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 gets built by a world-class agency after funding is raised. What you're seeing here is the strategy that makes this different from every other attempt.
You're on this website because you have the resources, expertise, or relationships to be part of launching it. We call your group the American Vanguard.
that buys nothing
Social Security and Medicare both depleted by 2033.
Source: 2025 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports. As of April 2026.
You already know this. You've watched Washington talk about it for 30 years while the debt tripled.
Past public campaigns failed because they spoke to Washington in policy language — white papers, testimony, 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 — 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 advancing a constitutional amendment for fiscal responsibility.
- Tell candidates directly they have made that decision.
Every participant registers these choices into a petition, turning that 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 — 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. |
How This Site Works
This site is a tactical showcase — our strategy, messaging, and audience segmentation built out far enough to demonstrate we know how to reach the right people with the right message. It's the foundation a full creative agency will build on once funding is secured.
Vanguard (this page): Your briefing. Strategy, budget, timeline, and how to fund the campaign.
Support: For those who want to share the campaign, open doors, or amplify the message — but aren't writing checks.
Petition: The action. A form where Americans formally demand Congress act on the debt.
Audiences: Inheritors, Providers, and Elders. Each page lays out our tactics for reaching that generation: messaging built for how they experience the debt, delivered through the channels they actually use, with a specific call to action.
Funding unlocks the next phase: a creative agency partnership for research, message testing, professional production, and a full strategic buildout.
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 TBD — confirming with leadership |
| Contingency / Reserve | $500K | 3% | Unallocated buffer |
Media Buy Split by Audience
Your Legacy
This is about more than funding a campaign. It's about attaching your name to a turning point.
When the Fiscal Commission passes: Founding Partners are recognized in national campaign communications and documentation.
When the constitutional amendment passes: Founding Partners named as part of the coalition that made it possible.
In campaign history: Your name on the record as someone who acted.
The debt will be our legacy one way or another. The only question is what we did about it.
- Named recognition as Founding Partner (if desired)
- Full keepsake suite: custom silver money clip, lapel pin, and pen — crafted by a master silversmith
- Quarterly briefings with campaign leadership
- Input on strategic direction
- VIP access to all installations before public opening
- Insider strategy documents and metrics
- Access to congressional events where fiscal policy is shaped
- Legacy recognition: your name attached to the campaign's founding, the commission, and the amendment
- Named recognition in Leadership Circle
- Select keepsake pieces (money clip + lapel pin)
- Bi-annual briefings with campaign leadership
- VIP installation invites
- Early access to campaign materials and metrics
- Recognition as Vanguard Supporter
- Single keepsake piece (lapel pin)
- Annual briefing and impact report
- Invitation to campaign events
- Recognition as Campaign Patron
- Insider newsletter (not available to public)
- Invitation to select events
How We Measure Success
Success is not awareness — it's 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 — 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 Public Trustee of Social Security and Medicare
Former Global Partner, Arthur Andersen
Former CEO, Peter G. Peterson Foundation & Comeback America Initiative
Former Senior Strategic Advisor, PwC Public Sector
Former Distinguished Visiting Professor, U.S. Naval Academy
Chairman, Federal Fiscal Sustainability Foundation
Founder of JoeFromTexas.com (2022)
Sponsor, 2024 Tucker Carlson Live Tour (16 events, 8–12K attendance each)
Les Rubin is a CPA, entrepreneur, commercial real estate developer, and founder of Main Street Economics. After decades building businesses and living through multiple economic cycles, he has concluded that the United States is approaching a preventable fiscal crisis driven by unsustainable debt and political dysfunction.
Through his books The Greatest Ponzi Scheme on Earth and Why You Should Give A Damn About Economics, Les has focused on helping Americans understand the economic consequences of government policy and why incentives matter.
Les believes meaningful reform will occur only when enough voters make fiscal responsibility a non-negotiable voting issue. He joined 50 Million Americans to help build the public pressure necessary to force lasting structural change.
Oklahoma business owner since 1995
Founder, Unity Above Self in America (2018)
Disciple of former Senator Tom Coburn on government reform
These are early concepts — ideas that will be researched, tested, and selectively greenlit for production. Each one is designed to create shareable moments that drive news coverage and social spread, tying back to the core message and driving action.
Ready to be part of the solution?
Whether you're here to fund the campaign or support the mission — we'd like to talk.
Or email us directly: vanguard@50millionamericans.org