A governments budget is both difficult to plan and incredibly important.  There are many citizens who depend on a balanced budget to live happier, healthier lives but it is also impossible for a government to pay for absolutely everything.  As many citizens from around the world can now attest to, some programs that benefit the general public must be sacrificed for the good of the economic health of the country.  The citizens of Ania, an eighth grade Civics class from Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia, recently found themselves with just those kinds of decisions.

The discussion began with this question:

“What do you think should be added to the government budget?”

Citizen Stephen was the first to put his two cents in,

“Helloooo~

My opinion on the government budget (This is my own opinion, I am not representing DYMS right now) is that the government should put an extra $150 from the Health Insurance payment and put the remaining $200 into reserve.”

President Ava responded,

“Hello everyone,
I know that health care is an important part of Ania’s sucess but the owner’s of the health insurance hex have refused the money that the government offered them, so there will be no part of the government’s budget going into health insurance (i’m just letting you guys know this because some of you wanted a bigger portion of the budget being spent on health care.) If you have any questions/concerns of or pertaining to health insurance I suggest you take it up with the owner of the hex. I greatly value each and everyone of your ideas for the budget and hope to see more!!
Thanks,
Ava Chafin (president)”

Much like the debates going on within the government of the United States, there are some citizens that would enjoy the benefits of government run health hex while others see the private sector doing a better job. Healthcare is certainly an important topic in Ania, but is it the only topic that is important enough to be decided? This budget discussion is still a new one, it will be enlightening to see how it plays out.  Until then…

Senator Adam O, a citizen of Dinoland, a 9th grade humanities class in Mountlake Terrace High School, has founded a bank.  In explanation Senator Adam wrote,

“I have started, under the terms of Executive Order #1, a bank called Dinoland Bank. My purpose is to ensure economic stabilty and activity by keeping money moving through the country.
Dinoland Bank is willing to give loans of any reasonable amount to business owners and private citizens, with an interest rate of 5-10%, depending on the circumstances.
For businesses who have trouble getting rid of those last few units, I will buy them in bulk for a good price and resell them competitively to those who need or want them.
I will also accept investments and deposits. People who send me such transactions will get appreciable interest and can rest assured that my investments are good, and their money will not be lost.”

There was an immediate response from worried citizens of Dinoland.  Citizen Seth was one of the first to raise concern,

“Are you a robot? it would explain a lot….
I only got to say one thing: don’t go into an economic downfall, Obama’s already got enough on his hands, and he doesn’t want to deal with an internet version of his crisis.”

CEO of DinolandBank and Dinoland Senator Adam replied in confidence,

“I will not create an economic crisis. Read the bank’s wiki, and you’ll see how I will actually prevent a recession”

Throughout history banks have both helped people to keep money safe as well as to lose their money.  It will be interesting to see what affect this bank will haveon the Dinoland economy.

Every organization must find a way to pay for expenses, the same holds true for countries.  There are a lot of programs and general upkeep that must be financed, and a system has to exist to determine where and how funds are collected and dispursed.  The citizens of Leafland, a Humanities class at Learning By Design High School in Haysville, KS, spent time learning about this process and have now determined the importance in using that knowledge as a citizen.  Lead by instructor, Angela Quiram the citizens began with this question, ”

“Why should a citizen of a country know the budgeting process and what can he/she do about the process if he/she agrees or disagrees with it? Use examples/support from what you learned today in your answer.”

Representative LaurenW began the discussion with a feeling that citizens should be informed,

“A citizen of a country should know the budgeting process because if they know who to go to first then they can let them know what should change and what should stay the same. I first started looking at the budget and what I thought should be spent, and what was actually spent surprised me. I think the budget should have been spent more on education than some of the others that the money was spent on. Besides we should have a say in the budget because we are the ones that pay for the budget. They need to talk to us first.”

Citizen KathleenF feels that knowledge is important for citizens to form their own opinions,

“Its important to know about budgeting in our community so we can use our money wisely. If the people don’t know much about whats going on then they should try learning more about whats going on in the county. If someone doesn’t like the way the money is being handled then they should take their issues to congress and work on getting their ideas out there.”

President StuartL also feels that to have an opinion, citizens need to be informed,

“I think that that everyone should know about the budget because it gives people more of an understanding of what is going on in the government so that people can speak up if they don’t like what the money is being spent on.”

The way a government uses money can be a difficult process to understand.  The citizens of Leafland, however, believe that it is important for the average citizen to know how money is raised, spent and why in order to be able to participate in goverment.  How will Leaflanders use this newfound knowledge within their own country?