Daniel: Is the Government a person?
Me: No, sweetheart, it’s a group of people who run the country and decide what to spend our money on.
Daniel: What do they spend our money on?
Me: Well, hospitals, roads…
Daniel: Traffic lights?
Me: Yes traffic lights and… schools and teachers..
Michael: I hate my teacher.
Me: Well, Michael, what do you think that the Government should spend our money on?
Michael: They should give it to the shops so that I can get a computer for me.
Me: Well, they give money to schools so that everyone can have computers in schools.
Michael: There’s no computer in my classroom.
Mr. Waffle: But next year when you go to the classroom next door you’ll have a computer in the classroom.
Michael (starting to wail): But that computer is BROKEN.
Mr. Waffle: Well, but Michael the Government has lots of things to spend money on and there isn’t enough money and they have to decide what would be the best way to spend the money they have.
Michael (mutinously): I think the best thing would be to buy a computer for me.
Me (mentally searching for what Michael might deem worthy expenditure and rejecting all school related costs): Well, Michael, there are sick children in hospitals who need medicine and machines to make them better and the Government is spending money on that so it can’t afford your computer.
Michael (crying): The sick children are taking my computer.
Mr. Waffle: That went well.
Me: Michael is clearly a believer in big government.
Michael is going to be honing his pre-budget submission tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, as he can’t write, it will have to be a picture coloured in crayon.