How Can I Be the President?
This question, asked by Soren (age four), was the catalyst for a very interesting conversation about the political process in our country. My husband and I discuss politics on a regular basis and we are very dismayed with the current administration. Soren has picked up on that. He said, 'The government is making bad choices so I want to be the President so I can help the government make good choices.'
I told Soren that wanting to be the President is a good goal to have. Then I explained (in very simple terms) how our government works. We talked about how our country was formed, George Washington, The Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, The Constitution, the branches of government, voting, running for office and local, state and federal government. We discussed the need for the military and the court system. We covered taxes and government programs. We talked about what would happen if we didn't have a government at all. Soren asked excellent questions, which told me that he was really interested.
'Mom, what do we need to change about the government?'
Wow, that's a big one. How much time do you have? My husband and I have very strong political views, but I don't want to influence Soren too much. I want him to come to his own conclusions. However, I don't want to lie to him, either. So, I told him that it is my opinion that our government has gotten too big. I think that the government has no business being involved in anything but the military and the courts (police and fire at the local level). I think that our Founding Fathers had the right ideas, but that we've gotten so far away from those ideas that we are no longer the same country.
I told him that it is our government's job to protect our individual rights. I told him that our government is not doing that very well. I think we're taxed unfairly and too much. I think we are forced to hand over too much of our hard-earned money. I told Soren that Daddy and I work very hard, but there are some people who don't want to work and think that everyone else should take care of them. I asked Soren if he thought that sounded fair?
'NO! That's not fair! Everyone should get to keep their own money!'
By George, I think he's got it! I explained that we do have to give some of our money to pay for the government. However, if the government only did what it SHOULD be doing, taxes would be much lower. Sales tax could cover ALL OF IT. That way, only the people contributing to the FREE market, would have to contribute to the government. It would be simpler, more cost efficient and FAIR.
I then explained to Soren that he won't be able to vote until he's 18. He was not happy about that. He thinks kids should be able to vote. I explained the reasoning behind this, but he didn't like it. I told him that he has a lot of learning to do before he's ready to be an educated voter. He said he understands everything and wants to vote. I love that. I love that he cares! How many four year old children even know what 'governement' is?! Then I dropped the bomb. I told him he can't run for President until he's 35.
His face fell. '35 is such a long way away! I can't wait that long!' However, I quickly explained that he could run for some of the smaller, local offices at 18. I told him that these arbitrary ages do have a purpose. The idea behind them is that we want our President to have a good education and some extensive leadership experience. We need to be able to trust him with our lives and our entire country. That kind of maturity doesn't usually happen until people are in their 30's, if it happens at all.
The conversation lasted for over an hour and we've revisited the subject many times since then. I love to experience Soren's thirst for knowledge. I love that he comes to very interesting conclusions. I know that I'm influencing those conclusions more than anyone else. It's an overwhelming responsibility, but I think we're doing just fine.
About a week after this conversation, Soren asked me if I would vote for him when he runs for President. Yes, Soren, you have my vote!
I told Soren that wanting to be the President is a good goal to have. Then I explained (in very simple terms) how our government works. We talked about how our country was formed, George Washington, The Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, The Constitution, the branches of government, voting, running for office and local, state and federal government. We discussed the need for the military and the court system. We covered taxes and government programs. We talked about what would happen if we didn't have a government at all. Soren asked excellent questions, which told me that he was really interested.
'Mom, what do we need to change about the government?'
Wow, that's a big one. How much time do you have? My husband and I have very strong political views, but I don't want to influence Soren too much. I want him to come to his own conclusions. However, I don't want to lie to him, either. So, I told him that it is my opinion that our government has gotten too big. I think that the government has no business being involved in anything but the military and the courts (police and fire at the local level). I think that our Founding Fathers had the right ideas, but that we've gotten so far away from those ideas that we are no longer the same country.
I told him that it is our government's job to protect our individual rights. I told him that our government is not doing that very well. I think we're taxed unfairly and too much. I think we are forced to hand over too much of our hard-earned money. I told Soren that Daddy and I work very hard, but there are some people who don't want to work and think that everyone else should take care of them. I asked Soren if he thought that sounded fair?
'NO! That's not fair! Everyone should get to keep their own money!'
By George, I think he's got it! I explained that we do have to give some of our money to pay for the government. However, if the government only did what it SHOULD be doing, taxes would be much lower. Sales tax could cover ALL OF IT. That way, only the people contributing to the FREE market, would have to contribute to the government. It would be simpler, more cost efficient and FAIR.
I then explained to Soren that he won't be able to vote until he's 18. He was not happy about that. He thinks kids should be able to vote. I explained the reasoning behind this, but he didn't like it. I told him that he has a lot of learning to do before he's ready to be an educated voter. He said he understands everything and wants to vote. I love that. I love that he cares! How many four year old children even know what 'governement' is?! Then I dropped the bomb. I told him he can't run for President until he's 35.
His face fell. '35 is such a long way away! I can't wait that long!' However, I quickly explained that he could run for some of the smaller, local offices at 18. I told him that these arbitrary ages do have a purpose. The idea behind them is that we want our President to have a good education and some extensive leadership experience. We need to be able to trust him with our lives and our entire country. That kind of maturity doesn't usually happen until people are in their 30's, if it happens at all.
The conversation lasted for over an hour and we've revisited the subject many times since then. I love to experience Soren's thirst for knowledge. I love that he comes to very interesting conclusions. I know that I'm influencing those conclusions more than anyone else. It's an overwhelming responsibility, but I think we're doing just fine.
About a week after this conversation, Soren asked me if I would vote for him when he runs for President. Yes, Soren, you have my vote!
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