You’re probably wondering what skunks and Julie Andrews have to do with President Calvin Coolidge. For those of you who were able to attend our conference on Capitol Hill entitled “The Virtuous Obsession: How Better Budget Law is Key to Meeting our Nation’s Fiscal Challenges,” you’ll remember the stuffed toy skunk former Congressional Budget Office Director June O’Neill brought as a prop. This skunk was given to Dr. O’Neill when she became CBO director in 1995 by her immediate predecessor, Robert Reischauer. The skunk was to serve as a constant reminder that the CBO’s role was to provide, as far as possible, an accurate picture of the fiscal impact of proposed legislation, no matter the consequences for the two major parties.

Our Second Annual Gala Awards Dinner, held on November 6th, 2014 at the Metropolitan Club in Manhattan, was a smashing success! We congratulate Dr. Donald Boudreaux, the winner of the 2014 Coolidge Prize for Journalism, and the runner-up, Bhekuzulu Khumalo! We also congratulate Sydney Benjamin of Peacham, Vermont, the winner of the 2014 Calvin Prize for Vermont Youth, and runner-up Jay Tilden of St. Johnsbury, Vermont!