The president's annual federal budget submission is as much about sending messages as setting spending goals. So what's the buzz this year—and where in the nation's priorities are kids, families, and communities? Jan Richter takes a look at the 2008 budget proposal.

Youth Communication, the non-profit founded by Keith Hefner in New York City to give young people a voice on the things that matter to them, is now 25 years old—a notable milestone in the notoriously under-funded world of youth media. Lisa R. Rhodes, a former Youth Communication writer herself, looks at how Hefner's organization has grown and thrived, transforming young lives along the way.

Voters feel Congress is out of touch when it comes to funding education—that's according to a new national poll from the National School Boards Association (NSBA). Of 1,200 respondents, 74 percent said Congress does not do a good job of setting priorities for the federal budget and spending—and needs to change these priorities. A majority (59 percent) said they'd be less likely to vote for a member of Congress who voted against funding No Child Left Behind and Special Education programs to their "authorized and promised levels." Voters aligned with both parties supported restoring this funding.

Pete Wright, an attorney with decades of experience in special education law—and his own memories of standing up before the U.S. Supreme Court to argue a case—attended oral arguments last week in the most recent special education case to reach the highest court. Wright shared his impressions with Connect for Kids Editor Susan Phillips.

In March 2006, the Coalition on Human Needs released a helpful guide to the 2007 budget plans—a much easier read than the hundreds of pages of the actual budgets!

What does a state's revenue have to do with kids? Everything. From funds for classrooms and after-school programs to public health coverage and housing assistance, state revenues matter. This Rockefeller Institute of Government policy brief has some useful information for anyone concerned about families and community programs. According to the report, 2005 marked the second year of revenue growth for states—their general fund tax revenue grew 10.7 percent from fiscal year 2004 to fiscal year 2005. Still, federal budget cuts will continue to challenge state resources.

Did our elected officials live up to their campaign promises in 2005? Check out the latest Congressional Scorecard from the Children's Defense Fund to see how your members of Congress voted on key legislation affecting children and families.

The 2006 federal budget, passed in February 2006, includes net cuts to Medicaid of $4.8 billion over the next five years and $26.1 billion over the next ten years. This six-page Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured brief looks at what areas of Medicaid will be cut and how families and states may be affected—including the introduction of co-payments and cost-sharing for low-wage families.

We've all heard the pundits and politicians give their reviews of President Bush's State of the Union Speech delivered on January 31. Children's Press Line editor Emily Olfson, 17, offers a different take. She watched the speech and then talked about it with students from the United Nations International School in New York City.