in retirement. | They paid in for decades. They expect the deal to be honored. |
| Vanguard | Funders, supporters, and policy leaders. | They have the resources, relationships, and access to accelerate this. |
Your investment builds the infrastructure, funds the campaign, and creates the political consequence needed to force action. This isn't charity. It's leverage.
- Citizen education and engagement
- Agency partnership and onboarding
- Audience research and message testing
- Content prototyping and refinement
- Technology and platform development
- Initial media tests and optimization
- Petition infrastructure: legal framework, digital platform, verification, state-by-state compliance
- Full media campaign deployment
- Documentary release and promotion
- Public installations and earned media
- Grassroots organizing at scale
- Political mobilization push
- Petition drives at scale: digital, events, campus, all touchpoints
Where the Money Goes
| Category | Budget | % | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agency Partnership | $5.5M | 37% | |
| Retainer + Fees | $1.5M | Strategy, account mgmt, campaign planning, reporting | |
| Content Production | $3M | Documentaries (PBS + digital), video ads, social content | |
| Research + Testing | $750K | Audience validation, message testing, A/B optimization | |
| Website + Digital Tools | $250K | Website builds, calculators, interactive content | |
| Media Buys | $3.5M | 23% | Pass-through costs, not agency fees |
| Public Installations | $1.5M | 10% | Stunts, art installations, guerrilla activations |
| Public Events | $1.5M | 10% | Event space, logistics, travel, petition drives |
| Grassroots + Organizing | $1M | 7% | Campus programs, chapters, volunteer infrastructure |
| Operations + Staffing | $700K | 5% | Campaign staff, legal, accounting, admin |
| Technology | $200K | 1% | CRM, pledge platform, petition infrastructure |
| Petition/Pledge Drive | $100K | 1% | Signature collection, pledge fulfillment, tracking |
| Lobbying | $500K | 3% | Scope to be confirmed with leadership |
| Contingency / Reserve | $500K | 3% | Unallocated buffer |
Media Buy Split by Audience
How We Measure Success
Success is not awareness. It is changed political behavior moving toward fiscal responsibility.
We track progress at every stage of influence:
Commitment
Petitions signed and "Decide and Tell" commitments made.
Engagement
Direct outreach to elected officials that is measured, coordinated and sustained.
Public Alignment
Candidates who publicly commit to advancing an amendment for fiscal responsibility.
Policy Movement
Real progress toward a constitutional amendment and a fiscal commission.
Every dollar you invest is measured against these outcomes, with transparent, regular reporting.
- Former Comptroller General of the United States
- Former Public Trustee of Social Security and Medicare
- Former CEO, Peter G. Peterson Foundation and Comeback America Initiative
- Chairman, Federal Fiscal Sustainability Foundation
- Founder and CEO, Quality Mat Company (founded 1974)
- Founder, JoeFromTexas.com (2022)
- Sponsor, 2024 Tucker Carlson Live Tour
- Co-author with David M. Walker of a book on saving Social Security, with a national tour in 2026 and 2027
- CPA, entrepreneur, and commercial real estate developer
- Founder, Main Street Economics
- Author, The Greatest Ponzi Scheme on Earth and Why You Should Give A Damn About Economics
- Disciple of Jesus Christ on all things
- Oklahoma business owner since 1995
- Founder, Unity Above Self in America (2018)
- Disciple of former Senator Tom Coburn on government reform
- Champion of No Budget, No Pay
Beyond digital outreach, we are planning art installations and public events that bring the debt into the real world, where people can see it, talk about it and share it.
Ready to be part of the solution?
Whether you're here to fund the campaign or support the mission, we'd like to talk.