The Cause or The Cure?

So this week, while reading Obama's speech to the American students in my English class, getting ready for a unit on speech writing, we were comparing the responsibility of students and the responsibility of the government to educate the youth of America. One of my students raised his hand and asked why Obama is so selfish.

I asked him to give me an example of how Obama was selfish.

To which he responded that Obama just prints all the money and keeps it for himself, he doesn't give any of it to the people who really need it.

Now mind you this student is an adult boy from inner city Washington D.C. and his stay in treatment, costing a few hundred dollars a day, is being paid for by the American government.

I told him that Obama does not just print out money and give it away and that he, as all members of the government are limited to only spend the money they collect from the American tax payers, other wise they have to go into debt and things get more complicated.

This concept confused and frustrated my students to no end. We talked about inflation and the problems that Russia has when they printed off their own money. Many students decided they just would not pay taxes, and after explaining that they are just taken out of your paycheck and that you can go to prison for tax evasion they became more upset.

And as I stand there baffled that these students come to me without even a basic concept of American government, it occurs to me that because these boys are part of our adult program they are all over 18. Which means they have all the same privileges and rights to vote that I have. That their vote and opinion, however ignorant and backwards is every bit as valuable as mine when it comes to deciding the direction that our country should move in. And as this is making me question the fundamentals of the American electoral system, a hand goes up in the back.

And my most reluctant student who never participates in class discussions asks 'Why, if we live in a free country, do I need to pay for gas and rent? That doesn't sound free to me."

And I gave up entirely.