Exclusive Interviews
Ten-Year-Old’s Perspective on Money, Taxes and Government
By Anthony Wile - March 01, 2015

Introduction: Julian is a typical young boy, with a clever sense of humor. He likes math more than science and loves sports more than most anything. Throughout his life he has been exposed to free-market concepts from his parents, his older brother and friends of the family, many of whom are well-known free-market thinkers. We sat down for an interview with him after a dinner-table conversation about an experience he'd had at school. The transcription that follows is unaltered from our original conversation.

Anthony Wile: Welcome and thanks for doing this interview with The Daily Bell.

Jules: Thank you. It is an honour.

Anthony Wile: How old are you?

Jules: Ten years old.

Anthony Wile: For background, tell us a bit about yourself. For example, what grade are you in, what subjects do you enjoy in school and what sorts of sports or other activities do you enjoy?

Jules: Well, I am in grade 5. My favorite subject is math. I play lots of sports like hockey, soccer, basketball …

Anthony Wile: Sounds like you are a busy boy.

Jules: That is correct.

Anthony Wile: Okay. Moving right along, let's get into your worldview on a few matters, shall we?

Jules: Yes, we shall.

Anthony Wile: Funny. Tell me, what is the nature of government?

Jules: The nature of the government is to control the world.

Anthony Wile: What do you mean by that?

Jules: Like they take money out of people's pockets, like taxes.

Anthony Wile: Isn't that necessary in order for the government to take care of people and provide services?

Jules: Well, they are not taking care of us. We are just robots and they are controllers of the robots.

Anthony Wile: What are taxes?

Jules: Taxes are like an extra tip that goes to the government. So like when you go to a restaurant, half of that money goes to the government and the dinner bill is higher because you have to pay the government.

Anthony Wile: Did the government have anything to do with the person serving the table or the cooks cooking the meal? Why should they get a percentage of the bill or the person's tips or salary?

Jules: Well, the answer is they shouldn't be getting any of the money because they are not doing anything to earn it.

Anthony Wile: Couldn't have said it any better. But I guess, putting that aside, the government must be doing something good with all that money. Where do you think it all goes?

Jules: They say it goes to help other people, but they are lying. It goes to make the government bigger and to friends of the people who run the government who are in charge of companies that build roads, train tracks and stuff.

Anthony Wile: What about public schools and hospitals? If the government isn't collecting taxes to supply those services, who would provide them?

Jules: The schools and hospitals will get money from people who use them. And private organizations and businesses will run them.

Anthony Wile: Interesting. So besides wasting taxpayer money, what is the other major detriment to people who have their money taxed away?

Jules: They get poor and they need to work basically for the government. They are left with enough for water and food. Maybe to a cheap movie or a soccer game that is 15 dollars.

Anthony Wile: Moving right along. So speaking about money, what is money?

Jules: Well, money is stuff you use to buy things with but then there is paper money but I think it is just pieces of crap with the White House and president's pictures on it.

Anthony Wile: Why do you think it is "crap"?

Jules: Because it is just a colored piece of paper and a five-dollar bill is the same size as a 100-dollar bill.

Anthony Wile: Why does that matter?

Jules: Because they are different values and it costs the same to make each one. They are the same piece of paper just different things are written on them.

Anthony Wile: Why do you think people accept one to be worth more than the other?

Jules: The government wants you to use paper money.

Anthony Wile: Why?

Jules: They force you to use that money because they make it legal.

Anthony Wile: What is real money?

Jules: Silver and Gold.

Anthony Wile: Why?

Jules: Because it is has real value unlike paper. There is not a lot of it and it cannot be made out of thin air and make inflation.

Anthony Wile: What is inflation?

Jules: Inflation is where every single year the prices of things go up because more and more fake paper money is created. When new dollars are created the amount that the old dollars could buy is less.

Anthony Wile: That sounds like a hidden form of tax. Who does it affect most?

Jules: People that are now retired and people with savings.

Anthony Wile: Why do governments and central bankers dislike gold and silver so much and facilitate the process of paper money inflation?

Jules: Because they want the world to keep using paper because they can have it made by their friends who run the central banks and that makes a lot of money for the people who run them.

Anthony Wile: Who actually makes the money and loans it to the government?

Jules: The central bank, the Federal Reserve in the United States – in New York?

Anthony Wile: Who controls the Federal Reserve and other countries' central banks?

Jules: The Rothschilds.

Anthony Wile: Who are they?

Jules: They are the richest people in the world.

Anthony Wile: How did they get to be in charge of the money supply and become the richest people in the world?

Jules: Because they run the governments and used to run the kings in Europe.

Anthony Wile: You mean all governments around the world today are run by one family and their central banking apparatus?

Jules: Yes.

Anthony Wile: How do they do that? Why do they do that?

Jules: They don't do anything directly. People just work for them. They do it so they can run the world.

Anthony Wile: Wow. Interesting. Why would people work for them at their central banks and run their governments?

Jules: Well, they want to be wealthy and powerful, too. Most of the politicians are just liars and the people who work at the banks just want lots of money.

Anthony Wile: Well, that may be so. But why does the general public, the voters, allow this to happen – especially in a democracy?

Jules: Because the people want to have the little things the politicians promise and they don't think about where all the money comes from to pay for it.

Anthony Wile: What happens when there is no money left to take from the people to pay for all the promises; in other words, when there is nothing left to tax?

Jules: The people might get angry and frustrated and not like the government anymore. They can even revolt and fight and throw the government out.

Anthony Wile: What is the solution to this "government" problem? What is a better way for people to live and govern their lives?

Jules: People should be allowed to live free and use and save their money and not be forced to give it to the government.

Anthony Wile: Should the government do anything?

Jules: The government should make sure people are free to decide how they work and what they do with their money and the government should exist only to protect people so they can do this. They should do the opposite of what they do today.

Anthony Wile: Sounds a bit like libertarianism. Have you heard of Ron Paul?

Jules: Yes.

Anthony Wile: Who is he?

Jules: He wants to change the government and stop taxes and wants to throw out the Federal Reserve.

Anthony Wile: Do you agree with him?

Jules: Yes, I do.

Anthony Wile: Have they taught you these things about money or central banks in school? Have they taught you anything about money or banking in school, for that matter?

Jules: No. My dad teaches us about this stuff. In school we learn about different types of government and that it is necessary and good.

Anthony Wile: How have you learned about Ron Paul or the Federal Reserve and these things? Have you read any books on these topics?

Jules: We read the Uncle Eric series of books together… me, my mom and my brother and my dad. The guy who wrote them is a friend of my dad. They are really easy to read and understand.

Anthony Wile: At school, your teacher asked you a question about government. What was the question?

Jules: She asked us, "Should the government control people?"

Anthony Wile: Since that is the question that led to this interview…. What was your response?

Jules: I strongly disagree. NO.

Anthony Wile: I can see this interview has neared completion. Thank you for sharing your views.

Jules: You're welcome, Dad.

After Thoughts

It is indeed a special honour to interview my youngest son. Julian has worked hard to develop his model for processing information that enables him to question the world around him and not simply accept that which he is told – regardless of the source. I am extremely proud of him.

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