College students and community leaders joined together at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum on Feb. 21 to take a shot at creating their own version of the federal budget through a workshop called “Principles and Priorities,” created by the Concord Coalition.

The Concord Coalition is a non-partisan, national grassroots organization dedicated to educating America about the causes and consequences of federal budget deficits and how to build a sound economic future for future generations.

The Principles and Priorities Workshop was designed to teach participants about the federal budget and provides a realistic insight into difficult policy decisions lawmakers’ face.

WTAMU Student Body President Brandy Roberts and WT President Dr. J Patrick O’Brien each made a few opening remarks and thanked everyone for coming to the event before handing it off to Congressman Mac Thornberry, who sponsored the event. He spoke about federal budget issues and how deficits are affecting society.“If we don’t get a handle on the federal budget, younger people are going to be left working and working just to pay our bills,” Thornberry said. “They’re not going to have the kind of economic opportunities we want younger people to have.”

Phil Smith, southern regional director and national political director of Concord Coalition, was the main speaker and controller of the event. He introduced the agenda of the workshop and reviewed some basic rules and guidelines for participants to follow. He also talked about the Concord Coalition, and the other types of events they put on to educate the public about federal budget issues. He thanked Thornberry for taking initiative to be a part of this event.